Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Melbourne $2,849
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Melbourne $4,274
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Melbourne $5,699
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Melbourne is roughly 124% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$11.63 ₾30.07

50.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$37.83 ₾97.9

122.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$9.66 ₾24.98

25.98%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.57 ₾9.24

14.01%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$1.08 ₾2.78

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$0.56 ₾1.45

346.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$2.62 ₾6.78

265.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$3.04 ₾7.86

171.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$2.17 ₾5.60

-30.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$0.80 ₾2.06

271.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.74 ₾4.51

54.02%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$2.83 ₾7.31

92.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$9.31 ₾24.08

15.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$6.52 ₾16.86

54.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$12.95 ₾33.50

15.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$1.68 ₾4.34

142.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.85 ₾4.80

69.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.97 ₾5.10

58.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$2.42 ₾6.25

95.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$0.82 ₾2.11

263.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$0.74 ₾1.91

236.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.34 ₾3.47

85.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.77 ₾2.00

107.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$3.57 ₾9.24

1150.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$7.67 ₾19.84

65.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$1.70 ₾4.39

226.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$2.40 ₾6.21

115.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$0.40 ₾1.05

860.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$15.23 ₾39.39

810.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$1.14 ₾2.95

282.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.78 ₾2.02

75.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$11.83 ₾30.59

151.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.45 ₾3.75

2.76%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

18.35%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

14.92%

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

$236 A$335

$88.8 ₾230

165.38%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$13.12 ₾33.94

113.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$19.67 ₾50.9

190.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$64.1 ₾166

-24.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

$19.04 ₾49.25

12.71%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$7.12 ₾18.42

148.17%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$375 ₾971

555.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

183.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$104 ₾268

-21.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$39.26 ₾102

25.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$117 ₾304

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$122 ₾315

7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$695 ₾1,798

144.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$451 ₾1,167

212.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,971

$1,355 ₾3,505

157.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,593

$906 ₾2,344

178.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$2,295 ₾5,936

247.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,812

$1,345 ₾3,479

413.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

$664 ₾1,718

540.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

12.62

-53.25%

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

Last update for Melbourne: 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

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 68% $958

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 39.5% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 62.1% $199

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 39% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 0.3% $0.5

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 86.7% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 6.5% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

7 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 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 AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Tbilisi 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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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

Melbourne vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tbilisi differ by about 124% in total monthly costs ($2,849 vs $1,269 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Melbourne is about 6.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Melbourne 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.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.