Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,242 a month against $1,793 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,793

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,793 per month in Moscow vs $1,242 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Moscow $1,793
Tbilisi $1,242

A couple spends around $2,813 per month in Moscow vs $1,962 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Moscow $2,813
Tbilisi $1,962

A family of three spends $3,833 per month in Moscow vs $2,682 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Moscow $3,833
Tbilisi $2,682

Moscow costs about 44% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Moscow sits 34% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₽1,005

$10.98 ₾28.46

7.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 ₽4,929

$38.21 ₾99.0

51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.25 ₽617

$9.58 ₾24.84

-24.32%

Cappuccino

$3.64 ₽310

$3.59 ₾9.31

1.39%

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

$1.65 ₽140

$1.03 ₾2.66

60.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₽68.7

$0.63 ₾1.64

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.72 ₽402

$2.74 ₾7.10

72.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₽461

$3.17 ₾8.22

70.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₽106

$2.13 ₾5.53

-41.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽85.4

$0.74 ₾1.91

35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ₽146

$1.72 ₾4.46

-0.58%

Eggs

$1.91 ₽163

$2.78 ₾7.21

-31.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.59 ₽1,242

$9.48 ₾24.56

53.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ₽566

$6.45 ₾16.71

3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.46 ₽1,230

$13.02 ₾33.76

11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₽173

$1.69 ₾4.37

20.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ₽158

$1.84 ₾4.76

1.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ₽173

$1.89 ₾4.90

7.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 ₽334

$2.40 ₾6.22

63.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₽78.8

$0.84 ₾2.17

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽59.9

$0.68 ₾1.75

2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 ₽132

$1.42 ₾3.68

9.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₽81.5

$0.77 ₾2.01

24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₽291

$3.56 ₾9.22

-4.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.56 ₽984

$7.48 ₾19.39

54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽102

$1.71 ₾4.43

-29.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₽212

$2.29 ₾5.94

8.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ₽80.9

$0.40 ₾1.04

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.22 ₽3,422

$15.15 ₾39.27

165.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ₽303

$1.19 ₾3.08

199.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₽73.0

$0.78 ₾2.03

10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 ₽1,001

$11.77 ₾30.50

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₽76.2

$1.41 ₾3.65

-36.17%

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

$38.7K ₽3.3M

$24.3K ₾62.9K

59.58%

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

$38.0K ₽3.2M

$21.7K ₾56.3K

74.85%

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

$191 ₽16.2K

$87.6 ₾227

117.79%

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

$8.72 ₽742

$13.33 ₾34.55

-34.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.98 ₽849

$19.51 ₾50.6

-48.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 ₽3,587

$64.7 ₾168

-34.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.14 ₽3,841

$18.85 ₾48.86

139.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 ₽793

$6.55 ₾16.97

42.14%

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

$811 ₽69.0K

$377 ₾978

114.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.0K ₽2.3M

$10.6K ₾27.5K

154.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 ₽9,363

$102 ₾265

7.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.4 ₽5,390

$40.36 ₾105

56.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 ₽12.5K

$117 ₾302

25.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 ₽15.6K

$121 ₾314

51.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 ₽125.0K

$675 ₾1,749

117.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ₽69.8K

$451 ₾1,170

81.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,026 ₽257.5K

$1,275 ₾3,305

137.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 ₽127.2K

$883 ₾2,288

69.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,853 ₽838.4K

$2,415 ₾6,259

308.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,613 ₽392.5K

$1,404 ₾3,640

228.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,741 ₽148.1K

$706 ₾1,830

146.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

12.62

54.99%

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

Last update for Moscow: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moscow

$820 44.7%

Tbilisi

$451 35.8% 44.9% $368

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$263 14.3%

Tbilisi

$232 18.4% 11.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$226 12.3%

Tbilisi

$171 13.6% 24.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$210 11.4%

Tbilisi

$120 9.6% 42.5% $89

Eating Out

Moscow

$204 11.1%

Tbilisi

$186 14.8% 8.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$61 3.3%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 28% $17

Getting Around

Moscow

$52 2.8%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 57.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Moscow versus $675 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 147% higher in Moscow, 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 $58.0 in Moscow versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $232 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h ahead of Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Moscow Tbilisi 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Moscow
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

Moscow vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow costs about 44% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,690 per month in Moscow and $1,863 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 165% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $811 per month in Moscow and $377 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,242, than in Moscow at $1,793. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moscow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,242 versus $1,793 in Moscow. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moscow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.