Moldova's Big Mac pricier than Romania's in Economist's Big Mac Index

The Economist’s annual Big Mac Index reveals that a Big Mac in Chișinău costs 90 lei (about €4.40), while the same sandwich in Bucharest is priced at roughly 15.5 lei (about €3.11). This makes the Moldovan burger more expensive despite the country’s lower average income.

The price gap is attributed to higher import costs and logistics for McDonald’s in Moldova, which sources most ingredients and packaging from abroad, whereas Romania benefits from a larger local supply chain and greater market scale that keep unit costs down.