Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Barnaul

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnaul: $1,043 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Barnaul
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Barnaul Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Barnaul

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,043

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Barnaul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,043 in Barnaul.

Tbilisi $1,269
Barnaul $1,043

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,595 in Barnaul.

Tbilisi $2,016
Barnaul $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,148 in Barnaul.

Tbilisi $2,763
Barnaul $2,148

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 22% more expensive than in Barnaul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Barnaul 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$11.88 ₽957

-2.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$41.51 ₽3,343

-8.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.33 ₽510

52.61%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.71 ₽218

31.73%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.70 ₽56.7

54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.62 ₽50.1

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.21 ₽97.6

116.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.51 ₽121

101.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.09 ₽87.8

99.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.64 ₽51.9

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.47 ₽118

18.37%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.46 ₽118

93.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$12.35 ₽994

-24.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.73 ₽381

37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$12.35 ₽995

4.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.01 ₽162

-16.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.81 ₽146

2.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.99 ₽160

-1.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.26 ₽182

7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.89 ₽71.8

-7.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.51 ₽41.44

45.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.50 ₽121

-10.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.42 ₽33.72

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.28 ₽264

8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.01 ₽806

-23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.98 ₽78.5

73.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.45 ₽116

65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.54 ₽43.49

-25.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$37.76 ₽3,041

-59.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.64 ₽132

-30.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.48 ₽38.79

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$6.25 ₽503

89.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.88 ₽70.9

64.77%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$42.6K ₽3.4M

-42.34%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$40.4K ₽3.3M

-44.74%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$111 ₽8,904

-19.68%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$6.25 ₽503

109.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$8.24 ₽663

138.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$18.46 ₽1,487

3.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$5.07 ₽408

40.43%

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

$375 ₾971

$375 ₽30.2K

0.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$14.7K ₽1.2M

-28.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$65.6 ₽5,284

57.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$45.83 ₽3,691

-14.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$119 ₽9,585

-1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$101 ₽8,170

20.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$456 ₽36.7K

52.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$344 ₽27.7K

31.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$673 ₽54.2K

101.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$531 ₽42.8K

70.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,081 ₽167.6K

10.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,758 ₽141.6K

-23.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$667 ₽53.7K

-0.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

22.83

-44.72%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barnaul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Barnaul

$344 33% 23.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Barnaul

$210 20.1% 10.5% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Barnaul

$161 15.4% 15.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Barnaul

$149 14.3% 13.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Barnaul

$125 12% 2.8% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Barnaul

$10 * 1% 87% $68

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Barnaul

$44 4.2% 101% $22

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 $456 in Barnaul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $42 in Barnaul. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $210, with Barnaul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Barnaul

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

02:24 2:24 AM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

631,124

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Barnaul 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Barnaul

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 Barnaul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnaul wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Barnaul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,904 in Tbilisi and $1,564 in Barnaul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $456 in Barnaul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,043 in Barnaul – Barnaul is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 60% less than in Barnaul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Barnaul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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