Europe · Chisinau
Cost of living in Moldova
Moldova is 59% cheaper than the US, ranking #114 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living.
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Moldova, food & groceries is the priciest category relative to the world (72), while health is the most affordable (33).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $41,500 in Moldova.
Quality of life
78/100 · #98 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Moldova
A large portion of present-day Moldovan territory became a province of the Russian Empire in 1812 and then unified with Romania in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I. This territory was then incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although Moldova has been independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River in the breakaway region of Transnistria.
Read the full background
Years of Communist Party rule in Moldova from 2001 to 2009 ultimately ended with election-related violent protests and a rerun of parliamentary elections in 2009. A series of pro-Europe ruling coalitions governed Moldova from 2010 to 2019, but pro-Russia candidate Igor DODON won the presidency in 2016, and his Socialist Party of the Republic of Moldova won a plurality in the legislative election in 2019. Pro-EU reformist candidate Maia SANDU defeated DODON in his reelection bid in 2020, and SANDU's Party of Action and Solidarity won a parliamentary majority in an early legislative election in 2021. Prime Minister Natalia GAVRILITA and her cabinet took office in 2021. In early 2023, Moldova's parliament confirmed a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Dorin RECEAN, which retained the majority of the former ministers.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Moldova expensive to live in?
Moldova is 59% cheaper than the US, ranking #114 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is food & groceries; health costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Moldova?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $41,500 in Moldova, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Moldova cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 41.3, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Moldova?
Moldova scores 78 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#98 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 71 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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