Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $901 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Alba Iulia

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 Alba Iulia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $901 in Alba Iulia.

Tbilisi $1,269
Alba Iulia $901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,378 in Alba Iulia.

Tbilisi $2,016
Alba Iulia $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,855 in Alba Iulia.

Tbilisi $2,763
Alba Iulia $1,855

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 41% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Alba Iulia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$8.60 RON 40.97

35.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$30.98 RON 148

22.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$5.88 RON 28.01

64.29%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$2.28 RON 10.86

56.58%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.75 RON 8.36

-38.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.48 RON 7.07

-62.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$1.97 RON 9.37

32.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$2.04 RON 9.70

49.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.23 RON 5.86

76.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.08 RON 5.16

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$1.43 RON 6.80

21.68%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.69 RON 12.82

5.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$7.53 RON 35.85

23.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$6.03 RON 28.72

8.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$10.80 RON 51.5

19.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.92 RON 4.40

82.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.31 RON 6.23

41.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$1.26 RON 6.00

56.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$2.33 RON 11.10

3.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$0.72 RON 3.41

13.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.59 RON 2.81

25.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.87 RON 4.14

54.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.61 RON 2.90

26.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$5.18 RON 24.67

-31.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$4.28 RON 20.38

79.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.12 RON 5.32

51.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.27 RON 6.06

88.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.75 RON 3.57

-46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$16.98 RON 80.9

-10.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.64 RON 3.03

78.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.63 RON 3.00

23.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$4.47 RON 21.28

164.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.50 RON 7.14

-3.33%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$28.8K RON 137.2K

-14.63%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$23.7K RON 113.1K

-5.90%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$125 RON 593

-28.69%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$7.31 RON 34.81

79.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$9.01 RON 42.91

118.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$29.55 RON 141

116.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

$30.83 RON 147

-38.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$5.09 RON 24.23

39.88%

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

$375 ₾972

$435 RON 2,074

-13.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$6,969 RON 33.2K

50.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$38.02 RON 181

172.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$23.94 RON 114

63.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$73.8 RON 352

59.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$61.7 RON 294

97.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$296 RON 1,410

134.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$283 RON 1,348

59.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$612 RON 2,916

121.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$478 RON 2,278

89.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$1,643 RON 7,826

39.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$1,401 RON 6,674

-3.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$903 RON 4,303

-26.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

6.97

81.06%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4% 37.3% $168

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5% 21.1% $49

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 26.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9% 48.3% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 15.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4% 49.3% $39

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 8.5% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alba Iulia pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $31 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $185 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

63,536

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Alba Iulia 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Alba Iulia

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 Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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: $695 in Tbilisi versus $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $901 in Alba Iulia – Alba Iulia is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 10% less than in Alba Iulia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $901 in Alba Iulia versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia 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, Tbilisi and Alba Iulia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.