Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostov-on-Don and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don: $1,146 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Tbilisi despite lower rent and utilities.

Rostov-on-Don
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,146
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,146 in Rostov-on-Don versus $1,270 in Tbilisi.

  • Rostov-on-Don $1,146
  • Tbilisi $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,600 in Rostov-on-Don versus $2,008 in Tbilisi.

  • Rostov-on-Don $1,600
  • Tbilisi $2,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,055 in Rostov-on-Don versus $2,745 in Tbilisi.

  • Rostov-on-Don $2,055
  • Tbilisi $2,745

Living in Rostov-on-Don costs roughly 10% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rostov-on-Don 15% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.73 ₽895
$11.51 ₾29.79
-6.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.52 ₽2,046
$38.27 ₾99.1
-35.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.97 ₽498
$9.80 ₾25.36
-39.08%
Cappuccino
$2.96 ₽247
$3.55 ₾9.19
-16.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 ₽93.5
$1.06 ₾2.74
5.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₽42.78
$0.62 ₾1.60
-17.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.23 ₽102
$2.76 ₾7.16
-55.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 ₽259
$3.00 ₾7.77
3.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 ₽94.9
$2.16 ₾5.59
-47.22%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 ₽62.1
$0.76 ₾1.96
-2.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 ₽102
$1.74 ₾4.51
-29.89%
Eggs
$1.44 ₽120
$2.79 ₾7.21
-48.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 ₽775
$9.20 ₾23.83
0.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.36 ₽448
$6.53 ₾16.89
-17.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.96 ₽664
$12.81 ₾33.17
-37.86%
Apples (1kg)
$1.44 ₽120
$1.67 ₾4.31
-13.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 ₽155
$1.85 ₾4.79
0.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.43 ₽120
$1.98 ₾5.13
-27.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 ₽192
$2.51 ₾6.49
-7.97%
Potato (1kg)
$0.68 ₽56.6
$0.87 ₾2.26
-21.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 ₽52.6
$0.73 ₾1.89
-13.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 ₽83.5
$1.42 ₾3.67
-29.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₽54.4
$0.72 ₾1.88
-9.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.75 ₽230
$3.38 ₾8.74
-18.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.09 ₽508
$7.84 ₾20.31
-22.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 ₽80.6
$1.62 ₾4.19
-40.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 ₽175
$2.38 ₾6.15
-11.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 ₽42.79
$0.37 ₾0.96
37.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.40 ₽1,202
$15.52 ₾40.16
-7.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.58 ₽299
$1.14 ₾2.94
214.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.14 ₽12.09
$0.79 ₾2.05
-82.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.05 ₽338
$11.57 ₾29.96
-65.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 ₽67.4
$1.50 ₾3.87
-46.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$52.1K ₽4.3M
$24.6K ₾63.7K
111.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K ₽3.4M
$22.4K ₾57.9K
82.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$124 ₽10.3K
$88.3 ₾228
39.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.47 ₽623
$13.08 ₾33.86
-42.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.95 ₽747
$19.53 ₾50.6
-54.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.64 ₽2,891
$64.2 ₾166
-46.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.30 ₽1,778
$19.18 ₾49.66
11.05%
Cinema Ticket
$5.50 ₽459
$6.99 ₾18.10
-21.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$365 ₽30.4K
$373 ₾966
-2.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$10.7K ₾27.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 ₽4,661
$103 ₾266
-45.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.05 ₽3,760
$40.48 ₾105
11.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 ₽9,013
$116 ₾301
-7.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 ₽8,832
$122 ₾316
-13.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$642 ₽53.6K
$677 ₾1,753
-5.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ₽38.4K
$454 ₾1,176
1.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$896 ₽74.8K
$1,277 ₾3,305
-29.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 ₽47.7K
$890 ₾2,304
-35.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,355 ₽196.5K
$2,410 ₾6,238
-2.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,508 ₽125.8K
$1,418 ₾3,670
6.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rostov-on-Don
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$825 ₽68.8K
$703 ₾1,819
17.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.83
12.62
57.13%

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

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rostov-on-Don
$460
Tbilisi
$454 1.2% $5.7
Groceries & Markets
Rostov-on-Don
$180
Tbilisi
$233 29.4% $53
Eating Out
Rostov-on-Don
$158
Tbilisi
$191 20.5% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Rostov-on-Don
$142
Tbilisi
$172 21.2% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rostov-on-Don
$140
Tbilisi
$121 13.6% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Rostov-on-Don
$46
Tbilisi
$78 71.3% $33
Getting Around
Rostov-on-Don
$21
Tbilisi
$22 6.5% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $642 in Rostov-on-Don and $677 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rostov-on-Don pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don vs $38.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $233 per month, with Rostov-on-Don cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
13:24 1:24 PM
14:24 2:24 PM
1 h ahead of Rostov-on-Don
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,114,806
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rostov-on-Don Tbilisi 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Rostov-on-Don
  • 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
Rostov-on-Don vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rostov-on-Don or Tbilisi?
Rostov-on-Don wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rostov-on-Don the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Rostov-on-Don or in Tbilisi?
Average pay runs 17% higher in Rostov-on-Don, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Rostov-on-Don compared to Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $642 in Rostov-on-Don versus $677 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Rostov-on-Don compared to Tbilisi?
A monthly transit pass in Rostov-on-Don runs roughly 8% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Rostov-on-Don and in Tbilisi?
Childcare runs $365 in Rostov-on-Don versus $373 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Rostov-on-Don or in Tbilisi?
At $1,146 in Rostov-on-Don versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rostov-on-Don but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Rostov-on-Don the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Rostov-on-Don or Tbilisi?
Both work as nomad bases, but Rostov-on-Don delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,146 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rostov-on-Don hard to pass up.
How safe is Rostov-on-Don compared to Tbilisi?
Safety-wise, Rostov-on-Don 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Rostov-on-Don gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Rostov-on-Don vs other spots: cost of living compared

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