Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Erbil vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Erbil $958
Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Erbil vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Erbil $1,427
Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Erbil vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Erbil $1,896
Tbilisi $2,763

Erbil is about 25% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Erbil and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Erbil 30% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 IQD 9,704

$11.63 ₾30.07

-44.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

$37.83 ₾97.8

-3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

$9.66 ₾24.98

-23.29%

Cappuccino

$3.24 IQD 4,889

$3.57 ₾9.24

-9.24%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,341

$1.08 ₾2.78

-17.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 IQD 505

$0.56 ₾1.45

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 IQD 8,681

$2.62 ₾6.78

119.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 IQD 5,921

$3.04 ₾7.85

28.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 IQD 1,611

$2.17 ₾5.60

-50.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,019

$0.80 ₾2.06

-16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 IQD 2,303

$1.74 ₾4.51

-12.64%

Eggs

$1.60 IQD 2,413

$2.83 ₾7.31

-43.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

$9.31 ₾24.07

-24.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 IQD 6,614

$6.52 ₾16.85

-32.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

$12.95 ₾33.50

-2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,415

$1.68 ₾4.33

-44.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,528

$1.85 ₾4.79

-45.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 IQD 1,544

$1.97 ₾5.10

-48.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 IQD 1,064

$2.42 ₾6.25

-71.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 982

$0.82 ₾2.11

-20.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$0.74 ₾1.91

-14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 968

$1.34 ₾3.47

-52.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 781

$0.77 ₾2.00

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 IQD 3,303

$3.57 ₾9.24

-38.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

$7.67 ₾19.83

41.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 IQD 2,191

$1.70 ₾4.39

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 IQD 2,712

$2.40 ₾6.21

-25.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 IQD 736

$0.40 ₾1.05

22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

$15.23 ₾39.38

157.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,519

$1.14 ₾2.95

46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 IQD 2,418

$0.78 ₾2.02

105.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 IQD 8,728

$11.83 ₾30.58

-51.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$1.45 ₾3.75

-60.69%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-31.66%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

-23.30%

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

$111 IQD 168.1K

$88.8 ₾230

25.27%

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

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

$13.12 ₾33.93

-6.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

$19.67 ₾50.9

25.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$64.1 ₾166

-11.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

$19.04 ₾49.24

-29.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

$7.12 ₾18.42

35.25%

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

$294 IQD 443.8K

$375 ₾971

-21.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-73.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

$104 ₾268

-74.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

$39.26 ₾102

-1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

$117 ₾303

-47.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

$122 ₾315

-50.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 IQD 643.6K

$695 ₾1,798

-38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 IQD 410.0K

$451 ₾1,167

-39.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 IQD 1.1M

$1,355 ₾3,504

-48.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 IQD 610.4K

$906 ₾2,343

-55.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

$2,295 ₾5,934

-55.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$615 IQD 929.8K

$1,345 ₾3,478

-54.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$519 IQD 783.7K

$664 ₾1,718

-21.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

12.62

-79.95%

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

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$271 28.3%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 66.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$174 18.1%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 34.8% $60

Eating Out

Erbil

$154 16.1%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 23.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$148 15.5%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 17.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$84 8.8%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 105% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$76 8%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 2.7% $2.1

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 57% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Erbil versus $695 in Tbilisi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $234 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

1 h ahead of Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,686 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 = 0.347 EUR).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Erbil Tbilisi 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
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

Erbil vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Erbil and $1,904 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Erbil and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Erbil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Erbil. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.