Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $838 per month in Hawassa vs $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Hawassa $838
Tbilisi $1,278

A couple spends around $1,202 per month in Hawassa vs $2,017 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Hawassa $1,202
Tbilisi $2,017

A family of three spends $1,566 per month in Hawassa vs $2,755 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Hawassa $1,566
Tbilisi $2,755

Hawassa is about 34% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hawassa and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Hawassa 38% lower, Tbilisi 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ETB 625

$11.62 ₾30.06

-66.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.15 ETB 6,777

$38.41 ₾99.3

9.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$9.74 ₾25.18

-32.24%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$3.56 ₾9.21

-75.28%

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

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.08 ₾2.79

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.56 ₾1.46

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ETB 125

$2.73 ₾7.05

-71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ETB 355

$3.13 ₾8.08

-29.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$2.14 ₾5.54

-50.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$0.75 ₾1.95

56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ETB 165

$1.80 ₾4.66

-42.78%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 254

$2.80 ₾7.25

-43.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 ETB 1,186

$9.43 ₾24.39

-21.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 ETB 1,612

$7.00 ₾18.09

43.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 ETB 1,491

$12.69 ₾32.82

-26.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$1.63 ₾4.21

220.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.84 ₾4.77

-65.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 361

$1.97 ₾5.09

13.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 112

$2.47 ₾6.38

-72.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.0

$0.75 ₾1.95

-37.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$0.67 ₾1.74

62.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.41 ₾3.66

-53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$0.72 ₾1.86

-20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 ETB 1,272

$3.51 ₾9.08

125.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 ETB 908

$7.89 ₾20.39

-28.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.70 ₾4.41

-60.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$2.37 ₾6.12

-48.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.19 ₾3.08

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.39

$0.74 ₾1.91

-63.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$11.89 ₾30.75

-83.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ETB 153

$1.46 ₾3.77

-34.93%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$25.0K ₾64.6K

117.24%

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

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

$22.8K ₾59.0K

143.27%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$88.1 ₾228

132.75%

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

$7.48 ETB 1,202

$12.71 ₾32.85

-41.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.8K

$19.79 ₾51.2

993.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.57

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 ETB 613

$6.65 ₾17.19

-42.71%

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

$616 ETB 99.1K

$371 ₾960

65.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$9,163 ₾23.7K

232.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.38 ETB 5,368

$102 ₾264

-67.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

$39.65 ₾103

75.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

$118 ₾305

-34.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

$120 ₾310

-30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,522

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,320

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,888

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$500 ETB 80.3K

$1,378 ₾3,562

-63.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

12.53

47.65%

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

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$429 51.2%

Tbilisi

$121 9.4% 71.9% $308

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.5%

Tbilisi

$235 18.4% 14.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$119 14.2%

Tbilisi

$171 13.4% 43.9% $52

Eating Out

Hawassa

$75 8.9%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 155% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9%

Tbilisi

$78 6.1% 918% $70

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 700% $19

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Hawassa versus $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Hawassa vs $235 in Tbilisi – so Hawassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Tbilisi 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

Hawassa vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $838 in Hawassa, $1,278 in Tbilisi – Hawassa comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,258 per month in Hawassa and $1,918 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Hawassa and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Tbilisi at $1,278. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $1,278 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.