Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Side, Turkey
Tbilisi, Georgia
Side
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,144
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Side versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Side $1,144
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,790 in Side versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Side $1,790
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,435 in Side versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Side $2,435
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Side costs roughly 10% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Side 16% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.26 ₺511
$11.63 ₾30.07
-11.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.76 ₺1,483
$37.83 ₾97.9
-21.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.45 ₺471
$9.66 ₾24.98
-2.17%
Cappuccino
$3.44 ₺171
$3.57 ₾9.24
-3.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ₺109
$1.08 ₾2.78
102.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ₺19.48
$0.56 ₾1.45
-30.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 ₺200
$2.62 ₾6.78
53.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.07 ₺302
$3.04 ₾7.86
99.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 ₺53.1
$2.17 ₾5.60
-50.69%
White Bread (500g)
$0.97 ₺48.31
$0.80 ₾2.06
21.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.61 ₺130
$1.74 ₾4.51
50.00%
Eggs
$2.29 ₺114
$2.83 ₾7.31
-19.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.70 ₺683
$9.31 ₾24.08
47.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.16 ₺307
$6.52 ₾16.86
-5.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.79 ₺1,335
$12.95 ₾33.50
106.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 ₺78.2
$1.68 ₾4.34
-6.55%
Banana (1kg)
$2.46 ₺123
$1.85 ₾4.80
32.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.39 ₺69.1
$1.97 ₾5.10
-29.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ₺63.5
$2.42 ₾6.25
-47.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 ₺39.50
$0.82 ₾2.11
-3.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.71 ₺35.37
$0.74 ₾1.91
-4.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.74 ₺86.9
$1.34 ₾3.47
29.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₺37.62
$0.77 ₾2.00
-1.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.78 ₺139
$3.57 ₾9.24
-22.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.85 ₺690
$7.67 ₾19.84
80.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₺84.1
$1.70 ₾4.39
-0.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 ₺156
$2.40 ₾6.21
30.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 ₺34.54
$0.40 ₾1.05
72.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$15.23 ₾39.39
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.24 ₺61.7
$1.14 ₾2.95
8.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 ₺49.63
$0.78 ₾2.02
28.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.69 ₺333
$11.83 ₾30.59
-43.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 ₺75.2
$1.45 ₾3.75
4.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.1K ₺2.1M
$24.6K ₾63.6K
71.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.2K ₺1.9M
$22.3K ₾57.8K
71.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.7 ₺3,822
$88.8 ₾230
-13.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.57 ₺527
$13.12 ₾33.94
-19.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.12 ₺1,152
$19.67 ₾50.9
17.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ₺2,631
$64.1 ₾166
-17.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.04 ₾49.25
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.06 ₺402
$7.12 ₾18.42
13.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$507 ₺25.3K
$375 ₾971
35.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.9K ₺544.0K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
4.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.20 ₺2,302
$104 ₾268
-55.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.9 ₺2,936
$39.26 ₾102
50.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$157 ₺7,810
$117 ₾304
33.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 ₺5,840
$122 ₾315
-3.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$420 ₺20.9K
$695 ₾1,798
-39.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$302 ₺15.1K
$451 ₾1,167
-32.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$761 ₺37.9K
$1,355 ₾3,505
-43.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$573 ₺28.5K
$906 ₾2,344
-36.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,431 ₺71.3K
$2,295 ₾5,936
-37.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,018 ₺50.7K
$1,345 ₾3,479
-24.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Side
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$664 ₾1,718
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
38.25
12.62
203.09%

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

Last update for Side: 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
Side
$302
Tbilisi
$451 49.2% $149
Groceries & Markets
Side
$289
Tbilisi
$234 19% $55
Eating Out
Side
$194
Tbilisi
$191 1.9% $3.6
Clothing & Footwear
Side
$171
Tbilisi
$172 0.8% $1.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Side
$110
Tbilisi
$122 10.1% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Side
$69
Tbilisi
$78 13.6% $9.4
Getting Around
Side
$9 *
Tbilisi
$22 144% $13

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 $420 in Side and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Side vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $234, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Side
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
14:55 2:55 PM
15:55 3:55 PM
1 h ahead of Side
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,500
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Side Tbilisi 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Side
  • 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
Side vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Side cheaper than Tbilisi?
Side is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,717 in Side and $1,904 in Tbilisi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Side and Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $420 in Side versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $507 in Side versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Side or in Tbilisi?
Dining out is cheaper in Side – a meal for two runs $30 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Side or Tbilisi?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Side gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Side or in Tbilisi?
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.
Which city is safer, Side or Tbilisi?
Safety-wise, Side 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.

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