Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Alberton

For one person, living is cheaper in Alberton: $1,206 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Alberton, South Africa
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Alberton
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,206
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Alberton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,206 in Alberton.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Alberton $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,989 in Alberton.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Alberton $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,772 in Alberton.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Alberton $2,772

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 5% more expensive than in Alberton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Alberton 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$8.78 R 147
32.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$36.42 R 608
3.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$4.92 R 82.1
96.34%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$2.27 R 37.96
57.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.02 R 17.02
5.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.83 R 13.91
-32.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$2.38 R 39.66
10.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$2.46 R 41.13
23.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$1.20 R 20.03
80.83%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$1.12 R 18.76
-28.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.83 R 30.53
-4.92%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$2.31 R 38.55
22.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$8.41 R 140
10.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$4.83 R 80.6
34.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$6.04 R 101
114.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.33
$1.77 R 29.47
-5.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.59 R 26.49
16.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$1.79 R 29.80
10.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$1.62 R 27.11
49.38%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$1.07 R 17.91
-23.36%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.17 R 19.46
-36.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$1.16 R 19.31
15.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.93 R 15.45
-17.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.16 R 52.7
12.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$3.10 R 51.7
147.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$1.27 R 21.19
33.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$1.32 R 21.97
81.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$3.09 R 51.6
-87.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$120 R 1,998
-87.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$0.29 R 4.80
293.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$0.76 R 12.62
2.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$14.46 R 241
-18.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.40 R 23.38
3.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$30.1K R 502.3K
-18.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$33.2K R 553.7K
-32.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$151 R 2,522
-41.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$36.94 R 617
-64.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$36.25 R 605
-45.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$40.04 R 668
59.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$14.90 R 249
27.79%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$5.99 R 99.9
18.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$151 R 2,526
148.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$1,775 R 29.6K
489.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$53.3 R 889
94.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$31.64 R 528
24.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$93.5 R 1,560
25.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$83.9 R 1,400
45.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$428 R 7,143
62.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$361 R 6,032
24.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$915 R 15.3K
48.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$980 R 16.4K
-7.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$726 R 12.1K
216.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$597 R 9,968
125.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Alberton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$2,097 R 35.0K
-68.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
11.34
11.29%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alberton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Alberton
$361 19.9% $90
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Alberton
$177 24.2% $57
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Alberton
$137 28.4% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Alberton
$118 31.4% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Alberton
$224 84.4% $103
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Alberton
$52 33.6% $26
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Alberton
$136 522% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $428 in Alberton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alberton pays about 3.2 times 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 $36 in Alberton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $177 per month, with Alberton cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇿🇦 Alberton
🕒 Local time
11:02 11:02 AM
09:02 9:02 AM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
121,536
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Alberton 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Alberton

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 Alberton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alberton cheaper than Tbilisi?
Alberton is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Tbilisi or Alberton?
On paper, salaries run 68% 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.
What is the rent difference between Tbilisi and Alberton?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $428 in Alberton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Tbilisi and in Alberton?
Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Tbilisi or in Alberton?
Dining out is cheaper in Alberton – a meal for two runs $36 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Tbilisi or Alberton?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Alberton 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 Tbilisi or in Alberton?
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.

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