Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bhisho

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhisho: $1,142 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
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Bhisho Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bhisho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $1,142 in Bhisho.

Tbilisi $1,278
Bhisho $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,802 in Bhisho.

Tbilisi $2,017
Bhisho $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $2,462 in Bhisho.

Tbilisi $2,755
Bhisho $2,462

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 12% more expensive than in Bhisho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Bhisho 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$10.99 R 183

5.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$42.60 R 710

-9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$5.88 R 98.1

65.65%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.06 R 34.28

72.82%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$1.02 R 16.98

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.73 R 12.21

-23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.66 R 44.24

2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$3.18 R 53.0

-1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$1.13 R 18.87

89.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.04 R 17.37

-27.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.51 R 25.09

19.21%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.71 R 45.09

3.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$8.81 R 147

7.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$5.20 R 86.7

34.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.84

$8.53 R 142

48.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$2.18 R 36.32

-25.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.53 R 25.49

20.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.68 R 27.92

17.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$1.73 R 28.86

42.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.67 R 27.81

-55.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.42 R 23.70

-52.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.25 R 20.78

12.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.98 R 16.38

-26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.09

$3.30 R 55.0

6.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$4.70 R 78.4

67.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.22 R 20.25

39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.76 R 29.36

34.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.78 R 29.64

-78.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.57

$23.99 R 400

-36.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.83 R 13.75

43.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.50 R 8.33

48.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$8.31 R 139

43.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.47 R 24.53

-0.68%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$34.4K R 573.1K

-27.36%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$35.4K R 589.9K

-35.51%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$124 R 2,073

-29.16%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$34.58 R 576

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$45.53 R 759

-56.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$32.31 R 538

99.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.60

$11.98 R 200

60.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$10.38 R 173

-35.93%

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

$371 ₾961

$177 R 2,955

109.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$6,036 R 100.6K

51.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$70.7 R 1,178

44.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$38.97 R 649

1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$110 R 1,834

7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$97.3 R 1,621

23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,785

$398 R 6,625

73.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$355 R 5,908

30.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,524

$717 R 12.0K

89.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$724 R 12.1K

23.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,892

$771 R 12.8K

195.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,565

$671 R 11.2K

105.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,837

$3,243 R 54.0K

-78.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

11.94

4.94%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bhisho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Bhisho

$355 31.1% 23.1% $107

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Bhisho

$196 17.1% 16.8% $39

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Bhisho

$157 13.7% 18% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Bhisho

$143 12.5% 16.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Bhisho

$205 17.9% 69.6% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Bhisho

$53 4.7% 31.6% $25

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Bhisho

$34 3% 58.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $398 in Bhisho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays about 4.6 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 $43 in Bhisho. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $196, with Bhisho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

137,287

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Bhisho 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Bhisho

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 Bhisho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhisho wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bhisho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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: $690 in Tbilisi versus $398 in Bhisho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $177 in Bhisho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bhisho 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.