Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Batu Kawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Batu Kawan: $963 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Batu Kawan
Learn more

Batu Kawan Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Batu Kawan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Batu Kawan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $963 in Batu Kawan.

Tbilisi $1,269
Batu Kawan $963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,506 in Batu Kawan.

Tbilisi $2,016
Batu Kawan $1,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,050 in Batu Kawan.

Tbilisi $2,763
Batu Kawan $2,050

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 32% more expensive than in Batu Kawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Batu Kawan 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$4.80 MYR 19.55

142.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$29.52 MYR 120

28.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$4.96 MYR 20.18

94.76%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$3.02 MYR 12.29

18.21%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.79 MYR 3.21

36.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.42 MYR 1.72

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-41.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$6.14 MYR 24.97

-50.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.45 MYR 5.89

49.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$0.71 MYR 2.90

145.07%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.12 MYR 8.62

33.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$13.88 MYR 56.5

-32.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$4.46 MYR 18.17

46.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$10.00 MYR 40.72

29.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.33 MYR 13.55

-49.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.77 MYR 7.21

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.22 MYR 9.03

-11.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$1.50 MYR 6.11

61.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$1.21 MYR 4.94

-32.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.38 MYR 5.62

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.17 MYR 4.75

14.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.66 MYR 2.68

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$4.48 MYR 18.23

-20.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$19.69 MYR 80.2

-61.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.37 MYR 13.73

-49.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$5.05 MYR 20.55

-52.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.76 MYR 3.08

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$12.18 MYR 49.56

25.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.75 MYR 3.07

52.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.20 MYR 4.90

-35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$4.96 MYR 20.20

138.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.81 MYR 3.29

79.01%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$31.9K MYR 129.7K

-22.87%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$34.1K MYR 138.9K

-34.54%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$63.1 MYR 257

40.77%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$8.70 MYR 35.42

50.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$24.35 MYR 99.1

-19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$32.29 MYR 131

98.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

$7.09 MYR 28.85

168.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$3.68 MYR 15.00

93.48%

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

$375 ₾972

$237 MYR 966

58.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$13.0K MYR 52.7K

-19.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$71.8 MYR 292

44.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$42.73 MYR 174

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$84.5 MYR 344

38.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$85.9 MYR 350

41.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$412 MYR 1,678

68.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$289 MYR 1,175

56.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$704 MYR 2,867

92.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$555 MYR 2,261

63.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$1,973 MYR 8,032

16.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$1,208 MYR 4,916

11.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$1,870 MYR 7,611

-64.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

215.50%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Batu Kawan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Batu Kawan

$289 30% 36% $163

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Batu Kawan

$260 27% 11% $26

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Batu Kawan

$129 13.4% 32.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Batu Kawan

$128 13.3% 25.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Batu Kawan

$96 10% 20.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Batu Kawan

$40 4.1% 49.3% $39

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Batu Kawan

$22 2.3% 0.3% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $412 in Batu Kawan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batu Kawan pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $30 in Batu Kawan. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $260, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Batu Kawan

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

11,409

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Batu Kawan 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Batu Kawan

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 Batu Kawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batu Kawan is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $412 in Batu Kawan. 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 $963 in Batu Kawan – Batu Kawan is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Batu Kawan runs roughly 20% less than in Tbilisi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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 Batu Kawan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.