Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Abu Dhabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,599 in Abu Dhabi, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Abu Dhabi
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$2,599
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Abu Dhabi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Abu Dhabi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,599 in Abu Dhabi.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Abu Dhabi $2,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $3,887 in Abu Dhabi.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Abu Dhabi $3,887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $5,175 in Abu Dhabi.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Abu Dhabi $5,175

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 51% less than in Abu Dhabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Abu Dhabi is 91% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$8.09 AED 29.72
43.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$55.1 AED 202
-31.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$9.89 AED 36.32
-2.33%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$6.08 AED 22.33
-41.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.20 AED 4.39
-10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.43 AED 1.57
30.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$10.73 AED 39.41
-75.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$11.04 AED 40.54
-72.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$1.92 AED 7.04
13.02%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$1.60 AED 5.87
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$2.28 AED 8.36
-23.68%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$3.57 AED 13.11
-20.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$11.50 AED 42.25
-19.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$9.92 AED 36.43
-34.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$10.03 AED 36.83
29.11%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.33
$2.52 AED 9.24
-33.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$2.11 AED 7.75
-12.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$1.90 AED 6.97
3.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$1.59 AED 5.84
52.20%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$1.24 AED 4.57
-33.87%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.21 AED 4.45
-38.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$1.61 AED 5.91
-16.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.58 AED 2.13
32.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$6.50 AED 23.86
-45.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$13.42 AED 49.27
-42.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$2.56 AED 9.39
-33.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$2.52 AED 9.26
-4.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.70 AED 2.59
-42.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$25.62 AED 94.1
-40.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$3.32 AED 12.21
-65.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$0.52 AED 1.91
50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$8.01 AED 29.42
47.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$0.99 AED 3.63
46.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$25.7K AED 94.4K
-4.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$21.2K AED 78.0K
5.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$189 AED 696
-53.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$59.1 AED 217
-77.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$91.4 AED 336
-78.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$91.4 AED 336
-29.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$40.59 AED 149
-53.09%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$16.47 AED 60.5
-56.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$843 AED 3,098
-55.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$14.7K AED 54.1K
-28.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$61.9 AED 227
67.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$48.12 AED 177
-18.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$113 AED 414
4.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$112 AED 412
8.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$1,995 AED 7,327
-65.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$1,422 AED 5,222
-68.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$3,780 AED 13.9K
-64.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$2,693 AED 9,889
-66.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$5,416 AED 19.9K
-57.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$3,584 AED 13.2K
-62.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$3,102 AED 11.4K
-78.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
4.55
177.36%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Abu Dhabi
$1.4K 215% $971
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Abu Dhabi
$278 18.7% $44
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Abu Dhabi
$250 30.9% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Abu Dhabi
$151 12.3% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Abu Dhabi
$340 180% $218
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Abu Dhabi
$124 58.8% $46
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Abu Dhabi
$34 56.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $1,995 in Abu Dhabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abu Dhabi pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $55 in Abu Dhabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $278 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi
🕒 Local time
00:18 12:18 AM
00:18 12:18 AM
Same time as Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
921,000 Capital
💱 Currency
UAE Dirham AED د.إ
Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Abu Dhabi 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Abu Dhabi

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
Tbilisi vs Abu Dhabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tbilisi or Abu Dhabi?
Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Abu Dhabi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Tbilisi or in Abu Dhabi?
On paper, salaries run 79% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Tbilisi compared to Abu Dhabi?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,995 in Abu Dhabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Tbilisi compared to Abu Dhabi?
A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 41% less than in Abu Dhabi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Tbilisi and in Abu Dhabi?
Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $843 in Abu Dhabi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Tbilisi or in Abu Dhabi?
At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,599 in Abu Dhabi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Abu Dhabi. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Tbilisi or Abu Dhabi?
Both work as nomad bases, but Tbilisi delivers better value at $1,269 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tbilisi hard to pass up.
How safe is Tbilisi compared to Abu Dhabi?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Abu Dhabi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Abu Dhabi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?