Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $3,524 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bern, Switzerland
Tbilisi, Georgia
Bern
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,524
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,524 in Bern versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Bern $3,524
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,348 in Bern versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Bern $5,348
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,171 in Bern versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Bern $7,171
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Bern is roughly 178% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bern is 159% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.73 CHF 23.70
$11.63 ₾30.07
147.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$123 CHF 101
$37.83 ₾97.8
224.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.88 CHF 13.10
$9.66 ₾24.98
64.39%
Cappuccino
$6.89 CHF 5.69
$3.57 ₾9.24
93.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.13 CHF 5.06
$1.08 ₾2.78
467.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.96 CHF 5.74
$0.56 ₾1.45
1142.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.11 CHF 7.51
$2.62 ₾6.78
247.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.06 CHF 6.65
$3.04 ₾7.85
165.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.83
$2.17 ₾5.60
1.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.92 CHF 2.41
$0.80 ₾2.06
265.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.17 CHF 2.61
$1.74 ₾4.51
82.18%
Eggs
$7.70 CHF 6.35
$2.83 ₾7.31
172.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.56 CHF 20.26
$9.31 ₾24.07
163.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$29.33 CHF 24.20
$6.52 ₾16.85
349.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$38.43 CHF 31.70
$12.95 ₾33.50
196.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.80 CHF 3.13
$1.68 ₾4.33
126.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 CHF 1.66
$1.85 ₾4.79
8.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.60 CHF 2.14
$1.97 ₾5.10
31.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.62 CHF 3.81
$2.42 ₾6.25
90.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 CHF 1.37
$0.82 ₾2.11
101.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.05 CHF 1.69
$0.74 ₾1.91
177.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 CHF 1.83
$1.34 ₾3.47
64.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 CHF 1.06
$0.77 ₾2.00
66.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.13 CHF 9.18
$3.57 ₾9.24
211.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.91 CHF 9.83
$7.67 ₾19.83
55.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 CHF 1.89
$1.70 ₾4.39
34.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.02 CHF 2.49
$2.40 ₾6.21
25.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$6.35 CHF 5.24
$0.40 ₾1.05
1487.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.9 CHF 80.7
$15.23 ₾39.38
542.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.99 CHF 6.59
$1.14 ₾2.95
600.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.66 CHF 3.84
$0.78 ₾2.02
497.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$110 CHF 90.8
$11.83 ₾30.58
830.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.36 CHF 1.95
$1.45 ₾3.75
62.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K CHF 31.8K
$24.6K ₾63.6K
56.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.6K CHF 32.7K
$22.3K ₾57.8K
77.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$272 CHF 224
$88.8 ₾230
206.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.10 CHF 23.18
$13.12 ₾33.93
114.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.0 CHF 44.57
$19.67 ₾50.9
174.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$85.2 CHF 70.3
$64.1 ₾166
33.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$47.65 CHF 39.31
$19.04 ₾49.24
150.26%
Cinema Ticket
$25.53 CHF 21.06
$7.12 ₾18.42
258.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,123 CHF 2,576
$375 ₾971
731.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.5K CHF 25.2K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
191.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$144 CHF 119
$104 ₾268
38.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.4 CHF 50.6
$39.26 ₾102
56.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$155 CHF 128
$117 ₾303
32.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$198 CHF 163
$122 ₾315
62.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 CHF 1,734
$695 ₾1,798
202.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 CHF 1,307
$451 ₾1,167
251.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,558 CHF 2,935
$1,355 ₾3,504
162.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 CHF 2,202
$906 ₾2,343
194.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.2K CHF 15.0K
$2,295 ₾5,934
694.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$14.0K CHF 11.6K
$1,345 ₾3,478
942.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bern
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,701 CHF 5,528
$664 ₾1,718
908.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.46
12.62
-80.51%

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

Last update for Bern: 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
Bern
$1.6K
Tbilisi
$451 71.5% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Bern
$570
Tbilisi
$234 58.9% $336
Eating Out
Bern
$474
Tbilisi
$191 59.8% $284
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bern
$354
Tbilisi
$122 65.6% $232
Clothing & Footwear
Bern
$251
Tbilisi
$172 31.6% $79
Getting Around
Bern
$155
Tbilisi
$22 85.8% $133
Sport & Entertainment
Bern
$136
Tbilisi
$78 42.5% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,102 in Bern and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $123 in Bern vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $570 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Bern
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
00:08 12:08 AM
03:08 3:08 AM
3 h ahead of Bern
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
128,848 Capital
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bern Tbilisi 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bern
  • 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
Bern vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bern or Tbilisi?
Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Bern. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bern or in Tbilisi?
Average pay in Bern is about 10 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bern compared to Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,102 in Bern versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Bern and in Tbilisi?
Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Bern compared to Tbilisi?
All in, you’ll spend $3,524 per month in Bern versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – Tbilisi is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Bern or in Tbilisi?
At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $3,524 in Bern, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Bern. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bern or Tbilisi?
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.
How safe is Bern compared to Tbilisi?
Safety-wise, Bern and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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