Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $477 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Ratnapura $477
Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $765 per month in Ratnapura vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Ratnapura $765
Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $1,054 per month in Ratnapura vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Ratnapura $1,054
Tbilisi $2,763

Ratnapura is about 62% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ratnapura and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Ratnapura 65% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 LKR 647

$11.63 ₾30.07

-83.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LKR 3,067

$37.83 ₾97.8

-75.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 LKR 2,014

$9.66 ₾24.98

-37.27%

Cappuccino

$2.08 LKR 691

$3.57 ₾9.24

-41.74%

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

$0.73 LKR 244

$1.08 ₾2.78

-32.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.56 ₾1.45

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 642

$2.62 ₾6.78

-26.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 LKR 921

$3.04 ₾7.85

-8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 LKR 612

$2.17 ₾5.60

-15.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 LKR 263

$0.80 ₾2.06

-1.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 LKR 219

$1.74 ₾4.51

-62.07%

Eggs

$1.07 LKR 357

$2.83 ₾7.31

-62.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.73 LKR 4,899

$9.31 ₾24.07

58.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 LKR 2,126

$6.52 ₾16.85

-1.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 LKR 5,188

$12.95 ₾33.50

20.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,418

$1.68 ₾4.33

153.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.85 ₾4.79

-59.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 LKR 1,378

$1.97 ₾5.10

110.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 311

$2.42 ₾6.25

-61.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$0.82 ₾2.11

28.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 LKR 466

$0.74 ₾1.91

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 154

$1.34 ₾3.47

-65.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.77 ₾2.00

-44.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 LKR 4,275

$3.57 ₾9.24

260.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,297

$7.67 ₾19.83

68.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 694

$1.70 ₾4.39

22.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 LKR 959

$2.40 ₾6.21

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

$0.40 ₾1.05

-15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.14 ₾2.95

-67.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.78 ₾2.02

-43.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.45 ₾3.75

-31.03%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-19.61%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

-12.03%

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

$88.8 ₾230

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

$2.07 LKR 688

$13.12 ₾33.93

-84.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.41 LKR 2,463

$19.67 ₾50.9

-62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,035

$64.1 ₾166

-85.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 795

$7.12 ₾18.42

-66.43%

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

$375 ₾971

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.48 LKR 3,485

$104 ₾268

-89.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.70 LKR 2,561

$39.26 ₾102

-80.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

$117 ₾303

-28.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 LKR 8,611

$122 ₾315

-78.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

$695 ₾1,798

-89.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.2K

$451 ₾1,167

-87.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

$906 ₾2,343

-90.66%

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)

$166 LKR 55.3K

$664 ₾1,718

-74.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54.2%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.5%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 143% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 198% $114

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 727% $397

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 463% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 1184% $112

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 454% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $76 in Ratnapura 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 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Ratnapura versus $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Ratnapura vs $234 in Tbilisi – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

1 h 30 min behind Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

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

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ratnapura Tbilisi 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ratnapura
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

Ratnapura vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 166%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $715 per month in Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $76 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Ratnapura and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Ratnapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Ratnapura to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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