Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Brakpan

For one person, living is cheaper in Brakpan: $1,114 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Brakpan
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,114
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Brakpan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,114 in Brakpan.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Brakpan $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,693 in Brakpan.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Brakpan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $2,271 in Brakpan.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Brakpan $2,271

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 14% more expensive than in Brakpan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Brakpan 18% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$9.87 R 163
16.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$41.93 R 691
-8.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$5.18 R 85.3
89.19%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$2.02 R 33.35
75.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$1.06 R 17.39
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$0.95 R 15.73
-34.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$2.40 R 39.46
15.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$2.66 R 43.78
12.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.11 R 18.34
94.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$1.13 R 18.62
-32.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.42 R 23.38
22.54%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$2.31 R 38.02
20.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$10.40 R 171
-11.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$4.57 R 75.4
42.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$8.14 R 134
57.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$1.57 R 25.89
6.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.57 R 25.83
17.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$1.40 R 23.05
41.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$1.40 R 23.02
79.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$1.46 R 24.12
-40.41%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$1.24 R 20.43
-41.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$1.04 R 17.20
36.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$0.92 R 15.13
-21.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$3.26 R 53.8
3.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$4.76 R 78.5
64.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$1.09 R 18.02
48.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$1.40 R 23.00
70.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$1.50 R 24.74
-75.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$0.65 R 10.71
75.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.89 R 14.61
-11.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
$12.54 R 207
-7.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$1.50 R 24.67
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
$40.2K R 662.2K
-38.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
$29.6K R 487.6K
-24.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$137 R 2,259
-35.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$37.94 R 625
-65.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$53.6 R 883
-63.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
$31.82 R 524
101.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
$9.85 R 162
94.72%
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
$7.50 R 124
-6.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$229 R 3,767
63.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$5,517 R 90.9K
93.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
$53.6 R 883
91.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
$32.47 R 535
24.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
$117 R 1,920
-0.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
$89.6 R 1,476
36.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
$402 R 6,628
68.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
$367 R 6,041
23.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
$501 R 8,252
154.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
$648 R 10.7K
37.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
$994 R 16.4K
142.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
$725 R 11.9K
95.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Brakpan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
10.94
15.36%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brakpan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Brakpan
$367 19.3% $88
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Brakpan
$186 20.3% $47
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Brakpan
$144 24.4% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Brakpan
$131 23.4% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Brakpan
$229 89.1% $108
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Brakpan
$47 40.1% $31
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Brakpan
$11 * 49.8% $11

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 $677 in Tbilisi and $402 in Brakpan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $42.00 in Brakpan. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $186, with Brakpan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇿🇦 Brakpan
🕒 Local time
05:46 5:46 AM
03:46 3:46 AM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
305,692
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Brakpan 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Brakpan

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 Brakpan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tbilisi or Brakpan?
Brakpan wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brakpan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Tbilisi and in Brakpan?
You'd need roughly $1,906 in Tbilisi and $1,672 in Brakpan 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Tbilisi compared to Brakpan?
Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Tbilisi versus $402 in Brakpan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Tbilisi and in Brakpan?
Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $229 in Brakpan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Tbilisi and in Brakpan?
Dining out is cheaper in Brakpan – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Tbilisi or in Brakpan?
At $1,114 in Brakpan versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brakpan but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Brakpan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Tbilisi or Brakpan?
Both work as nomad bases, but Brakpan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,114 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brakpan hard to pass up.
How safe is Tbilisi compared to Brakpan?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Brakpan 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 more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Brakpan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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