Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
Learn more

George Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index

Jump to prices

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in George versus $1,266 in Tbilisi.

George $1,105
Tbilisi $1,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in George versus $2,007 in Tbilisi.

George $1,834
Tbilisi $2,007

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in George versus $2,749 in Tbilisi.

George $2,563
Tbilisi $2,749

Living in George costs roughly 13% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: George 18% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$11.34 ₾29.35

-4.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$39.05 ₾101

5.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$9.63 ₾24.92

-50.05%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$3.46 ₾8.95

-39.31%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$1.09 ₾2.82

-2.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$0.63 ₾1.62

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$2.77 ₾7.17

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$3.10 ₾8.04

3.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$2.25 ₾5.81

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$0.80 ₾2.07

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$1.76 ₾4.55

-18.75%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$2.75 ₾7.11

1.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$9.39 ₾24.32

-10.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$6.66 ₾17.23

-18.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$12.92 ₾33.45

-48.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$1.67 ₾4.31

-3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$1.80 ₾4.65

-18.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$1.92 ₾4.97

-19.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$2.41 ₾6.24

-28.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$0.86 ₾2.23

89.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$0.69 ₾1.80

105.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$1.40 ₾3.62

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$0.71 ₾1.85

36.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.51 ₾9.08

-9.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$7.61 ₾19.69

-37.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$1.63 ₾4.21

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$2.31 ₾5.98

-25.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$0.37 ₾0.96

316.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$15.67 ₾40.57

77.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$1.14 ₾2.95

-49.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$0.79 ₾2.05

-40.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$11.86 ₾30.70

-29.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$1.40 ₾3.62

-12.86%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$24.8K ₾64.2K

19.71%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$21.9K ₾56.6K

34.33%

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

$121 R 1,995

$89.1 ₾231

35.84%

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

$17.44 R 287

$13.21 ₾34.19

32.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$19.76 ₾51.1

128.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$64.9 ₾168

-54.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$19.02 ₾49.24

-44.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$6.57 ₾17.02

-7.46%

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

$137 R 2,263

$377 ₾975

-63.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$10.8K ₾27.9K

-51.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$102 ₾265

-30.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$39.70 ₾103

-4.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$118 ₾305

-4.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$123 ₾320

-30.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$666 ₾1,724

-36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$449 ₾1,163

-18.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$1,284 ₾3,324

-39.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$890 ₾2,303

4.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$2,425 ₾6,276

-64.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$1,380 ₾3,573

-52.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$680 ₾1,760

100.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

12.62

-13.47%

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

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George

$365 33%

Tbilisi

$449 35.5% 23.1% $84

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.5% 25.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

Tbilisi

$122 9.7% 33.5% $62

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

Tbilisi

$188 14.9% 22.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

Tbilisi

$172 13.6% 24.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 86.3% $36

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.8% 39.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in George and $666 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays 101% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in George vs $39.00 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $234, with George cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

2 h ahead of George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

George Tbilisi 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 101% higher in George, 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: $422 in George versus $666 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in George versus $1,266 in Tbilisi – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,105 in George versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes George the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George 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, George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.