Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,266
/mo nomad
Bentota
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$774
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $774 in Bentota.

  • Tbilisi $1,266
  • Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $896 in Bentota.

  • Tbilisi $2,007
  • Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $1,018 in Bentota.

  • Tbilisi $2,749
  • Bentota $1,018

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 64% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Bentota 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.34 ₾29.35
$4.29 LKR 1,421
164.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.05 ₾101
$11.97 LKR 3,965
226.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.63 ₾24.92
$7.73 LKR 2,560
24.58%
Cappuccino
$3.46 ₾8.95
$2.46 LKR 815
40.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 ₾2.82
$0.68 LKR 225
60.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₾1.62
$0.25 LKR 82.2
152.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.77 ₾7.17
$2.24 LKR 742
23.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 ₾8.04
$3.07 LKR 1,016
0.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 ₾5.81
$1.62 LKR 535
38.89%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.07
$0.53 LKR 176
50.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 ₾4.55
$0.74 LKR 244
137.84%
Eggs
$2.75 ₾7.11
$1.56 LKR 518
76.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.39 ₾24.32
$14.03 LKR 4,648
-33.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.66 ₾17.23
$3.32 LKR 1,099
100.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.92 ₾33.45
$4.62 LKR 1,529
179.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$6.81 LKR 2,257
-75.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 ₾4.65
$0.73 LKR 241
146.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 ₾4.97
$4.59 LKR 1,519
-58.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.41 ₾6.24
$0.90 LKR 297
167.78%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 ₾2.23
$1.00 LKR 331
-14.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 ₾1.80
$0.79 LKR 263
-12.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 ₾3.62
$0.94 LKR 312
48.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 ₾1.85
$0.43 LKR 143
65.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.51 ₾9.08
$10.13 LKR 3,356
-65.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.61 ₾19.69
$13.36 LKR 4,424
-43.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₾4.21
$1.95 LKR 645
-16.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 ₾5.98
$2.91 LKR 963
-20.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$0.18 LKR 61.0
105.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.67 ₾40.57
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$0.40 LKR 133
185.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.31 LKR 103
154.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.86 ₾30.70
$0.87 LKR 289
1263.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 ₾3.62
$1.39 LKR 461
0.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K ₾64.2K
$37.2K LKR 12.3M
-33.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.9K ₾56.6K
$40.1K LKR 13.3M
-45.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.1 ₾231
$54.0 LKR 17.9K
64.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.21 ₾34.19
$2.23 LKR 739
492.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.76 ₾51.1
$9.03 LKR 2,990
118.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 ₾168
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.02 ₾49.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 ₾17.02
$4.28 LKR 1,417
53.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$377 ₾975
$38.08 LKR 12.6K
889.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K ₾27.9K
$1,230 LKR 407.3K
778.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 ₾265
$17.80 LKR 5,897
474.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.70 ₾103
$16.82 LKR 5,573
136.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₾305
$80.4 LKR 26.6K
46.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 ₾320
$42.09 LKR 13.9K
193.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$666 ₾1,724
$541 LKR 179.2K
23.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$449 ₾1,163
$298 LKR 98.7K
50.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,284 ₾3,324
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,303
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,425 ₾6,276
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,380 ₾3,573
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Bentota
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$680 ₾1,760
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
12.69
-0.55%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$449
Bentota
$298 33.7% $151
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Bentota
$220 5.8% $13
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$188
Bentota
$108 42.5% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Bentota
$71 59% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Bentota
$65 46.5% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Bentota
$8.6 * 89% $70
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Bentota
$2.7 * 87.9% $20

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 $666 in Tbilisi and $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $12.00 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $220 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇱🇰 Bentota
🕒 Local time
03:34 3:34 AM
05:04 5:04 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
37,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Bentota 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bentota cheaper than Tbilisi?
Bentota is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 64% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,899 in Tbilisi and $1,160 in Bentota 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.
What is the rent difference between Tbilisi and Bentota?
Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Tbilisi versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Tbilisi and in Bentota?
Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Tbilisi and in Bentota?
All in, you'll spend $1,266 per month in Tbilisi versus $774 in Bentota – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Tbilisi or in Bentota?
At $774 in Bentota versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Tbilisi or Bentota more family-friendly?
For families, Bentota is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Tbilisi or Bentota?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Bentota are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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