Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Rustenburg $797
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,316 in Rustenburg versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Rustenburg $1,316
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,834 in Rustenburg versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Rustenburg $1,834
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Rustenburg costs roughly 37% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rustenburg 41% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 R 81.3

$11.63 ₾30.07

-58.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 R 754

$37.83 ₾97.8

19.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.22 R 104

$9.66 ₾24.98

-35.61%

Cappuccino

$1.66 R 27.75

$3.57 ₾9.24

-53.50%

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

$1.02 R 17.03

$1.08 ₾2.78

-5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.38

$0.56 ₾1.45

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.77

$2.62 ₾6.78

-43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.57

$3.04 ₾7.85

-29.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.19

$2.17 ₾5.60

-52.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.80 ₾2.06

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.40

$1.74 ₾4.51

-2.30%

Eggs

$2.61 R 43.60

$2.83 ₾7.31

-7.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 R 127

$9.31 ₾24.07

-18.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 R 84.3

$6.52 ₾16.85

-22.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 R 105

$12.95 ₾33.50

-51.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.73

$1.68 ₾4.33

5.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.20

$1.85 ₾4.79

-15.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.00

$1.97 ₾5.10

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.94

$2.42 ₾6.25

-55.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.94

$0.82 ₾2.11

59.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R 18.12

$0.74 ₾1.91

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R 22.34

$1.34 ₾3.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.34

$0.77 ₾2.00

11.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 R 51.2

$3.57 ₾9.24

-14.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 101

$7.67 ₾19.83

-21.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.80

$1.70 ₾4.39

-65.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.34

$2.40 ₾6.21

-61.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.60

$1.14 ₾2.95

-28.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.86

$0.78 ₾2.02

14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.27 R 238

$11.83 ₾30.58

20.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.16

$1.45 ₾3.75

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

$31.6K R 527.3K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

28.41%

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

$31.7K R 529.2K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

41.80%

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

$76.1 R 1,271

$88.8 ₾230

-14.35%

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

$13.47 R 225

$13.12 ₾33.93

2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.07 R 619

$19.67 ₾50.9

88.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 R 637

$64.1 ₾166

-40.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.11 R 102

$19.04 ₾49.24

-67.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 R 81.9

$7.12 ₾18.42

-31.18%

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

$110 R 1,842

$375 ₾971

-70.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,453 R 91.1K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-47.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.73 R 697

$104 ₾268

-59.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 R 740

$39.26 ₾102

12.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,863

$117 ₾303

-4.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 R 890

$122 ₾315

-56.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,614

$695 ₾1,798

-51.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R 3,955

$451 ₾1,167

-47.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 12.0K

$1,355 ₾3,504

-47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 R 8,609

$906 ₾2,343

-43.13%

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)

$1,065 R 17.8K

$664 ₾1,718

60.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

12.62

-21.55%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustenburg

$237 29.7%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 90.6% $214

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$173 21.7%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 35.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$127 15.9%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 4% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$113 14.2%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 52.3% $59

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$95 12%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 100% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$48 6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 63.4% $30

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 316% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $336 in Rustenburg and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rustenburg pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Rustenburg vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $173 vs $234, with Rustenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

2 h ahead of Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 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 ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Rustenburg Tbilisi 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustenburg
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

Rustenburg vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rustenburg is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Rustenburg, 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: $336 in Rustenburg versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $110 in Rustenburg versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $45 in Rustenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg 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.