Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matara and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $576 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$576

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $576 per month in Matara vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Matara $576
Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $839 per month in Matara vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Matara $839
Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $1,102 per month in Matara vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Matara $1,102
Tbilisi $2,763

Matara is about 55% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Matara and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Matara 58% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 LKR 1,241

$11.63 ₾30.07

-67.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.54 LKR 8,159

$37.83 ₾97.8

-35.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,503

$9.66 ₾24.98

-22.05%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 810

$3.57 ₾9.24

-31.65%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$1.08 ₾2.78

-37.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.56 ₾1.45

-55.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 741

$2.62 ₾6.78

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,017

$3.04 ₾7.85

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$2.17 ₾5.60

-28.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 177

$0.80 ₾2.06

-33.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$1.74 ₾4.51

-56.32%

Eggs

$1.53 LKR 509

$2.83 ₾7.31

-45.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 LKR 4,514

$9.31 ₾24.07

45.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,609

$6.52 ₾16.85

-25.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,415

$12.95 ₾33.50

-43.94%

Apples (1kg)

$6.71 LKR 2,230

$1.68 ₾4.34

299.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.43 LKR 142

$1.85 ₾4.79

-76.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,481

$1.97 ₾5.10

126.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.91 LKR 302

$2.42 ₾6.25

-62.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 LKR 306

$0.82 ₾2.11

12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 193

$0.74 ₾1.91

-21.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$1.34 ₾3.47

-33.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 151

$0.77 ₾2.00

-40.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.85 LKR 3,276

$3.57 ₾9.24

175.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 LKR 4,303

$7.67 ₾19.83

68.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 LKR 596

$1.70 ₾4.39

5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.40 ₾6.21

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 104

$0.40 ₾1.05

-22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$1.14 ₾2.95

-64.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.78 ₾2.02

-55.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 317

$11.83 ₾30.58

-91.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 458

$1.45 ₾3.75

-4.83%

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

80.00%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

85.08%

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

$46.17 LKR 15.4K

$88.8 ₾230

-48.01%

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

$4.22 LKR 1,403

$13.12 ₾33.93

-67.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 LKR 6,977

$19.67 ₾50.9

6.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,530

$7.12 ₾18.42

-35.39%

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

$38.17 LKR 12.7K

$375 ₾971

-89.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,204 LKR 400.4K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-88.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 5,997

$104 ₾268

-82.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.90 LKR 5,618

$39.26 ₾102

-56.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

$117 ₾303

-32.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

$122 ₾315

-65.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$179 LKR 59.6K

$695 ₾1,798

-74.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$90.1 LKR 30.0K

$451 ₾1,167

-80.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$105 LKR 34.8K

$664 ₾1,718

-84.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

12.62

0.55%

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

Last update for Matara: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Matara

$229 39.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 2.1% $4.9

Eating Out

Matara

$103 17.8%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 85.7% $88

Accommodation & Living

Matara

$90 15.7%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 401% $361

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matara

$71 12.4%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 70.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Matara

$70 12.2%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 146% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Matara

$9.2 * 1.6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 750% $69

Getting Around

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 546% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $179 in Matara versus $695 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 in Tbilisi are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Matara versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $234 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Matara

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

1 h 30 min behind Matara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Matara Tbilisi 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Matara
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

Matara vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $864 per month in Matara and $1,904 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $179 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Matara and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $38 per month in Matara and $375 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $576, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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