Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Baku

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $1,014 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Baku
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Baku Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Baku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,014 in Baku.

Tbilisi $1,266
Baku $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $1,578 in Baku.

Tbilisi $2,007
Baku $1,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $2,142 in Baku.

Tbilisi $2,749
Baku $2,142

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 25% more expensive than in Baku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Baku 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$8.60 ₼14.62

31.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$40.05 ₼68.1

-2.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$8.15 ₼13.85

18.16%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$3.56 ₼6.04

-2.81%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.10 ₼1.87

-0.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.62 ₼1.05

1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$1.80 ₼3.06

53.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$3.02 ₼5.13

2.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.46 ₼2.49

54.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$0.53 ₼0.90

50.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$2.49 ₼4.23

-29.32%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.98 ₼3.36

38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$5.19 ₼8.83

80.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$5.25 ₼8.92

26.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$11.84 ₼20.11

9.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.29 ₼2.19

29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.90 ₼3.23

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.56 ₼2.65

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$1.76 ₼2.99

36.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.72 ₼1.23

19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.55 ₼0.94

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.75 ₼1.27

86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.79 ₼1.34

-10.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$2.89 ₼4.91

21.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$8.77 ₼14.90

-13.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.55 ₼2.64

5.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$2.90 ₼4.94

-20.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.36 ₼0.62

2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$20.97 ₼35.64

-25.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.00 ₼3.41

-43.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.61 ₼1.04

29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$3.49 ₼5.92

239.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.69 ₼1.17

102.90%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$23.3K ₼39.6K

6.35%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$21.0K ₼35.6K

4.22%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$65.5 ₼111

36.14%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$11.23 ₼19.08

17.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$15.17 ₼25.78

30.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$48.47 ₼82.4

33.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$16.27 ₼27.65

16.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$5.80 ₼9.86

13.28%

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

$377 ₾975

$327 ₼556

15.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$6,818 ₼11.6K

58.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$66.8 ₼114

52.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$55.1 ₼93.7

-27.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$125 ₼212

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$116 ₼196

6.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$546 ₼928

21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$319 ₼542

40.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$1,045 ₼1,775

22.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$521 ₼885

70.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$2,175 ₼3,697

11.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$1,285 ₼2,184

7.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$557 ₼947

21.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

9.46

33.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baku: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Baku

$319 31.5% 29% $130

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Baku

$195 19.2% 16.6% $39

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Baku

$158 15.6% 16.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Baku

$163 16.1% 5.5% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Baku

$92 9.1% 24.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Baku

$60 5.9% 23% $18

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Baku

$28 2.7% 23.5% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Tbilisi and $546 in Baku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 22% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $40.00 in Baku. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $195, with Baku cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇦🇿 Baku

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

Same time as Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

2,300,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, 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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

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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 Baku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Baku differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $1,014 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Tbilisi, 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: $666 in Tbilisi versus $546 in Baku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $377 in Tbilisi versus $327 in Baku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,014 in Baku versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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 Baku 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 Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.