Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ungheni and Chisinau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ungheni: $653 a month against $1,288 in Chisinau, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Ungheni
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Ungheni Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Ungheni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$653

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ungheni and in Chisinau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ungheni and in Chisinau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $653 per month in Ungheni vs $1,288 in Chisinau, rent included.

Ungheni $653
Chisinau $1,288

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Ungheni vs $1,978 in Chisinau, rent included.

Ungheni $1,023
Chisinau $1,978

A family of three spends $1,392 per month in Ungheni vs $2,669 in Chisinau, rent included.

Ungheni $1,392
Chisinau $2,669

Ungheni is about 49% cheaper than Chisinau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ungheni and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Ungheni 52% lower, Chisinau 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.41 MDL 132

$11.34 MDL 201

-34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.63 MDL 402

$50.1 MDL 890

-54.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 MDL 123

$8.65 MDL 154

-20.23%

Cappuccino

$1.37 MDL 24.27

$2.11 MDL 37.44

-35.07%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MDL 13.15

$1.19 MDL 21.09

-37.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MDL 7.60

$0.85 MDL 15.08

-49.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 MDL 18.33

$2.26 MDL 40.11

-54.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MDL 24.44

$2.00 MDL 35.53

-31.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MDL 29.37

$1.24 MDL 21.99

33.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.33 MDL 5.83

$0.73 MDL 13.03

-54.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 MDL 15.24

$1.46 MDL 25.97

-41.10%

Eggs

$1.90 MDL 33.80

$2.78 MDL 49.31

-31.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 MDL 177

$9.65 MDL 171

3.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.02 MDL 71.3

$5.26 MDL 93.5

-23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.29 MDL 147

$8.83 MDL 157

-6.12%

Apples (1kg)

$0.43 MDL 7.66

$0.93 MDL 16.44

-53.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 MDL 22.49

$1.87 MDL 33.25

-32.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 MDL 18.80

$2.11 MDL 37.47

-49.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 MDL 20.21

$2.28 MDL 40.57

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 MDL 8.21

$0.68 MDL 12.00

-32.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 MDL 6.27

$0.52 MDL 9.22

-32.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 MDL 38.87

$1.31 MDL 23.32

67.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MDL 14.72

$0.83 MDL 14.82

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 MDL 60.3

$3.36 MDL 59.6

0.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.09 MDL 72.6

$4.64 MDL 82.4

-11.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 MDL 25.04

$1.22 MDL 21.60

15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 MDL 30.50

$1.88 MDL 33.46

-8.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 MDL 6.30

$0.41 MDL 7.21

-14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.72 MDL 244

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 MDL 28.96

$2.20 MDL 39.04

-25.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MDL 7.23

$0.32 MDL 5.75

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 MDL 66.1

$4.98 MDL 88.5

-25.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MDL 25.77

$1.74 MDL 30.95

-16.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.9K MDL 530.9K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.3K MDL 359.8K

$28.6K MDL 507.6K

-29.12%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$139 MDL 2,473

$244 MDL 4,334

-42.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.16 MDL 198

$9.37 MDL 166

19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.99 MDL 284

$10.56 MDL 187

51.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.18 MDL 252

$42.29 MDL 751

-66.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.91 MDL 371

Cinema Ticket

$4.03 MDL 71.6

$8.21 MDL 146

-50.91%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$436 MDL 7,737

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,764 MDL 102.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.18 MDL 838

$78.4 MDL 1,392

-39.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.56 MDL 294

$47.66 MDL 846

-65.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.02 MDL 586

$113 MDL 1,998

-70.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 MDL 1,174

$114 MDL 2,031

-42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 MDL 4,451

$677 MDL 12.0K

-62.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 MDL 1,998

$430 MDL 7,640

-73.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 MDL 5,892

$1,249 MDL 22.2K

-73.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 MDL 5,023

$831 MDL 14.8K

-65.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,254 MDL 40.0K

$2,607 MDL 46.3K

-13.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,708 MDL 30.3K

$1,981 MDL 35.2K

-13.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$551 MDL 9,791

$880 MDL 15.6K

-37.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

-12.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ungheni: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ungheni

$166 25.5%

Chisinau

$264 20.5% 58.7% $98

Groceries & Markets

Ungheni

$165 25.2%

Chisinau

$192 14.9% 16.2% $27

Accommodation & Living

Ungheni

$113 17.2%

Chisinau

$430 33.4% 282% $318

Eating Out

Ungheni

$109 16.7%

Chisinau

$165 12.8% 51.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Ungheni

$73 11.2%

Chisinau

$159 12.3% 117% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Ungheni

$22 3.4%

Chisinau

$59 4.6% 164% $36

Getting Around

Ungheni

$5.1 * 0.8%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 276% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Ungheni versus $677 in Chisinau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Chisinau, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ungheni versus $50.0 in Chisinau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $192 – making Ungheni the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Ungheni

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

Same time as Ungheni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ungheni Chisinau 81 km

From you

Ungheni
Chisinau

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ungheni vs Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chisinau is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $980 per month in Ungheni and $1,932 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ungheni, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Chisinau, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ungheni and $50.0 in Chisinau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ungheni, where all-in costs run around $653, than in Chisinau at $1,288. In Ungheni it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chisinau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ungheni – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ungheni. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chisinau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.