Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Basra

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $664 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Basra, Iraq
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Basra
🇮🇶 Iraq
$664
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Basra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $664 in Basra.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Basra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,194 in Basra.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Basra $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,725 in Basra.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Basra $1,725

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 91% more expensive than in Basra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Basra 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$3.88 IQD 5,859
199.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$26.91 IQD 40.7K
40.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$6.70 IQD 10.1K
44.18%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$2.29 IQD 3,462
55.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$0.38 IQD 568
184.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.30 IQD 458
86.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$3.28 IQD 4,951
-20.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$3.67 IQD 5,541
-17.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$0.99 IQD 1,502
119.19%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$0.61 IQD 920
31.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.21 IQD 1,833
43.80%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$1.60 IQD 2,417
76.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$6.32 IQD 9,552
47.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$5.40 IQD 8,161
20.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$12.12 IQD 18.3K
6.85%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$0.84 IQD 1,265
100.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.18 IQD 1,784
56.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$0.85 IQD 1,285
131.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$0.55 IQD 834
340.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$0.64 IQD 960
28.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$0.54 IQD 813
37.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$0.80 IQD 1,211
67.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.34 IQD 512
126.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$1.80 IQD 2,725
98.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$11.21 IQD 16.9K
-31.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$1.58 IQD 2,383
7.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$1.82 IQD 2,755
31.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.52 IQD 789
-23.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$16.41 IQD 24.8K
-7.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$1.93 IQD 2,923
-40.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$1.95 IQD 2,948
-60.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$6.34 IQD 9,576
86.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$0.56 IQD 841
158.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$11.4K IQD 17.3M
115.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$19.6K IQD 29.7M
13.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$43.92 IQD 66.4K
102.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$22.28 IQD 33.7K
-41.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$33.60 IQD 50.8K
-41.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$31.84 IQD 48.1K
101.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$11.99 IQD 18.1K
58.80%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$6.56 IQD 9,906
8.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$109 IQD 165.2K
243.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$3,237 IQD 4.9M
223.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$43.57 IQD 65.8K
137.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$17.35 IQD 26.2K
126.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$68.7 IQD 103.8K
70.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$35.89 IQD 54.2K
239.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$405 IQD 611.7K
71.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$138 IQD 208.3K
227.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$369 IQD 558.1K
266.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$548 IQD 828.2K
65.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$1,403 IQD 2.1M
63.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$707 IQD 1.1M
90.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Basra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$667 IQD 1.0M
-0.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
4.12
206.31%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Basra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Basra
$138 69.4% $313
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Basra
$171 26.8% $63
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Basra
$105 44.9% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Basra
$74 56.7% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Basra
$100 17.9% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Basra
$45 42.6% $33
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Basra
$30 37.9% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $405 in Basra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $27 in Basra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $171 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇮🇶 Basra
🕒 Local time
05:54 5:54 AM
04:54 4:54 AM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
2,150,000
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Basra 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Basra

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 Basra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tbilisi and in Basra?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $664 in Basra, so Basra is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Basra?
You’d need roughly $1,904 in Tbilisi and $995 in Basra 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Tbilisi and in Basra?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $405 in Basra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Basra – a meal for two runs $27 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $664 in Basra versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Basra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Basra?
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.

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