Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bender

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $663 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bender
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Bender Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bender

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $663 in Bender, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Bender $663

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $960 in Bender, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Bender $960

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,256 in Bender, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Bender $1,256

Tbilisi costs about 91% more than Bender, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tbilisi and Bender are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Bender 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$6.36 MDL 113

82.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$17.87 MDL 319

111.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.55 MDL 98.9

74.05%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.23 MDL 21.86

190.24%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.98 MDL 17.56

10.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.51 MDL 9.11

9.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$0.88 MDL 15.64

197.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.69 MDL 30.15

79.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.91 MDL 16.23

138.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.45 MDL 8.01

77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.42 MDL 25.31

22.54%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.96 MDL 34.89

44.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$3.94 MDL 70.2

136.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.26 MDL 75.9

53.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$5.19 MDL 92.5

149.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$0.81 MDL 14.49

107.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.79 MDL 31.91

3.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.86 MDL 33.21

5.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.85 MDL 32.97

30.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.70 MDL 12.49

17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.56 MDL 9.93

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.55 MDL 9.75

143.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.76 MDL 13.52

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.77 MDL 49.39

28.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$2.49 MDL 44.33

208.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.55 MDL 9.80

209.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.90 MDL 33.86

26.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.37 MDL 6.62

8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.25 MDL 40.07

-49.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.27 MDL 4.77

188.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$5.16 MDL 92.0

129.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.36 MDL 24.21

6.62%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$29.3K MDL 522.3K

-16.09%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$28.3K MDL 504.3K

-21.02%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$235 MDL 4,191

-62.22%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$9.45 MDL 169

38.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$10.15 MDL 181

93.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$8.35 MDL 149

-14.73%

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

$375 ₾971

$437 MDL 7,792

-14.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,822 MDL 103.8K

79.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$78.0 MDL 1,390

32.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$47.04 MDL 839

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$111 MDL 1,983

5.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$114 MDL 2,028

7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$306 MDL 5,456

127.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$311 MDL 5,538

113.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

9.17

37.62%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bender: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Bender

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Bender

$133 20.1% 43% $101

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Bender

$96 14.5% 49.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Bender

$157 23.8% 8.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Bender

$255 38.4% 109% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Bender

$17 * 2.5% 78.7% $62

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Bender

$5.1 * 0.8% 76.8% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $306 in Bender. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tbilisi are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $18 in Bender. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $133 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇩 Bender

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

97,027

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.91 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Bender 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Bender

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 Bender: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $995 in Bender. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bender, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $306 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $18 in Bender. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bender, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Bender it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $663 in Bender to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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