Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandton and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandton: $1,235 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. The total is higher in Tbilisi despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sandton
Learn more

Sandton Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index

Jump to prices

Sandton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,235

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sandton versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Sandton $1,235
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Sandton versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Sandton $1,888
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,540 in Sandton versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Sandton $2,540
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Sandton costs roughly 3% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sandton 9% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.73 R 179

$11.63 ₾30.07

-7.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.71 R 764

$37.83 ₾97.8

20.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 R 94.0

$9.66 ₾24.98

-41.82%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R 40.80

$3.57 ₾9.24

-31.65%

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

$1.07 R 17.85

$1.08 ₾2.78

-0.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.96

$0.56 ₾1.45

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 41.01

$2.62 ₾6.78

-6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 49.69

$3.04 ₾7.85

-2.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 20.07

$2.17 ₾5.60

-44.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.85

$0.80 ₾2.06

33.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.35

$1.74 ₾4.51

1.15%

Eggs

$2.72 R 45.49

$2.83 ₾7.31

-3.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 R 148

$9.31 ₾24.07

-4.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R 81.3

$6.52 ₾16.85

-25.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 R 118

$12.95 ₾33.50

-45.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.89

$1.68 ₾4.33

24.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R 29.24

$1.85 ₾4.79

-5.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 29.16

$1.97 ₾5.10

-11.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.16

$2.42 ₾6.25

-25.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.13

$0.82 ₾2.11

82.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.73

$0.74 ₾1.91

140.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.48

$1.34 ₾3.47

-8.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.67

$0.77 ₾2.00

68.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 R 52.9

$3.57 ₾9.24

-11.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 R 103

$7.67 ₾19.83

-19.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.97

$1.70 ₾4.39

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.63

$2.40 ₾6.21

-21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.83

$1.14 ₾2.95

-74.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.63

$0.78 ₾2.02

12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.21 R 237

$11.83 ₾30.58

20.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.94

$1.45 ₾3.75

2.76%

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

$36.0K R 601.7K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

46.53%

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

$34.0K R 567.5K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

52.07%

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

$165 R 2,762

$88.8 ₾230

86.18%

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

$38.25 R 639

$13.12 ₾33.93

191.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.39 R 625

$19.67 ₾50.9

90.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.75 R 614

$64.1 ₾166

-42.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 R 119

$7.12 ₾18.42

-0.28%

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

$266 R 4,445

$375 ₾971

-29.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,302 R 122.0K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-30.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 R 998

$104 ₾268

-42.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.22 R 755

$39.26 ₾102

15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 R 1,585

$117 ₾303

-19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 R 1,493

$122 ₾315

-26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 R 9,023

$695 ₾1,798

-22.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R 7,482

$451 ₾1,167

-0.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 R 16.2K

$1,355 ₾3,504

-28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 R 14.1K

$906 ₾2,343

-6.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$842 R 14.1K

$2,295 ₾5,934

-63.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$733 R 12.2K

$1,345 ₾3,478

-45.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,865 R 31.2K

$664 ₾1,718

180.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

-12.84%

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

Last update for Sandton: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandton

$448 36.3%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 0.7% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandton

$241 19.5%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 49.5% $119

Groceries & Markets

Sandton

$202 16.4%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 15.7% $32

Eating Out

Sandton

$158 12.8%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 20.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Sandton

$130 10.5%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 32.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sandton

$51 4.1%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 53.7% $27

Getting Around

Sandton

$4.7 * 0.4%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 369% $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 $540 in Sandton and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Sandton vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $202 vs $234, with Sandton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sandton

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

2 h ahead of Sandton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,415

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandton Tbilisi 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandton
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

Sandton vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandton wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sandton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sandton is about 2.8 times higher, 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: $540 in Sandton versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Sandton 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 $46 in Sandton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sandton is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sandton delivers better value at $1,235 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sandton hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sandton and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.