Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Moldova

Name: Moldova
Address: MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Moldova: $1,184 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Moldova
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Moldova Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Moldova

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,184 in Moldova, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Moldova $1,184

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,775 in Moldova, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Moldova $1,775

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,367 in Moldova, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Moldova $2,367

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Moldova ($356–$1,341), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 108% higher than in Moldova on average.

The United Kingdom sits 81% above the global median, while Moldova is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.12

$9.34 MDL 167

129.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.3

$33.28 MDL 593

157.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$8.13 MDL 145

30.50%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.68

$1.92 MDL 34.19

155.73%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$1.03 MDL 18.39

158.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.76 MDL 13.46

146.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.97

$2.00 MDL 35.65

231.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.13

$1.91 MDL 34.02

258.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.21 MDL 21.49

38.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$0.66 MDL 11.79

160.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$1.38 MDL 24.61

57.25%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$2.62 MDL 46.74

52.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.07

$9.43 MDL 168

-0.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.89

$5.09 MDL 90.8

80.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$8.36 MDL 149

76.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$0.99 MDL 17.70

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.84 MDL 32.75

-11.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.14

$1.90 MDL 33.96

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.06 MDL 36.65

70.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.78 MDL 13.82

134.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$0.57 MDL 10.14

182.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.34 MDL 23.95

-6.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.89 MDL 15.86

86.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.75

$3.38 MDL 60.3

599.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.88

$4.33 MDL 77.2

142.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$1.27 MDL 22.73

134.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.63

$1.99 MDL 35.41

76.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$0.37 MDL 6.68

975.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.6

$14.40 MDL 257

645.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$2.17 MDL 38.71

138.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$0.34 MDL 6.15

591.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.14

$4.92 MDL 87.6

445.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.69 MDL 30.09

17.75%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$29.7K MDL 529.7K

32.78%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$27.7K MDL 493.5K

46.28%

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

$327 £245

$221 MDL 3,939

48.09%

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

$18.21 £13.66

$9.37 MDL 167

94.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.72

$10.73 MDL 191

306.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.78

$40.08 MDL 715

5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.67

$17.72 MDL 316

2.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$8.55 MDL 152

61.99%

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

$1,868 £1,402

$389 MDL 6,941

379.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$5,437 MDL 96.9K

316.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.7

$66.2 MDL 1,181

40.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.45

$42.17 MDL 752

8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$104 MDL 1,857

-2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.7

$110 MDL 1,965

-7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,007

$597 MDL 10.6K

124.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £805

$392 MDL 6,981

174.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,674

$1,143 MDL 20.4K

95.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,307

$733 MDL 13.1K

137.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,203

$2,426 MDL 43.3K

130.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,200

$1,796 MDL 32.0K

137.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,513

$751 MDL 13.4K

345.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

8.76

-39.27%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Moldova: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Moldova

$392 33.1% 63.5% $682

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Moldova

$241 20.4% 38% $148

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Moldova

$143 12.1% 56.3% $184

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Moldova

$186 15.7% 39.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Moldova

$145 12.3% 5.8% $9

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Moldova

$20 1.7% 85.9% $120

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Moldova

$57 4.8% 18.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $402 in Moldova. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $691 in Chisinau.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $546 in Moldova. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 220% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 207% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 461% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 6 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇲🇩 Moldova

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

2,603,813

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Moldova 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Moldova

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

United Kingdom vs Moldova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moldova is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 52% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $402 in Moldova.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Moldova – part of why living there is about 52% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Moldova, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Moldova is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.