Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Tbilisi $2,763

Pietermaritzburg is about 19% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pietermaritzburg and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Pietermaritzburg 24% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$11.63 ₾30.07

-33.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$37.83 ₾97.9

-5.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$9.66 ₾24.98

-39.96%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$3.57 ₾9.24

-33.89%

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$1.08 ₾2.78

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$0.56 ₾1.45

83.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$2.62 ₾6.78

-17.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$3.04 ₾7.86

-17.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$2.17 ₾5.60

-38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$0.80 ₾2.06

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$1.74 ₾4.51

-2.30%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$2.83 ₾7.31

11.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$9.31 ₾24.08

-22.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$6.52 ₾16.86

-24.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$12.95 ₾33.50

-50.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$1.68 ₾4.34

21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.85 ₾4.80

4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$1.97 ₾5.10

17.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$2.42 ₾6.25

-16.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$0.82 ₾2.11

117.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$0.74 ₾1.91

144.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.34 ₾3.47

11.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$0.77 ₾2.00

35.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$3.57 ₾9.24

-12.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$7.67 ₾19.84

-48.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$1.70 ₾4.39

-16.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$2.40 ₾6.21

-27.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$0.40 ₾1.05

615.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$15.23 ₾39.39

29.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$1.14 ₾2.95

39.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$0.78 ₾2.02

35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.59

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$1.45 ₾3.75

-0.69%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

8.00%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

19.90%

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

$205 R 3,410

$88.8 ₾230

130.82%

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

$32.46 R 540

$13.12 ₾33.94

147.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$19.67 ₾50.9

89.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$64.1 ₾166

-31.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$19.04 ₾49.25

-83.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$7.12 ₾18.42

-32.02%

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

$177 R 2,945

$375 ₾971

-52.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-51.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$104 ₾268

-45.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$39.26 ₾102

-12.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$117 ₾304

-2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$122 ₾315

-42.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$695 ₾1,798

-68.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$451 ₾1,167

-51.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$1,355 ₾3,505

-57.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$906 ₾2,344

-55.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$2,295 ₾5,936

157.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$1,345 ₾3,479

-88.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$664 ₾1,718

59.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

12.62

-7.53%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 55.7% $153

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 108% $234

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 20.3% $39

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 44.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 39% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 46.4% $25

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 42.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Pietermaritzburg 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 run about 59% higher in Pietermaritzburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pietermaritzburg versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $234 – making Pietermaritzburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

2 h ahead of Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Tbilisi 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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

Pietermaritzburg vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, $1,269 in Tbilisi – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in Pietermaritzburg and $375 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Tbilisi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,269 in Tbilisi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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