Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Balikesir

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikesir: $931 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Balikesir
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Balikesir Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Balikesir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Balikesir

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

A single person spends $1,266 per month in Tbilisi vs $931 in Balikesir, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,266
Balikesir $931

A couple spends around $2,007 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,462 in Balikesir, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,007
Balikesir $1,462

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,993 in Balikesir, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,749
Balikesir $1,993

Tbilisi costs about 36% more than Balikesir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Balikesir are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Balikesir 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$7.19 ₺356

57.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$28.26 ₺1,399

38.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$7.59 ₺376

26.88%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$3.45 ₺171

0.29%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.36 ₺67.2

-19.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.35 ₺17.49

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$3.20 ₺158

-13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$4.24 ₺210

-26.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$0.90 ₺44.56

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$0.95 ₺46.92

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$2.15 ₺106

-18.14%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$2.00 ₺98.9

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$8.05 ₺398

16.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$3.94 ₺195

69.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$18.19 ₺901

-28.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.84 ₺91.3

-9.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.89 ₺93.4

-4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.12 ₺55.6

71.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$1.03 ₺51.1

133.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.50 ₺24.60

72.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.38 ₺18.87

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.85 ₺41.90

64.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.70 ₺34.84

1.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$2.01 ₺99.4

74.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$10.01 ₺496

-23.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$2.05 ₺102

-20.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$3.31 ₺164

-30.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.63 ₺31.36

-41.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$40.21 ₺1,991

-61.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.10 ₺54.2

3.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.09 ₺54.0

-27.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$4.19 ₺207

183.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.33 ₺65.7

5.26%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$42.6K ₺2.1M

-41.75%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-45.66%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$62.5 ₺3,096

42.52%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$12.06 ₺597

9.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$14.87 ₺736

32.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$42.71 ₺2,115

51.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$29.82 ₺1,477

-36.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$4.01 ₺198

63.84%

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

$377 ₾975

$474 ₺23.5K

-20.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$12.2K ₺603.6K

-11.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$24.30 ₺1,203

320.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$16.36 ₺810

142.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$82.3 ₺4,075

43.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$50.4 ₺2,496

144.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$378 ₺18.7K

76.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$296 ₺14.7K

51.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$801 ₺39.6K

60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$550 ₺27.2K

61.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$1,149 ₺56.9K

111.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$801 ₺39.7K

72.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$1,289 ₺63.8K

-47.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

39.8

-68.29%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Balikesir: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Balikesir

$296 31.8% 34.1% $153

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Balikesir

$215 23.1% 8.1% $19

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Balikesir

$153 16.4% 18.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Balikesir

$78 8.4% 54.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Balikesir

$89 9.6% 26.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Balikesir

$51 5.5% 35% $27

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Balikesir

$49 5.3% 121% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Tbilisi versus $378 in Balikesir. 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 90% higher in Balikesir, 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 $39.00 in Tbilisi versus $28.00 in Balikesir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $215 – making Balikesir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇷 Balikesir

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,196,170

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Balikesir 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Balikesir

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 Balikesir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 36% more than Balikesir, 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 $1,899 per month in Tbilisi and $1,397 in Balikesir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,266 in Tbilisi and $931 in Balikesir. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 157% less in Balikesir. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Balikesir, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Tbilisi at $1,266. In Balikesir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Balikesir costs $931 versus $1,266 in Tbilisi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Balikesir. 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.