Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $808 in Shymkent versus $1,270 in Tbilisi.

Shymkent $808
Tbilisi $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,390 in Shymkent versus $2,008 in Tbilisi.

Shymkent $1,390
Tbilisi $2,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,971 in Shymkent versus $2,745 in Tbilisi.

Shymkent $1,971
Tbilisi $2,745

Living in Shymkent costs roughly 36% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shymkent 40% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.25 ₸5,086

$11.51 ₾29.79

-2.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.35 ₸15.1K

$38.27 ₾99.1

-12.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.50 ₸2,938

$9.80 ₾25.36

-33.67%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₸1,147

$3.55 ₾9.19

-28.45%

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

$1.03 ₸467

$1.06 ₾2.74

-2.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₸246

$0.62 ₾1.60

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₸492

$2.76 ₾7.16

-60.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₸609

$3.00 ₾7.77

-55.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₸661

$2.16 ₾5.59

-32.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 ₸184

$0.76 ₾1.96

-46.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ₸811

$1.74 ₾4.51

2.87%

Eggs

$1.73 ₸783

$2.79 ₾7.21

-37.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₸4,538

$9.20 ₾23.83

9.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 ₸2,376

$6.53 ₾16.89

-19.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 ₸4,059

$12.81 ₾33.17

-29.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸538

$1.67 ₾4.31

-28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 ₸957

$1.85 ₾4.79

14.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₸1,166

$1.98 ₾5.13

30.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸610

$2.51 ₾6.49

-46.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ₸250

$0.87 ₾2.26

-36.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₸184

$0.73 ₾1.89

-43.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₸397

$1.42 ₾3.67

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₸376

$0.72 ₾1.88

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₸1,114

$3.38 ₾8.74

-27.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.55 ₸2,057

$7.84 ₾20.31

-41.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₸466

$1.62 ₾4.19

-36.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸683

$2.38 ₾6.15

-36.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ₸64.0

$0.37 ₾0.96

-62.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 ₸395

$1.14 ₾2.94

-23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₸156

$0.79 ₾2.05

-56.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 ₸4,532

$11.57 ₾29.96

-13.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₸291

$1.50 ₾3.87

-57.33%

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

$27.2K ₸12.3M

$24.6K ₾63.7K

10.36%

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

$29.0K ₸13.1M

$22.4K ₾57.9K

29.89%

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

$47.29 ₸21.4K

$88.3 ₾228

-46.41%

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

$9.60 ₸4,338

$13.08 ₾33.86

-26.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.79 ₸6,685

$19.53 ₾50.6

-24.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.82 ₸17.5K

$64.2 ₾166

-39.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.82 ₸3,986

$19.18 ₾49.66

-54.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 ₸2,567

$6.99 ₾18.10

-18.74%

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

$57.8 ₸26.1K

$373 ₾966

-84.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.55 ₸17.0K

$103 ₾266

-63.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.85 ₸15.3K

$40.48 ₾105

-16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$187 ₸84.4K

$116 ₾301

60.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.9 ₸23.9K

$122 ₾316

-56.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 ₸153.0K

$677 ₾1,753

-50.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 ₸92.0K

$454 ₾1,176

-55.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ₸315.6K

$1,277 ₾3,305

-45.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 ₸246.2K

$890 ₾2,304

-38.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,104 ₸499.1K

$2,410 ₾6,238

-54.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ₸445.6K

$1,418 ₾3,670

-30.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₸199.6K

$703 ₾1,819

-37.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

12.62

44.61%

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

Last update for Shymkent: 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

Shymkent

$203 25.2%

Tbilisi

$454 35.8% 123% $251

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$185 22.9%

Tbilisi

$233 18.3% 25.8% $48

Eating Out

Shymkent

$154 19.1%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 23.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$140 17.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 22.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$72 8.9%

Tbilisi

$121 9.5% 68.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.2%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 55.8% $28

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 599% $19

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 $338 in Shymkent and $677 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Shymkent vs $38.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $233 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

15:37 3:37 PM

2 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shymkent Tbilisi 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
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

Shymkent vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shymkent and Tbilisi differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($808 vs $1,270 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Tbilisi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $338 in Shymkent versus $677 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $57.8 in Shymkent versus $373 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $808 in Shymkent versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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.

Safety-wise, Shymkent 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.

Expats usually find Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.