Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Almaty and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,242 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$1,387
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,242
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Almaty and in Tbilisi

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Almaty vs $1,242 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Almaty $1,387
  • Tbilisi $1,242

A couple spends around $2,135 per month in Almaty vs $1,962 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,135
  • Tbilisi $1,962

A family of three spends $2,883 per month in Almaty vs $2,682 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Almaty $2,883
  • Tbilisi $2,682

Almaty costs about 12% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Almaty sits 3% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.31 ₸6,034
$10.98 ₾28.46
21.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 ₸19.7K
$38.21 ₾99.0
13.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.80 ₸3,988
$9.58 ₾24.84
-8.14%
Cappuccino
$3.30 ₸1,497
$3.59 ₾9.31
-8.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 ₸620
$1.03 ₾2.66
33.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₸409
$0.63 ₾1.64
42.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.13 ₸1,419
$2.74 ₾7.10
14.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 ₸1,860
$3.17 ₾8.22
29.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ₸754
$2.13 ₾5.53
-22.07%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 ₸406
$0.74 ₾1.91
21.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 ₸933
$1.72 ₾4.46
19.77%
Eggs
$2.37 ₸1,074
$2.78 ₾7.21
-14.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.64 ₸5,730
$9.48 ₾24.56
33.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 ₸3,000
$6.45 ₾16.71
2.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.87 ₸4,928
$13.02 ₾33.76
-16.51%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₸845
$1.69 ₾4.37
10.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.37 ₸1,075
$1.84 ₾4.76
28.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.99 ₸1,358
$1.89 ₾4.90
58.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.83 ₸1,282
$2.40 ₾6.22
17.92%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 ₸347
$0.84 ₾2.17
-8.33%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 ₸264
$0.68 ₾1.75
-14.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.59 ₸723
$1.42 ₾3.68
11.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ₸449
$0.77 ₾2.01
28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.54 ₸1,153
$3.56 ₾9.22
-28.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.04 ₸5,005
$7.48 ₾19.39
47.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₸550
$1.71 ₾4.43
-29.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 ₸1,093
$2.29 ₾5.94
5.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₸113
$0.40 ₾1.04
-37.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.84 ₸9,901
$15.15 ₾39.27
44.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₸581
$1.19 ₾3.08
7.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₸291
$0.78 ₾2.03
-17.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.74 ₸4,870
$11.77 ₾30.50
-8.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.69 ₸314
$1.41 ₾3.65
-51.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K ₸10.1M
$24.3K ₾62.9K
-8.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K ₸13.3M
$21.7K ₾56.3K
34.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.8 ₸39.8K
$87.6 ₾227
0.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.83 ₸4,909
$13.33 ₾34.55
-18.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.40 ₸7,887
$19.51 ₾50.6
-10.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.7 ₸31.6K
$64.7 ₾168
7.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.58 ₸12.1K
$18.85 ₾48.86
41.01%
Cinema Ticket
$6.68 ₸3,031
$6.55 ₾16.97
1.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$446 ₸202.2K
$377 ₾978
18.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₸5.4M
$10.6K ₾27.5K
11.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.7 ₸42.5K
$102 ₾265
-8.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.91 ₸21.3K
$40.36 ₾105
16.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$143 ₸64.7K
$117 ₾302
22.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 ₸60.5K
$121 ₾314
10.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$773 ₸350.6K
$675 ₾1,749
14.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$497 ₸225.5K
$451 ₾1,170
10.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,390 ₸630.4K
$1,275 ₾3,305
9.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$880 ₸398.9K
$883 ₾2,288
-0.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,546 ₸1.2M
$2,415 ₾6,259
5.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,506 ₸683.0K
$1,404 ₾3,640
7.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Almaty
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$834 ₸377.9K
$706 ₾1,830
18.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.65
12.62
63.63%

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

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Almaty
$497
Tbilisi
$451 9.2% $46
Groceries & Markets
Almaty
$251
Tbilisi
$232 7.5% $19
Eating Out
Almaty
$205
Tbilisi
$186 9.3% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Almaty
$188
Tbilisi
$171 8.7% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Almaty
$116
Tbilisi
$120 3.9% $4.5
Sport & Entertainment
Almaty
$83
Tbilisi
$78 6.3% $5.3
Getting Around
Almaty
$27
Tbilisi
$22 20% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $773 in Almaty versus $675 in Tbilisi. 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 18% higher in Almaty, 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 $43.00 in Almaty versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $232 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Almaty
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
08:26 8:26 AM
06:26 6:26 AM
2 h behind Almaty
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,475,400
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Almaty Tbilisi 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Almaty
  • Tbilisi

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
Almaty vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tbilisi cheaper than Almaty?
Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Almaty and $1,863 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Almaty or in Tbilisi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Almaty and $38.00 in Tbilisi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Almaty and in Tbilisi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,387 in Almaty and $1,242 in Tbilisi. That's a gap of about 12%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Almaty or in Tbilisi?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,242, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Almaty or Tbilisi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tbilisi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Almaty or Tbilisi?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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