Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Ballsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,185 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Ballsh

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,185 in Ballsh, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Ballsh $1,185

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,834 in Ballsh, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Ballsh $1,834

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,484 in Ballsh, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Ballsh $2,484

Tbilisi costs about 7% more than Ballsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Ballsh are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Ballsh 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$9.65 ALL 779

20.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$54.6 ALL 4,406

-30.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.04 ALL 568

37.22%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.25 ALL 181

58.67%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.47 ALL 119

-26.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.90 ALL 72.7

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.50 ALL 283

-25.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$4.11 ALL 332

-26.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.24 ALL 181

-3.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.22 ALL 98.2

-34.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.35 ALL 190

-25.96%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.80 ALL 307

-25.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$13.01 ALL 1,051

-28.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$9.45 ALL 763

-31.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$17.32 ALL 1,399

-25.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.97 ALL 159

-14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.51 ALL 203

-26.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.22 ALL 180

-11.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.91 ALL 154

26.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.06 ALL 86.0

-22.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.32 ALL 107

-43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.50 ALL 121

-10.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.80 ALL 65.0

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.79 ALL 387

-25.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.42 ALL 842

-26.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.62 ALL 131

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.03 ALL 164

18.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.53 ALL 42.52

-24.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$18.09 ALL 1,461

-15.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.77 ALL 304

-69.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$3.82 ALL 308

-79.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$18.59 ALL 1,502

-36.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$2.42 ALL 195

-40.08%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

-26.05%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$29.1K ALL 2.4M

-23.37%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$97.8 ALL 7,898

-9.18%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$18.77 ALL 1,516

-30.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$20.21 ALL 1,632

-2.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$50.8 ALL 4,105

26.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$9.73 ALL 786

-26.82%

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

$375 ₾971

$341 ALL 27.5K

10.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$8,309 ALL 671.1K

26.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$48.97 ALL 3,956

111.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$47.59 ALL 3,844

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$118 ALL 9,554

-0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$112 ALL 9,072

8.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$446 ALL 36.0K

55.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$332 ALL 26.8K

35.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$612 ALL 49.5K

121.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$486 ALL 39.3K

86.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,745 ALL 140.9K

31.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,144 ALL 92.4K

17.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.16

144.57%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ballsh: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Ballsh

$332 28% 26.4% $119

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Ballsh

$295 24.9% 26.2% $61

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Ballsh

$160 13.5% 15.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Ballsh

$147 12.4% 14.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Ballsh

$137 11.5% 12.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Ballsh

$70 5.9% 10.2% $8

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Ballsh

$43 3.6% 96.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $446 in Ballsh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $55 in Ballsh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $295 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.91 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Ballsh 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Ballsh

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 Ballsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,778 in Ballsh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballsh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $446 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $55 in Ballsh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,185 in Ballsh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ballsh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.