Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $977 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$977

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Bishkek versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Bishkek $977
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Bishkek versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Bishkek $1,505
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Bishkek versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Bishkek $2,032
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Bishkek costs roughly 23% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 28% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 KGS 595

$11.63 ₾30.07

-41.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.12 KGS 2,547

$37.83 ₾97.8

-23.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 KGS 499

$9.66 ₾24.98

-40.99%

Cappuccino

$2.45 KGS 215

$3.57 ₾9.24

-31.37%

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

$0.75 KGS 65.8

$1.08 ₾2.78

-30.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KGS 35.69

$0.56 ₾1.45

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 KGS 121

$2.62 ₾6.78

-46.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 KGS 168

$3.04 ₾7.85

-36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 89.9

$2.17 ₾5.60

-52.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 KGS 36.15

$0.80 ₾2.06

-48.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 KGS 151

$1.74 ₾4.51

-0.57%

Eggs

$1.76 KGS 154

$2.83 ₾7.31

-37.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 KGS 676

$9.31 ₾24.07

-16.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 KGS 404

$6.52 ₾16.85

-29.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 KGS 764

$12.95 ₾33.50

-32.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 KGS 124

$1.68 ₾4.33

-15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$1.85 ₾4.79

-1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.97 ₾5.10

2.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 KGS 137

$2.42 ₾6.25

-35.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 KGS 53.4

$0.82 ₾2.11

-25.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.33

$0.74 ₾1.91

-31.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KGS 62.3

$1.34 ₾3.47

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KGS 49.86

$0.77 ₾2.00

-25.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 KGS 181

$3.57 ₾9.24

-42.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 KGS 792

$7.67 ₾19.83

17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.70 ₾4.39

-19.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 KGS 169

$2.40 ₾6.21

-19.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.01

$0.40 ₾1.05

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.55 KGS 1,010

$15.23 ₾39.38

-24.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 78.2

$1.14 ₾2.95

-21.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 KGS 38.34

$0.78 ₾2.02

-43.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 KGS 486

$11.83 ₾30.58

-53.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 KGS 85.6

$1.45 ₾3.75

-32.41%

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

$29.8K KGS 2.6M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

21.28%

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

$33.2K KGS 2.9M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

48.53%

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

$49.36 KGS 4,317

$88.8 ₾230

-44.41%

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

$5.75 KGS 503

$13.12 ₾33.93

-56.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.91 KGS 1,042

$19.67 ₾50.9

-39.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 KGS 4,712

$64.1 ₾166

-15.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.66 KGS 1,282

$19.04 ₾49.24

-23.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.59 KGS 489

$7.12 ₾18.42

-21.49%

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

$217 KGS 19.0K

$375 ₾971

-42.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,810 KGS 683.1K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-25.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 KGS 4,923

$104 ₾268

-45.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 KGS 3,837

$39.26 ₾102

11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 KGS 8,026

$117 ₾303

-21.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 KGS 7,861

$122 ₾315

-26.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 KGS 52.4K

$695 ₾1,798

-13.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.9K

$451 ₾1,167

-9.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 KGS 90.0K

$1,355 ₾3,504

-24.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$906 ₾2,343

-20.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,811 KGS 158.4K

$2,295 ₾5,934

-21.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,209 KGS 105.8K

$1,345 ₾3,478

-10.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$498 KGS 43.5K

$664 ₾1,718

-25.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

12.62

59.27%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 42%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 10% $41

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$176 18%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 32.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$127 13%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 35.5% $45

Eating Out

Bishkek

$116 11.9%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 63.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$67 6.9%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 81.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$65 6.7%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 20.4% $13

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 40.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Bishkek and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Bishkek vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $234 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

2 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 87.46 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.66 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Tbilisi 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
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

Bishkek vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bishkek is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Bishkek. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $599 in Bishkek versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Bishkek 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 33% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Bishkek is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.