Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,270 a month against $1,803 in Elgin, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,803 in Elgin versus $1,270 in Tbilisi.

Elgin $1,803
Tbilisi $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,850 in Elgin versus $2,008 in Tbilisi.

Elgin $2,850
Tbilisi $2,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,896 in Elgin versus $2,745 in Tbilisi.

Elgin $3,896
Tbilisi $2,745

Living in Elgin is roughly 42% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elgin is 33% above, Tbilisi is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.57 £16.19

$11.51 ₾29.79

87.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 £53.9

$38.27 ₾99.1

87.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 £7.69

$9.80 ₾25.36

4.59%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.41

$3.55 ₾9.19

28.17%

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

$1.97 £1.48

$1.06 ₾2.74

85.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 £0.97

$0.62 ₾1.60

108.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.76 ₾7.16

60.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.51

$3.00 ₾7.77

100.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.25

$2.16 ₾5.59

-22.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.23

$0.76 ₾1.96

115.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.74 ₾4.51

18.97%

Eggs

$3.84 £2.88

$2.79 ₾7.21

37.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 £6.91

$9.20 ₾23.83

0.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$6.53 ₾16.89

42.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 £12.94

$12.81 ₾33.17

34.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.67 ₾4.31

95.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.85 ₾4.79

-15.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.25

$1.98 ₾5.13

51.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 £2.48

$2.51 ₾6.49

31.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 £1.43

$0.87 ₾2.26

119.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$0.73 ₾1.89

119.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.42 ₾3.67

-15.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$0.72 ₾1.88

126.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.90 £17.93

$3.38 ₾8.74

607.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 £8.37

$7.84 ₾20.31

42.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 £2.51

$1.62 ₾4.19

106.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.51

$2.38 ₾6.15

40.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 £2.67

$0.37 ₾0.96

862.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 £91.3

$15.52 ₾40.16

683.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 £4.27

$1.14 ₾2.94

399.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 £0.89

$0.79 ₾2.05

49.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.07 £19.56

$11.57 ₾29.96

125.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 £1.63

$1.50 ₾3.87

45.33%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$24.6K ₾63.7K

54.61%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$22.4K ₾57.9K

82.22%

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

$200 £150

$88.3 ₾228

126.61%

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

$20.02 £15.02

$13.08 ₾33.86

53.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 £30.14

$19.53 ₾50.6

105.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 £27.76

$64.2 ₾166

-42.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.47 £4.10

$19.18 ₾49.66

-71.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 £8.32

$6.99 ₾18.10

58.66%

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

$937 £703

$373 ₾966

151.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$10.7K ₾27.7K

105.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.15 £27.12

$103 ₾266

-64.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 £34.06

$40.48 ₾105

12.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.8

$116 ₾301

-8.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 £68.3

$122 ₾316

-25.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 £681

$677 ₾1,753

34.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 £443

$454 ₾1,176

29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 £1,339

$1,277 ₾3,305

39.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 £900

$890 ₾2,304

34.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,068 £3,802

$2,410 ₾6,238

110.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,897

$1,418 ₾3,670

172.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,018 £1,514

$703 ₾1,819

187.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

12.62

-62.04%

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

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elgin

$590 32.7%

Tbilisi

$454 35.8% 23% $136

Groceries & Markets

Elgin

$316 17.5%

Tbilisi

$233 18.3% 26.3% $83

Eating Out

Elgin

$305 16.9%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 37.5% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin

$260 14.4%

Tbilisi

$121 9.5% 53.5% $139

Getting Around

Elgin

$148 8.2%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 85% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin

$126 7%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 36.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin

$59 3.3%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 32.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $908 in Elgin and $677 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 187% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $72.0 in Elgin vs $38.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $233 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Elgin

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

21:13 9:13 PM

3 h ahead of Elgin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,040

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elgin Tbilisi 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin
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

Elgin vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elgin and Tbilisi differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,803 vs $1,270 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 187% higher in Elgin, 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: $908 in Elgin versus $677 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 684% less than in Elgin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $937 in Elgin versus $373 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,803 in Elgin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Elgin. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Elgin and Tbilisi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Elgin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.