Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Surabaya
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$674
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $674 per month in Surabaya vs $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Surabaya $674
  • Tbilisi $1,266

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Surabaya vs $2,007 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Surabaya $1,173
  • Tbilisi $2,007

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Surabaya vs $2,749 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Surabaya $1,672
  • Tbilisi $2,749

Surabaya is about 47% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surabaya and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Surabaya 50% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.63 Rp 29.3K
$11.51 ₾29.79
-85.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.26 Rp 202.7K
$38.27 ₾99.1
-70.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.14 Rp 56.5K
$9.80 ₾25.36
-67.96%
Cappuccino
$1.56 Rp 28.0K
$3.55 ₾9.19
-56.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 Rp 9,867
$1.06 ₾2.74
-48.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 Rp 4,619
$0.62 ₾1.60
-58.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 Rp 38.9K
$2.76 ₾7.16
-21.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.14 Rp 74.5K
$3.00 ₾7.77
38.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 Rp 22.5K
$2.16 ₾5.59
-42.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 Rp 22.9K
$0.76 ₾1.96
67.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.74 ₾4.51
-52.30%
Eggs
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$2.79 ₾7.21
-57.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.75 Rp 139.4K
$9.20 ₾23.83
-15.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.08 Rp 55.5K
$6.53 ₾16.89
-52.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.75 Rp 139.4K
$12.81 ₾33.17
-39.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 Rp 36.3K
$1.67 ₾4.31
20.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 Rp 23.2K
$1.85 ₾4.79
-30.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 Rp 34.0K
$1.98 ₾5.13
-4.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
$2.51 ₾6.49
-40.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.36 Rp 24.4K
$0.87 ₾2.26
56.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 Rp 34.2K
$0.73 ₾1.89
160.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 Rp 16.0K
$1.42 ₾3.67
-37.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 Rp 7,029
$0.72 ₾1.88
-45.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 Rp 35.7K
$3.38 ₾8.74
-41.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$25.14 Rp 452.5K
$7.84 ₾20.31
220.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 Rp 31.3K
$1.62 ₾4.19
7.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 Rp 50.9K
$2.38 ₾6.15
18.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 Rp 6,237
$0.37 ₾0.96
-5.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$15.52 ₾40.16
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.46 Rp 8,282
$1.14 ₾2.94
-59.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.42 Rp 7,542
$0.79 ₾2.05
-46.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.58 Rp 46.4K
$11.57 ₾29.96
-77.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.8K
$1.50 ₾3.87
-41.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 443.1M
$24.6K ₾63.7K
-0.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.3K Rp 581.0M
$22.4K ₾57.9K
44.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.3 Rp 1.6M
$88.3 ₾228
-1.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.57 Rp 82.2K
$13.08 ₾33.86
-65.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.05 Rp 342.9K
$19.53 ₾50.6
-2.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.92 Rp 322.6K
$64.2 ₾166
-72.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.66 Rp 119.9K
$19.18 ₾49.66
-65.28%
Cinema Ticket
$2.64 Rp 47.5K
$6.99 ₾18.10
-62.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$277 Rp 5.0M
$373 ₾966
-25.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,324 Rp 167.8M
$10.7K ₾27.7K
-12.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.9 Rp 1.3M
$103 ₾266
-30.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.58 Rp 694.4K
$40.48 ₾105
-4.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.8 Rp 1.5M
$116 ₾301
-30.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.1 Rp 1.4M
$122 ₾316
-38.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$282 Rp 5.1M
$677 ₾1,753
-58.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$144 Rp 2.6M
$454 ₾1,176
-68.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 Rp 22.3M
$1,277 ₾3,305
-3.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$601 Rp 10.8M
$890 ₾2,304
-32.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,161 Rp 38.9M
$2,410 ₾6,238
-10.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,072 Rp 19.3M
$1,418 ₾3,670
-24.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surabaya
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$271 Rp 4.9M
$703 ₾1,819
-61.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
12.62
-40.57%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Surabaya
$209
Tbilisi
$233 11.6% $24
Accommodation & Living
Surabaya
$144
Tbilisi
$454 215% $310
Clothing & Footwear
Surabaya
$119
Tbilisi
$172 43.7% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surabaya
$111
Tbilisi
$121 8.9% $9.9
Eating Out
Surabaya
$63
Tbilisi
$191 201% $127
Sport & Entertainment
Surabaya
$23
Tbilisi
$78 237% $55
Getting Around
Surabaya
$3.9 *
Tbilisi
$22 461% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Surabaya versus $666 in Tbilisi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 151% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Surabaya versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $234 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Surabaya
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
16:59 4:59 PM
13:59 1:59 PM
3 h behind Surabaya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,765,487
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 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
  • Surabaya Tbilisi 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Surabaya
  • 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
Surabaya vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Surabaya and in Tbilisi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $674 in Surabaya, $1,266 in Tbilisi – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Surabaya compared to Tbilisi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,011 per month in Surabaya and $1,899 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Surabaya and Tbilisi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Surabaya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Surabaya or Tbilisi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $674 in Surabaya and $1,266 in Tbilisi. That's a gap of about 88%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Surabaya and Tbilisi?
Kindergarten costs $277 per month in Surabaya and $377 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Tbilisi at $1,266. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Surabaya and Tbilisi?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $674 in Surabaya to $1,266 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Surabaya or Tbilisi safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Surabaya and Tbilisi?
If budget matters most, go with Surabaya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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