Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Balti

For one person, living is cheaper in Balti: $974 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Balti
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Balti Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Balti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Balti

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $974 in Balti, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Balti $974

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,414 in Balti, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Balti $1,414

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,854 in Balti, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Balti $1,854

Tbilisi costs about 30% more than Balti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Balti are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Balti 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$8.51 MDL 152

36.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$22.53 MDL 403

67.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$10.35 MDL 185

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.74 MDL 31.14

105.17%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.06 MDL 19.00

1.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.65 MDL 11.70

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.12 MDL 20.09

133.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.38 MDL 24.61

120.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.20 MDL 21.54

80.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.45 MDL 8.03

77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.54 MDL 27.47

12.99%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.15 MDL 38.48

31.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$6.78 MDL 121

37.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.70 MDL 84.1

38.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$6.18 MDL 111

109.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.99 MDL 17.68

69.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.29 MDL 41.03

-19.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.88 MDL 33.65

4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.29 MDL 40.87

5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.71 MDL 12.77

15.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.52 MDL 9.21

42.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.43 MDL 7.71

211.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.54 MDL 9.73

42.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.27 MDL 58.5

9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.34 MDL 77.6

76.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.35 MDL 24.21

25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.99 MDL 35.67

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.34 MDL 6.15

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$16.78 MDL 300

-9.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.76 MDL 49.41

-58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.24 MDL 4.25

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$5.45 MDL 97.4

117.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.62 MDL 29.00

-10.49%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$33.4K MDL 597.1K

-26.40%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$24.1K MDL 430.5K

-7.22%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$220 MDL 3,942

-59.72%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$7.74 MDL 138

69.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$11.03 MDL 197

78.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$36.85 MDL 659

73.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$15.34 MDL 274

24.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.61 MDL 136

-6.44%

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

$375 ₾971

$113 MDL 2,012

233.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,113 MDL 91.4K

104.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$44.39 MDL 794

133.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$33.84 MDL 605

16.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$55.6 MDL 994

111.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$50.9 MDL 910

139.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$397 MDL 7,093

75.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$280 MDL 5,004

61.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$657 MDL 11.7K

106.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$495 MDL 8,859

82.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,399 MDL 25.0K

64.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$992 MDL 17.7K

35.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$606 MDL 10.8K

9.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

57.75%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Balti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Balti

$280 28.7% 38% $171

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Balti

$162 16.7% 30.7% $72

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Balti

$135 13.9% 29% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Balti

$83 8.5% 51.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Balti

$239 24.6% 96.8% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Balti

$52 5.4% 33.5% $26

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Balti

$22 2.3% 1% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $397 in Balti. 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 10% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $23 in Balti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $162 – making Balti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇩 Balti

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

22:32 10:32 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

144,800

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Balti 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Balti

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 Balti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $974 in Balti – Balti comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,461 in Balti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $113 in Balti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Balti, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Balti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Balti – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Balti. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.