Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Arad, Romania

Name: Arad
Address: Arad, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $944 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Arad

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $944 in Arad, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Arad $944

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,403 in Arad, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Arad $1,403

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,862 in Arad, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Arad $1,862

Tbilisi costs about 34% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Arad are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Arad 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$8.53 RON 41.02

36.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$32.88 RON 158

15.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.33 RON 35.23

31.79%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.50 RON 12.03

42.80%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.50 RON 7.21

-28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.53 RON 7.36

-63.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.07 RON 9.95

26.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.49 RON 11.97

22.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.17 RON 5.64

85.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.23 RON 5.91

-34.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.74 RON 8.36

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.68 RON 12.88

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.29 RON 35.03

27.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.94 RON 23.74

31.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$10.10 RON 48.52

28.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.68 RON 8.10

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.75 RON 8.41

5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.72 RON 8.26

14.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.41 RON 6.77

71.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.79 RON 3.77

3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.87 RON 4.17

-14.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.21 RON 5.82

10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.81 RON 3.91

-4.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$5.91 RON 28.38

-39.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$5.86 RON 28.16

30.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.23 RON 5.92

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.75 RON 8.43

37.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.86 RON 4.12

-53.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$21.94 RON 105

-30.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.78 RON 3.74

46.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.03 RON 4.93

-24.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$10.33 RON 49.65

14.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.86 RON 8.96

-22.04%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$28.2K RON 135.7K

-12.95%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$25.4K RON 122.2K

-12.18%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$125 RON 598

-28.69%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.33 RON 40.03

57.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$7.13 RON 34.27

175.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$35.51 RON 171

80.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$31.53 RON 152

-39.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$5.24 RON 25.20

35.88%

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

$375 ₾971

$160 RON 768

134.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$3,827 RON 18.4K

173.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$41.21 RON 198

151.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$21.08 RON 101

86.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$68.7 RON 330

70.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$73.2 RON 352

66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$420 RON 2,017

65.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$296 RON 1,422

52.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$512 RON 2,460

164.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$417 RON 2,004

117.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,825 RON 8,772

25.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,309 RON 6,291

2.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$923 RON 4,435

-28.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

7.35

71.70%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Arad

$296 31.4% 34.4% $155

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Arad

$191 20.3% 18.2% $43

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Arad

$148 15.7% 22.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Arad

$92 9.7% 46.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Arad

$140 14.8% 15.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Arad

$46 4.9% 41.3% $32

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Arad

$31 3.3% 42.8% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $420 in Arad. 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 39% higher in Arad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $33 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $191 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

159,074

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Arad 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 34% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,417 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $33 in Arad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $944 in Arad. That makes Arad about 26% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,269 in Tbilisi and $944 in Arad. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Arad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.