Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Ballito

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballito: $618 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Ballito
Learn more

Ballito Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Ballito

🇿🇦 South Africa

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Ballito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $618 in Ballito.

Tbilisi $1,269
Ballito $618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $972 in Ballito.

Tbilisi $2,016
Ballito $972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,327 in Ballito.

Tbilisi $2,763
Ballito $1,327

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 105% more expensive than in Ballito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Ballito 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$6.02 R 101

93.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$39.25 R 656

-3.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.85 R 97.7

65.13%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.66 R 44.42

34.21%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.13 R 18.91

-4.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.90 R 15.00

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.98 R 33.04

32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.49 R 41.68

22.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.00 R 16.68

117.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.93 R 15.58

-13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.47 R 24.63

18.37%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.44 R 40.75

15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.21 R 120

29.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.83 R 80.8

34.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$7.30 R 122

77.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.53 R 25.50

9.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.86 R 31.11

-0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.46 R 24.32

34.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.72 R 28.71

40.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.02 R 17.11

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.39 R 23.22

-46.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.21 R 20.22

10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.20 R 20.05

-35.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.51 R 58.6

1.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.85 R 81.1

58.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.41 R 23.63

20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.83 R 30.65

31.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.41 R 6.84

178.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.76 R 12.65

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.37 R 123

60.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.30 R 21.75

11.54%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$35.1K R 586.6K

-30.00%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$33.5K R 559.9K

-33.35%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$147 R 2,448

-39.39%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$22.16 R 370

-40.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$35.37 R 591

-44.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.16 R 103

15.58%

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

$375 ₾971

$306 R 5,118

22.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$7,455 R 124.6K

40.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$41.38 R 691

150.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$29.89 R 499

31.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$59.0 R 986

98.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$82.4 R 1,376

47.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$448 R 7,478

55.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,506 R 25.2K

-10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,479 R 24.7K

-55.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

11.78

7.13%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ballito: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Ballito

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Ballito

$181 29.3% 22.5% $53

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Ballito

$121 19.5% 36.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Ballito

$96 15.5% 44.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Ballito

$204 33% 67.8% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Ballito

$12 * 2% 84.3% $66

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Ballito

$4.2 * 0.7% 80.8% $18

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 $695 in Tbilisi and $448 in Ballito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballito pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $39 in Ballito. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $181, with Ballito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Ballito

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

27,718

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Ballito 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Ballito

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 Ballito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballito is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $448 in Ballito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $306 in Ballito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $39 in Ballito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $618 in Ballito versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ballito but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Ballito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ballito is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Ballito are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.