Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
Learn more

Badulla Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $547 in Badulla.

Tbilisi $1,278
Badulla $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $883 in Badulla.

Tbilisi $2,017
Badulla $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,219 in Badulla.

Tbilisi $2,755
Badulla $1,219

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 134% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Badulla 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$3.84 LKR 1,276

202.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$24.93 LKR 8,291

54.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$7.54 LKR 2,507

29.18%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.47 LKR 823

44.13%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$0.68 LKR 227

58.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.27 LKR 90.6

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.26 LKR 752

20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$3.02 LKR 1,006

3.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$1.62 LKR 539

32.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.57 LKR 190

31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$0.61 LKR 203

195.08%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$1.65 LKR 548

69.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$15.15 LKR 5,038

-37.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$3.70 LKR 1,230

89.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.83

$7.60 LKR 2,528

66.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$6.61 LKR 2,198

-75.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$0.89 LKR 296

106.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-53.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$1.26 LKR 420

96.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.09 LKR 362

-31.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$0.79 LKR 261

-15.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.22 LKR 405

15.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.46 LKR 152

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$10.15 LKR 3,375

-65.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$13.31 LKR 4,428

-40.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.91 LKR 634

-10.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$2.85 LKR 947

-16.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.41 LKR 136

190.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.33 LKR 111

124.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$0.87 LKR 288

1266.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.37 LKR 454

6.57%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-41.64%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

-50.48%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

56.70%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$4.32 LKR 1,437

194.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$20.66 LKR 6,873

-4.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.59

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$4.39 LKR 1,461

51.48%

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

$371 ₾961

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

816.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

-47.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$18.24 LKR 6,068

460.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$17.37 LKR 5,779

128.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

52.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

190.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

803.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

939.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,523

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

898.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

-50.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

$747 LKR 248.4K

84.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

$222 LKR 73.7K

220.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

12.5

0.24%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Badulla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Badulla

$44 8.1% 90.4% $417

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Badulla

$237 43.3% 0.6% $1.4

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Badulla

$104 19.1% 45.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Badulla

$69 12.7% 59.3% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Badulla

$81 14.9% 32.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6% 88.7% $69

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Badulla

$2.1 * 0.4% 90.4% $20

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 $690 in Tbilisi and $76 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $25 in Badulla. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $237, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

110,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.343 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.343 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Badulla 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Badulla

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 Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Tbilisi is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Tbilisi versus $76 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $41 in Badulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $547 in Badulla versus $1,278 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla 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 Badulla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Badulla wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.