Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Tbilisi $1,266

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,007 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Tbilisi $2,007

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,749 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Tbilisi $2,749

Istanbul costs about 22% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$11.34 ₾29.36

8.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$39.05 ₾101

40.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$9.63 ₾24.93

-4.26%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$3.46 ₾8.96

27.17%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$1.09 ₾2.82

54.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.63 ₾1.62

-6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$2.77 ₾7.17

69.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.10 ₾8.04

90.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$2.25 ₾5.81

-46.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$0.80 ₾2.08

11.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.76 ₾4.55

24.43%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.75 ₾7.11

-14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$9.39 ₾24.33

10.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$6.66 ₾17.24

-15.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$12.92 ₾33.46

62.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$1.67 ₾4.31

13.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.80 ₾4.65

28.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$1.92 ₾4.98

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$2.41 ₾6.24

-25.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$0.86 ₾2.23

-24.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$0.69 ₾1.80

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$1.40 ₾3.62

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$0.71 ₾1.85

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$3.51 ₾9.09

-32.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$7.61 ₾19.70

76.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.63 ₾4.21

47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.31 ₾5.98

50.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.71

$0.37 ₾0.96

140.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

$15.67 ₾40.58

330.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$1.14 ₾2.95

13.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$0.79 ₾2.05

16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$11.86 ₾30.71

-7.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$1.40 ₾3.62

5.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$24.8K ₾64.2K

104.87%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.9K ₾56.6K

103.74%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$89.1 ₾231

-0.57%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$13.21 ₾34.20

-12.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$19.76 ₾51.2

-19.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$64.9 ₾168

18.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

$19.02 ₾49.26

19.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$6.57 ₾17.02

23.90%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$377 ₾976

167.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.8K ₾28.0K

136.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$102 ₾265

-47.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$39.70 ₾103

2.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$118 ₾305

-16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$123 ₾320

-21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$666 ₾1,725

47.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$449 ₾1,163

44.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$1,284 ₾3,325

54.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.3K

$890 ₾2,304

32.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$2,425 ₾6,278

29.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$1,380 ₾3,574

28.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$680 ₾1,760

77.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

12.62

224.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: 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

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Tbilisi

$449 35.5% 30.9% $201

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.5% 10% $26

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Tbilisi

$188 14.9% 15.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Tbilisi

$172 13.6% 32% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Tbilisi

$122 9.7% 5.2% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 16.5% $15

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Tbilisi

$22 1.8% 71% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $666 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 77% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $234 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

01:21 1:21 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.24 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Tbilisi 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,899 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $377 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,266, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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