Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makhachkala and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Makhachkala vs $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,009
Tbilisi $1,266

A couple spends around $1,562 per month in Makhachkala vs $2,007 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,562
Tbilisi $2,007

A family of three spends $2,115 per month in Makhachkala vs $2,749 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Makhachkala $2,115
Tbilisi $2,749

Makhachkala is about 20% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Makhachkala and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Makhachkala 25% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.20 ₽851

$11.34 ₾29.35

-10.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ₽2,648

$39.05 ₾101

-18.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ₽457

$9.63 ₾24.92

-43.09%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ₽221

$3.46 ₾8.95

-23.41%

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

$1.17 ₽98.0

$1.09 ₾2.82

7.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₽51.1

$0.63 ₾1.62

-3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ₽162

$2.77 ₾7.17

-29.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₽246

$3.10 ₾8.04

-5.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 ₽91.6

$2.25 ₾5.81

-51.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽58.9

$0.80 ₾2.07

-11.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ₽118

$1.76 ₾4.55

-19.89%

Eggs

$1.53 ₽127

$2.75 ₾7.11

-44.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 ₽917

$9.39 ₾24.32

17.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.39 ₽450

$6.66 ₾17.23

-19.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ₽921

$12.92 ₾33.45

-14.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₽142

$1.67 ₾4.31

1.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.80 ₾4.65

-2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.92 ₾4.97

-8.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 ₽232

$2.41 ₾6.24

15.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 ₽67.4

$0.86 ₾2.23

-5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽51.1

$0.69 ₾1.80

-11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₽103

$1.40 ₾3.62

-12.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽61.8

$0.71 ₾1.85

4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₽278

$3.51 ₾9.08

-5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 ₽661

$7.61 ₾19.69

4.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₽91.4

$1.63 ₾4.21

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₽168

$2.31 ₾5.98

-12.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽44.80

$0.37 ₾0.96

45.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 ₽225

$1.14 ₾2.95

136.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ₽33.48

$0.79 ₾2.05

-49.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 ₽477

$11.86 ₾30.70

-51.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽70.2

$1.40 ₾3.62

-40.00%

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

$41.0K ₽3.4M

$24.8K ₾64.2K

65.27%

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

$37.4K ₽3.1M

$21.9K ₾56.6K

70.90%

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

$110 ₽9,172

$89.1 ₾231

23.31%

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

$5.49 ₽458

$13.21 ₾34.19

-58.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.44 ₽705

$19.76 ₾51.1

-57.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 ₽2,973

$64.9 ₾168

-45.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.57 ₽1,967

$19.02 ₾49.24

23.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 ₽512

$6.57 ₾17.02

-6.70%

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

$348 ₽29.1K

$377 ₾975

-7.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,288 ₽441.3K

$10.8K ₾27.9K

-51.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 ₽6,688

$102 ₾265

-21.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 ₽4,518

$39.70 ₾103

36.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₽8,539

$118 ₾305

-13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₽9,353

$123 ₾320

-9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₽38.4K

$666 ₾1,724

-30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ₽26.3K

$449 ₾1,163

-29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 ₽74.4K

$1,284 ₾3,324

-30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₽46.4K

$890 ₾2,303

-37.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ₽185.8K

$2,425 ₾6,276

-8.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 ₽124.5K

$1,380 ₾3,573

8.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$622 ₽51.9K

$680 ₾1,760

-8.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.45

12.62

69.97%

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

Last update for Makhachkala: 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

Makhachkala

$315 31.2%

Tbilisi

$449 35.5% 42.6% $134

Groceries & Markets

Makhachkala

$206 20.4%

Tbilisi

$234 18.5% 13.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Makhachkala

$157 15.6%

Tbilisi

$172 13.6% 9.9% $16

Eating Out

Makhachkala

$153 15.1%

Tbilisi

$188 14.9% 23.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makhachkala

$124 12.3%

Tbilisi

$122 9.7% 1.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Makhachkala

$48 4.8%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 63% $30

Getting Around

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7%

Tbilisi

$22 1.8% 225% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $460 in Makhachkala 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 9% 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $234 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h ahead of Makhachkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

604,266

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Makhachkala Tbilisi 260 km

From you

Makhachkala
Tbilisi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Makhachkala vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,513 per month in Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,009 in Makhachkala and $1,266 in Tbilisi. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $348 per month in Makhachkala and $377 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Tbilisi at $1,266. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – 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 Makhachkala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.