Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,270 a month against $1,374 in Asmara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Asmara despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Asmara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,374 in Asmara.

Tbilisi $1,270
Asmara $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $2,159 in Asmara.

Tbilisi $2,008
Asmara $2,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $2,943 in Asmara.

Tbilisi $2,745
Asmara $2,943

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 8% less than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 6% below, Asmara is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$20.76 ERN 312

-44.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$33.78 ERN 507

13.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$6.02 ERN 90.5

62.79%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$0.77 ERN 11.61

361.04%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.02 ERN 15.37

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.97 ERN 14.59

-36.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$0.61 ERN 9.20

352.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.56 ERN 23.41

38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.26 ERN 33.95

-23.01%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$4.48 ERN 67.3

-37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$2.93 ERN 43.95

213.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$27.11 ERN 407

-75.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$9.94 ERN 149

28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$12.25 ERN 184

-86.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.26 ERN 18.86

46.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$2.03 ERN 30.53

-2.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.14 ERN 17.18

120.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.75 ERN 26.31

-50.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.95 ERN 14.27

-23.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$2.25 ERN 33.78

-68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$11.98 ERN 180

-34.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$0.98 ERN 14.71

65.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.03 ERN 15.43

131.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.14 ERN 2.10

164.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$7.98 ERN 120

94.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.58 ERN 8.70

36.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$10.18 ERN 153

13.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$2.55 ERN 38.23

-41.18%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

-63.61%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

-68.44%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$25.48 ERN 383

246.35%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$68.1 ERN 1,023

-80.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$201 ERN 3,012

-90.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$26.63 ERN 400

141.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$4.86 ERN 73.1

294.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$1.22 ERN 18.28

472.95%

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

$373 ₾966

$24.87 ERN 374

1400.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

311.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$137 ERN 2,060

-25.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$122 ERN 1,837

-66.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$197 ERN 2,964

-41.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$148 ERN 2,229

-17.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$252 ERN 3,781

168.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$199 ERN 2,984

128.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$454 ERN 6,824

181.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$420 ERN 6,305

111.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

93.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

-42.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.17%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Asmara

$199 14.5% 56.3% $256

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Asmara

$364 * 26.5% 56.5% $132

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Asmara

$204 * 14.9% 7.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Asmara

$272 19.8% 58.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Asmara

$294 21.4% 143% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 62.8% $49

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Asmara

$11 * 0.8% 48.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $252 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $364, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, 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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Asmara 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Asmara differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,270 vs $1,374 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,906 in Tbilisi and $2,062 in Asmara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Tbilisi versus $252 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 94% less than in Asmara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $24.87 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,374 in Asmara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Asmara. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi 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 Asmara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Asmara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.