Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basel and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basel 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 Basel and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,669 in Basel versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Basel $3,669
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,649 in Basel versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Basel $5,649
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,629 in Basel versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Basel $7,629
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Basel is roughly 189% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Basel is 170% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.27 CHF 25.06

$11.63 ₾30.07

160.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 CHF 103

$37.83 ₾97.8

230.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.91 CHF 14.83

$9.66 ₾24.98

85.40%

Cappuccino

$6.52 CHF 5.40

$3.57 ₾9.24

82.63%

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

$6.47 CHF 5.36

$1.08 ₾2.78

499.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 CHF 4.89

$0.56 ₾1.45

955.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.41 CHF 7.79

$2.62 ₾6.78

259.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.85

$3.04 ₾7.85

211.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.17 ₾5.60

5.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CHF 2.52

$0.80 ₾2.06

280.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CHF 2.71

$1.74 ₾4.51

87.93%

Eggs

$7.97 CHF 6.60

$2.83 ₾7.31

181.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.81

$9.31 ₾24.07

182.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.32 CHF 22.62

$6.52 ₾16.85

319.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 CHF 34.07

$12.95 ₾33.50

217.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CHF 3.06

$1.68 ₾4.34

120.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$1.85 ₾4.79

24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$1.97 ₾5.10

53.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 CHF 3.76

$2.42 ₾6.25

87.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 CHF 1.39

$0.82 ₾2.11

104.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CHF 1.58

$0.74 ₾1.91

158.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.88

$1.34 ₾3.47

69.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$0.77 ₾2.00

107.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.15 CHF 9.23

$3.57 ₾9.24

212.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 CHF 9.85

$7.67 ₾19.83

55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.02

$1.70 ₾4.39

43.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 CHF 2.51

$2.40 ₾6.21

26.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 CHF 4.32

$0.40 ₾1.05

1202.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 86.7

$15.23 ₾39.38

587.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 CHF 6.61

$1.14 ₾2.95

600.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.82

$0.78 ₾2.02

491.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.3 CHF 68.9

$11.83 ₾30.58

603.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 CHF 2.00

$1.45 ₾3.75

66.90%

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

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

55.94%

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

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

79.01%

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

$296 CHF 245

$88.8 ₾230

232.77%

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

$46.31 CHF 38.34

$13.12 ₾33.93

252.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CHF 52.3

$19.67 ₾50.9

221.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.0 CHF 67.9

$64.1 ₾166

28.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$58.3 CHF 48.24

$19.04 ₾49.24

205.99%

Cinema Ticket

$22.84 CHF 18.91

$7.12 ₾18.42

220.79%

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

$3,139 CHF 2,599

$375 ₾971

736.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

211.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$144 CHF 120

$104 ₾268

39.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.9 CHF 66.1

$39.26 ₾102

103.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 CHF 132

$117 ₾303

35.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 162

$122 ₾315

60.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 CHF 1,728

$695 ₾1,798

200.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 CHF 1,363

$451 ₾1,167

264.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CHF 2,995

$1,355 ₾3,504

166.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 CHF 2,456

$906 ₾2,343

227.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

$2,295 ₾5,934

660.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$1,345 ₾3,478

920.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,080 CHF 5,862

$664 ₾1,718

965.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

12.62

-80.82%

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

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Basel

$1.6K 44.9%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 72.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Basel

$584 15.9%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 59.9% $350

Eating Out

Basel

$490 13.3%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 61.1% $299

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basel

$405 11%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 70% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Basel

$261 7.1%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 34% $89

Getting Around

Basel

$157 4.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 86% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Basel

$128 3.5%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 38.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,087 in Basel and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $125 in Basel vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $584 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Basel

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

3 h ahead of Basel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

174,491

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Basel Tbilisi 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Basel
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

Basel vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Basel is about 11 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,087 in Basel versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,139 in Basel versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 149% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $3,669 in Basel, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tbilisi delivers better value at $1,269 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tbilisi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Basel and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.