Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Barlad
🇷🇴 Romania
$975
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Barlad

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $975 in Barlad, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Barlad $975

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,521 in Barlad, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Barlad $1,521

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,066 in Barlad, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Barlad $2,066

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

Both Tbilisi and Barlad are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Barlad 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$8.96 RON 42.41
28.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$41.38 RON 196
-7.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$7.20 RON 34.06
36.11%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$2.41 RON 11.40
47.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$1.85 RON 8.75
-42.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$1.54 RON 7.27
-59.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$2.17 RON 10.25
27.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$2.69 RON 12.72
11.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.34 RON 6.34
61.19%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$1.12 RON 5.31
-32.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.40 RON 6.63
24.29%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$3.39 RON 16.02
-17.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$7.51 RON 35.53
22.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$5.22 RON 24.69
25.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$10.04 RON 47.49
27.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$1.04 RON 4.92
60.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.63 RON 7.73
13.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$1.38 RON 6.54
43.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$1.76 RON 8.31
42.61%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$0.79 RON 3.75
10.13%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$0.77 RON 3.65
-5.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$0.84 RON 3.99
69.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$0.89 RON 4.20
-19.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$6.64 RON 31.41
-49.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$5.58 RON 26.38
40.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$1.20 RON 5.68
35.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$1.62 RON 7.67
46.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$0.51 RON 2.40
-27.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
$19.88 RON 94.0
-21.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$0.72 RON 3.42
58.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.73 RON 3.46
8.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
$6.99 RON 33.08
65.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$1.75 RON 8.30
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
$26.5K RON 125.3K
-7.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
$25.1K RON 118.7K
-10.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$158 RON 748
-44.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$8.87 RON 41.95
47.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$8.36 RON 39.58
133.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
$34.02 RON 161
88.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
$18.05 RON 85.4
6.26%
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
$6.61 RON 31.28
5.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$465 RON 2,202
-19.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$7,715 RON 36.5K
38.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
$62.0 RON 293
65.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
$34.81 RON 165
16.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
$72.7 RON 344
59.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
$86.2 RON 408
41.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
$407 RON 1,927
66.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
$269 RON 1,271
69.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
$651 RON 3,081
96.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
$505 RON 2,387
76.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
$1,755 RON 8,305
37.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
$1,263 RON 5,976
12.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Barlad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
6.97
81.06%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Barlad
$269 40.8% $186
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Barlad
$190 18.3% $43
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Barlad
$152 20.2% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Barlad
$115 33% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Barlad
$175 45.1% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Barlad
$47 39.5% $31
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Barlad
$26 18.9% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $407 in Barlad. 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $41.00 in Barlad. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Tbilisi vs $190 in Barlad – so Barlad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇷🇴 Barlad
🕒 Local time
15:42 3:42 PM
14:42 2:42 PM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
77,518
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Barlad 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tbilisi and in Barlad compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $975 in Barlad – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Barlad?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,462 in Barlad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tbilisi and Barlad?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Barlad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Tbilisi and in Barlad?
Public transport costs about 28% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Barlad?
Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $465 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Barlad?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,270 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tbilisi or Barlad safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Tbilisi and Barlad?
If budget matters most, go with Barlad. 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.

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