Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Male and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,530 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Male outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Male
🇲🇻 Maldives
$1,530
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,266
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Male versus $1,266 in Tbilisi.

  • Male $1,530
  • Tbilisi $1,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,451 in Male versus $2,007 in Tbilisi.

  • Male $2,451
  • Tbilisi $2,007

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Male versus $2,749 in Tbilisi.

  • Male $3,373
  • Tbilisi $2,749

Living in Male is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Male is 13% above, Tbilisi is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.82 MVR 89.7
$11.34 ₾29.35
-48.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.04 MVR 602
$39.05 ₾101
-0.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.84 MVR 152
$9.63 ₾24.92
2.18%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.80 MVR 74.0
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.89 MVR 75.5
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.51 MVR 54.1
$3.46 ₾8.95
1.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MVR 25.69
$1.09 ₾2.82
53.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 MVR 4.80
$0.63 ₾1.62
-50.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.77 ₾7.17
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.10 ₾8.04
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.99 MVR 30.68
$2.25 ₾5.81
-11.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 MVR 26.08
$0.80 ₾2.07
111.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 MVR 19.33
$1.76 ₾4.55
-28.98%
Eggs
$1.88 MVR 29.07
$2.75 ₾7.11
-31.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.61 MVR 164
$9.39 ₾24.32
12.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.16 MVR 95.0
$6.66 ₾17.23
-7.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.56 MVR 147
$12.92 ₾33.45
-26.01%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 MVR 61.4
$1.67 ₾4.31
138.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.98 MVR 45.98
$1.80 ₾4.65
65.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.03 MVR 62.1
$1.92 ₾4.97
109.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.73 MVR 42.16
$2.41 ₾6.24
13.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 MVR 32.01
$0.86 ₾2.23
141.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 MVR 28.77
$0.69 ₾1.80
171.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 MVR 32.73
$1.40 ₾3.62
51.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 MVR 9.09
$0.71 ₾1.85
-16.90%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$12.47 MVR 192
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.65 MVR 40.81
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 MVR 29.47
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.18 MVR 234
$3.51 ₾9.08
332.48%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.61 ₾19.69
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 ₾4.21
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.31 ₾5.98
-
🚌 Getting Around
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 MVR 10.26
$0.37 ₾0.96
81.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.32 MVR 467
$15.67 ₾40.57
93.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.99 MVR 30.69
$1.14 ₾2.95
74.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.98 MVR 30.55
$0.79 ₾2.05
150.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.20 MVR 157
$11.86 ₾30.70
-14.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 MVR 15.19
$1.40 ₾3.62
-30.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.1K MVR 495.0K
$24.8K ₾64.2K
29.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K MVR 451.0K
$21.9K ₾56.6K
33.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 MVR 1,829
$89.1 ₾231
33.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.12 MVR 465
$13.21 ₾34.19
128.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.9 MVR 1,140
$19.76 ₾51.1
273.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 MVR 1,100
$64.9 ₾168
9.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.67 MVR 519
$19.02 ₾49.24
77.02%
Cinema Ticket
$9.76 MVR 150
$6.57 ₾17.02
48.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$181 MVR 2,797
$377 ₾975
-51.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,056 MVR 47.1K
$10.8K ₾27.9K
-71.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.52 MVR 609
$102 ₾265
-61.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.45 MVR 763
$39.70 ₾103
24.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.8 MVR 1,323
$118 ₾305
-27.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$52.6 MVR 812
$123 ₾320
-57.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$938 MVR 14.5K
$666 ₾1,724
40.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$709 MVR 10.9K
$449 ₾1,163
57.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,012 MVR 31.0K
$1,284 ₾3,324
56.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,570 MVR 24.2K
$890 ₾2,303
76.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,213 MVR 34.1K
$2,425 ₾6,276
-8.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,385 MVR 21.4K
$1,380 ₾3,573
0.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Male
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$842 MVR 13.0K
$680 ₾1,760
23.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14
12.62
10.94%

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

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Male
$709
Tbilisi
$449 36.7% $260
Groceries & Markets
Male
$234
Tbilisi
$234 0% $0.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Male
$223
Tbilisi
$122 45.2% $101
Eating Out
Male
$126
Tbilisi
$188 49.1% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Male
$102
Tbilisi
$172 68.5% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Male
$91
Tbilisi
$78 14.1% $13
Getting Around
Male
$45
Tbilisi
$22 50.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Male and $666 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Male pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Male vs $39.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $234 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇻 Male
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
16:36 4:36 PM
15:36 3:36 PM
1 h behind Male
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
103,693 Capital
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to MVR – Maldivian Rufiyaa Converter

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Male Tbilisi 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Male
  • 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
Male vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tbilisi cheaper than Male?
Tbilisi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Male or Tbilisi?
Average pay runs 24% higher in Male, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Male and Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $938 in Male versus $666 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Male and in Tbilisi?
All in, you'll spend $1,530 per month in Male versus $1,266 in Tbilisi – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 93% less than in Male. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Male or in Tbilisi?
At $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,530 in Male, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Male. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Male or Tbilisi more family-friendly?
For families, Tbilisi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Male, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Male or Tbilisi?
Safety-wise, Male 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Male. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Male vs other spots: cost of living compared

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