Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cotonou, Benin
Tbilisi, Georgia
Cotonou
🇧🇯 Benin
$897
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Cotonou versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Cotonou $897
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,428 in Cotonou versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Cotonou $1,428
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Cotonou versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Cotonou $1,958
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Cotonou costs roughly 29% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cotonou 34% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.18 F CFA 3,050
$11.63 ₾30.07
-55.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.68 F CFA 21.0K
$37.83 ₾97.8
-5.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.39 F CFA 5,527
$9.66 ₾24.98
-2.80%
Cappuccino
$5.25 F CFA 3,093
$3.57 ₾9.24
47.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 F CFA 590
$1.08 ₾2.78
-7.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 F CFA 523
$0.56 ₾1.45
58.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.87 F CFA 511
$2.62 ₾6.78
-66.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 F CFA 1,525
$3.04 ₾7.85
-14.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.10 F CFA 1,824
$2.17 ₾5.60
42.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 F CFA 725
$0.80 ₾2.06
53.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 F CFA 1,108
$1.74 ₾4.51
8.05%
Eggs
$2.74 F CFA 1,614
$2.83 ₾7.31
-3.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.25 F CFA 5,449
$9.31 ₾24.07
-0.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 F CFA 3,196
$6.52 ₾16.85
-16.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.04 F CFA 2,966
$12.95 ₾33.50
-61.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 F CFA 2,351
$1.68 ₾4.34
137.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 F CFA 1,046
$1.85 ₾4.79
-3.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 F CFA 781
$1.97 ₾5.10
-32.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 F CFA 1,595
$2.42 ₾6.25
11.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.27 F CFA 746
$0.82 ₾2.11
54.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 F CFA 989
$0.74 ₾1.91
127.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 F CFA 253
$1.34 ₾3.47
-67.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 F CFA 672
$0.77 ₾2.00
48.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 F CFA 1,982
$3.57 ₾9.24
-5.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.30 F CFA 2,530
$7.67 ₾19.83
-43.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 F CFA 690
$1.70 ₾4.39
-31.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 F CFA 1,094
$2.40 ₾6.21
-22.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.30 F CFA 766
$0.40 ₾1.05
225.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$15.23 ₾39.38
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 F CFA 810
$1.14 ₾2.95
21.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 F CFA 778
$0.78 ₾2.02
69.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$11.83 ₾30.58
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 F CFA 696
$1.45 ₾3.75
-18.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$24.6K ₾63.6K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K F CFA 13.8M
$22.3K ₾57.8K
5.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 F CFA 85.3K
$88.8 ₾230
63.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.52 F CFA 19.7K
$13.12 ₾33.93
155.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.06 F CFA 28.9K
$19.67 ₾50.9
149.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.60 F CFA 28.0K
$64.1 ₾166
-25.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.36 F CFA 1,978
$19.04 ₾49.24
-82.35%
Cinema Ticket
$8.58 F CFA 5,055
$7.12 ₾18.42
20.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$131 F CFA 77.1K
$375 ₾971
-65.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,544 F CFA 3.3M
$10.5K ₾27.1K
-47.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.39 F CFA 15.0K
$104 ₾268
-75.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$39.26 ₾102
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$33.44 F CFA 19.7K
$117 ₾303
-71.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.9 F CFA 40.0K
$122 ₾315
-44.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$176 F CFA 103.6K
$695 ₾1,798
-74.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$163 F CFA 95.9K
$451 ₾1,167
-63.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$600 F CFA 353.4K
$1,355 ₾3,504
-55.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$412 F CFA 242.9K
$906 ₾2,343
-54.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,295 ₾5,934
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,345 ₾3,478
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cotonou
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$251 F CFA 147.5K
$664 ₾1,718
-62.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
12.62
-68.30%

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

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cotonou
$227
Tbilisi
$122 46.5% $106
Groceries & Markets
Cotonou
$222
Tbilisi
$234 5.4% $12
Accommodation & Living
Cotonou
$163
Tbilisi
$451 177% $288
Eating Out
Cotonou
$150
Tbilisi
$191 27.3% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Cotonou
$65
Tbilisi
$78 20.9% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Cotonou
$57 *
Tbilisi
$172 201% $115
Getting Around
Cotonou
$13 *
Tbilisi
$22 66.2% $8.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $176 in Cotonou and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cotonou vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $234 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇯 Cotonou
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
21:27 9:27 PM
00:27 12:27 AM
3 h ahead of Cotonou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
780,000
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cotonou Tbilisi 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cotonou
  • 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
Cotonou vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cotonou cheaper than Tbilisi?
Cotonou is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cotonou or Tbilisi?
On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Cotonou. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cotonou and Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $176 in Cotonou versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cotonou and in Tbilisi?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Cotonou and in Tbilisi?
All in, you’ll spend $897 per month in Cotonou versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – Cotonou is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Cotonou or in Tbilisi?
At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Cotonou or in Tbilisi?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Cotonou wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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