Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bintulu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $852 in Bintulu.

Tbilisi $1,278
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Tbilisi $2,017
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Tbilisi $2,755
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 50% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$4.02 MYR 16.39

189.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$18.75 MYR 76.4

104.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$5.74 MYR 23.38

69.69%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.89 MYR 11.80

23.18%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$0.68 MYR 2.78

58.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.38 MYR 1.53

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.99 MYR 12.17

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$5.19 MYR 21.16

-39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$2.10 MYR 8.57

1.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-47.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.32 MYR 5.39

36.36%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.21 MYR 8.99

26.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$17.39 MYR 70.9

-45.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$3.59 MYR 14.63

94.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.84

$5.95 MYR 24.24

113.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.00 MYR 4.06

84.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.71 MYR 6.96

15.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$1.12 MYR 4.58

120.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.55 MYR 2.24

36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-43.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.75 MYR 3.06

88.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.45 MYR 1.82

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.09

$4.11 MYR 16.75

-14.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$19.47 MYR 79.4

-59.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$3.02 MYR 12.32

-43.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$2.00 MYR 8.15

18.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.26 MYR 5.14

-69.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.57

$16.05 MYR 65.4

-4.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.95 MYR 3.89

25.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.82 MYR 3.33

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$2.51 MYR 10.21

373.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$0.66 MYR 2.71

121.21%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

-44.22%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

-42.71%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$59.5 MYR 242

48.14%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$31.54 MYR 129

-59.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$30.82 MYR 126

-35.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$68.5 MYR 279

-6.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.60

$12.11 MYR 49.34

58.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$4.51 MYR 18.38

47.45%

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

$371 ₾961

$125 MYR 509

197.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

22.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$65.4 MYR 267

56.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$35.43 MYR 144

11.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$78.3 MYR 319

50.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$92.1 MYR 375

30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,785

$224 MYR 912

208.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$156 MYR 636

195.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,524

$474 MYR 1,933

187.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$335 MYR 1,366

167.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,892

$1,775 MYR 7,235

28.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,565

$1,172 MYR 4,776

17.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,837

$613 MYR 2,498

15.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

4.5

178.44%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 66.2% $305

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 0% $0

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 40.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 28.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 20.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $19 in Bintulu. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $235, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

240,172

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Bintulu 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Tbilisi versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $125 in Bintulu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bintulu – a meal for two runs $19 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu 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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Bintulu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bintulu wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.