Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Arusha

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $552 in Arusha, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Arusha $552

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $887 in Arusha, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Arusha $887

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,222 in Arusha, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Arusha $1,222

Tbilisi costs about 130% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Arusha are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Arusha 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$3.33 TZS 8,723

245.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

6.52%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$1.66 TZS 4,356

113.86%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.87 TZS 2,284

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.32 TZS 842

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.02 TZS 2,659

170.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.81 TZS 7,351

6.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$0.98 TZS 2,578

120.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.68 TZS 1,773

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.66 TZS 4,344

4.82%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.74 TZS 4,552

60.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.32 TZS 6,066

-28.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$0.78 TZS 2,039

221.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.49 TZS 1,284

77.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.07 TZS 2,795

-31.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.78 TZS 2,046

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$1.50 TZS 3,927

125.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$0.98 TZS 2,563

65.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$0.91 TZS 2,387

161.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.19 TZS 496

94.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

53.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.31 TZS 3,441

14.50%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

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

$88.3 ₾228

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

215.86%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

51.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

-57.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

-1.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

48.72%

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

$373 ₾966

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

42.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$278 TZS 727.8K

143.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$239 TZS 626.7K

89.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$494 TZS 1.3M

158.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$524 TZS 1.4M

69.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Arusha

$239 43.3% 47.3% $215

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Arusha

$65 * 11.8% 71.9% $167

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Arusha

$90 16.2% 52.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Arusha

$83 15% 31.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Arusha

$75 13.5% 4.6% $3.6

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 96.6% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $278 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $65.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

617,631

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Arusha 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $552 in Arusha – roughly 130% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $829 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $552 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 130%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Arusha to $1,270 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Arusha. 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.