Numbeo is the world’s largest crowdsourced price and cost of living database that measures the price of goods, services and rent relative to New York City (base score of 100). Data is collected on five indicators.
In Chisinau (taking New York as 100%), rent is 14.8%, cost of living together with rent is 25.3%, groceries are 31.3%, restaurant meals are 29.3%, and local purchasing power is 51.7%. Moldova’s overall index is 33.5, six months ago it was 30.8.
That is, the total cost of living in Moldova has risen by 10% in six months, according to the indicators used by Numbeo.
At the same time, the average monthly salary in the real sector in Chisinau in the first quarter of 2025 amounted to about 15,178 lei ($896), while in the budget sector – 12,810.5 lei ($756). The average is $826.
The average gross salary in New York City in the first half of 2025 is $83,323 per year or $6944 per month.
Doing some simple math, we can determine that the average resident of Chisinau, taking into account the Numbeo cost of living index, has $2466 per month. That is, he or she is about three times poorer than the average New Yorker.
Romania ranks 80th in this rating, Ukraine 126th, Russia 82nd, and Italy, where many of our fellow citizens live, 34th.
The rating is headed by the Cayman Islands (94.3). Their economy is based on offshore financing, tourism and real estate – industries that attract wealthy residents and investors.
Switzerland (82.3) and Singapore (80.9) follow close behind, reflecting their developed economies, high wages and premium real estate markets.
At the other end of the spectrum are Pakistan (11.3), Libya (11.3) and Afghanistan (11.6), which has the world’s lowest cost of living index.
Many South Asian countries, including India (12.8) and Bangladesh (13.0), also have prices about one-eighth of those in New York City. Both of these countries have predominantly young populations and relatively low wages, which helps to drive down the cost of labor and services.
