Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,074 in Mechelen, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mechelen, Belgium
Tbilisi, Georgia
Mechelen
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,074
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,074 in Mechelen versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Mechelen $2,074
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,188 in Mechelen versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Mechelen $3,188
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,302 in Mechelen versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Mechelen $4,302
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Mechelen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mechelen is 52% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.32 €19.99
$11.63 ₾30.07
91.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 €95.8
$37.83 ₾97.8
182.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.53 €12.12
$9.66 ₾24.98
40.06%
Cappuccino
$4.34 €3.89
$3.57 ₾9.24
21.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 €3.03
$1.08 ₾2.78
213.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.61
$0.56 ₾1.45
419.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.55 €4.97
$2.62 ₾6.78
111.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.60 €5.02
$3.04 ₾7.85
84.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 €1.08
$2.17 ₾5.60
-44.70%
White Bread (500g)
$2.76 €2.47
$0.80 ₾2.06
245.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 €1.91
$1.74 ₾4.51
22.41%
Eggs
$3.83 €3.43
$2.83 ₾7.31
35.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.26 €14.56
$9.31 ₾24.07
74.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.87 €10.63
$6.52 ₾16.85
82.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.65 €17.59
$12.95 ₾33.50
51.74%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 €2.44
$1.68 ₾4.33
61.90%
Banana (1kg)
$2.35 €2.11
$1.85 ₾4.79
27.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.61 €2.34
$1.97 ₾5.10
32.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.89 €2.59
$2.42 ₾6.25
19.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 €1.89
$0.82 ₾2.11
158.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 €1.66
$0.74 ₾1.91
150.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.34 ₾3.47
-2.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 €0.95
$0.77 ₾2.00
37.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.01 €11.65
$3.57 ₾9.24
264.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.02 €8.08
$7.67 ₾19.83
17.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 €1.64
$1.70 ₾4.39
7.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 €1.98
$2.40 ₾6.21
-7.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.32 €2.98
$0.40 ₾1.05
730.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.8 €49.11
$15.23 ₾39.38
260.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.53 €4.95
$1.14 ₾2.95
385.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.71 €2.43
$0.78 ₾2.02
247.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.54 €40.79
$11.83 ₾30.58
284.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.10 €1.88
$1.45 ₾3.75
44.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.2K €31.5K
$24.6K ₾63.6K
43.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.2K €32.4K
$22.3K ₾57.8K
62.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 €188
$88.8 ₾230
136.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.19 €19.87
$13.12 ₾33.93
69.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.71 €41.83
$19.67 ₾50.9
137.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.40 €26.33
$64.1 ₾166
-54.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.54 €12.13
$19.04 ₾49.24
-28.89%
Cinema Ticket
$15.83 €14.18
$7.12 ₾18.42
122.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$565 €506
$375 ₾971
50.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.1K €18.9K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
101.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 €96.7
$104 ₾268
4.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.50 €44.33
$39.26 ₾102
26.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 €95.2
$117 ₾303
-9.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 €132
$122 ₾315
21.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$929 €832
$695 ₾1,798
33.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$783 €702
$451 ₾1,167
73.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,446 €1,295
$1,355 ₾3,504
6.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 €1,123
$906 ₾2,343
38.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,968 €4,449
$2,295 ₾5,934
116.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,626 €3,247
$1,345 ₾3,478
169.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mechelen
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,178 €1,951
$664 ₾1,718
227.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.53
12.62
-72.03%

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

Last update for Mechelen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mechelen
$783
Tbilisi
$451 42.4% $332
Groceries & Markets
Mechelen
$343
Tbilisi
$234 31.7% $109
Eating Out
Mechelen
$335
Tbilisi
$191 43.2% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mechelen
$279
Tbilisi
$122 56.4% $157
Clothing & Footwear
Mechelen
$185
Tbilisi
$172 7.2% $13
Getting Around
Mechelen
$87
Tbilisi
$22 74.9% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Mechelen
$61
Tbilisi
$78 28.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $929 in Mechelen and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mechelen pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $107 in Mechelen vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Mechelen
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
05:11 5:11 AM
08:11 8:11 AM
3 h ahead of Mechelen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
80,000
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mechelen Tbilisi 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mechelen
  • 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
Mechelen vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tbilisi cheaper than Mechelen?
Tbilisi is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Mechelen or Tbilisi?
Average pay in Mechelen is about 3.3 times higher, 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 Mechelen and Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $929 in Mechelen versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 72% less than in Mechelen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $565 in Mechelen versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Mechelen or in Tbilisi?
At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,074 in Mechelen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Mechelen. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Mechelen or in Tbilisi?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Mechelen or Tbilisi?
Safety-wise, Mechelen and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Mechelen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Mechelen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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