Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,430
Tbilisi $1,266

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,007 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Tbilisi $2,007

A family of three spends $2,960 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,749 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,960
Tbilisi $2,749

Johannesburg costs about 13% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$11.34 ₾29.35

5.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 R 709

$39.05 ₾101

10.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$9.63 ₾24.92

-26.06%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.72

$3.46 ₾8.95

-30.35%

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

$1.17 R 19.21

$1.09 ₾2.82

7.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.30

$0.63 ₾1.62

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.03

$2.77 ₾7.17

-18.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.49

$3.10 ₾8.04

-10.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.59

$2.25 ₾5.81

-41.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.12

$0.80 ₾2.07

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.76 ₾4.55

-2.27%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.34

$2.75 ₾7.11

-4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$9.39 ₾24.32

-9.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.0

$6.66 ₾17.23

-17.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R 145

$12.92 ₾33.45

-31.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.89

$1.67 ₾4.31

26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.80 ₾4.65

-0.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.47

$1.92 ₾4.97

-3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.99

$2.41 ₾6.24

-12.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.61

$0.86 ₾2.23

102.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$0.69 ₾1.80

165.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R 23.53

$1.40 ₾3.62

2.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.99

$0.71 ₾1.85

87.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 54.3

$3.51 ₾9.08

-5.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 R 97.3

$7.61 ₾19.69

-22.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.89

$1.63 ₾4.21

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 40.95

$2.31 ₾5.98

7.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

$0.37 ₾0.96

443.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

$15.67 ₾40.57

473.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.62

$1.14 ₾2.95

-27.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.70

$0.79 ₾2.05

12.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 R 238

$11.86 ₾30.70

21.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.40 ₾3.62

6.43%

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

$35.2K R 579.4K

$24.8K ₾64.2K

41.86%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$21.9K ₾56.6K

48.55%

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

$233 R 3,841

$89.1 ₾231

161.58%

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

$37.52 R 618

$13.21 ₾34.19

184.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 R 598

$19.76 ₾51.1

83.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 R 600

$64.9 ₾168

-43.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

$19.02 ₾49.24

-9.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R 126

$6.57 ₾17.02

16.59%

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

$246 R 4,048

$377 ₾975

-34.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,533 R 91.2K

$10.8K ₾27.9K

-48.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 R 963

$102 ₾265

-42.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 R 745

$39.70 ₾103

13.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,817

$118 ₾305

-6.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,734

$123 ₾320

-14.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 R 8,127

$666 ₾1,724

-25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 R 7,160

$449 ₾1,163

-3.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 R 16.2K

$1,284 ₾3,324

-23.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$890 ₾2,303

0.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

$2,425 ₾6,276

-60.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

$1,380 ₾3,573

-45.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

$680 ₾1,760

155.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

12.62

-13.55%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: 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

Johannesburg

$435 30.4%

Tbilisi

$449 35.5% 3.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$307 21.5%

Tbilisi

$122 9.7% 60.2% $185

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.3%

Tbilisi

$234 18.5% 7.1% $15

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$171 12%

Tbilisi

$188 14.9% 9.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.1%

Tbilisi

$172 13.6% 20% $29

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.2%

Tbilisi

$22 1.8% 78.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 50.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Johannesburg 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 156% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $43.00 in Johannesburg versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Johannesburg vs $234 in Tbilisi – so Johannesburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

2 h ahead of Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Johannesburg Tbilisi 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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

Johannesburg vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 13% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,145 per month in Johannesburg 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg and $39.00 in Tbilisi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,430 in Johannesburg and $1,266 in Tbilisi. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,266, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,266 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.