Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bujumbura

For one person, living is cheaper in Bujumbura: $643 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Bujumbura
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Bujumbura Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Bujumbura

🇧🇮 Burundi

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bujumbura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $643 in Bujumbura.

Tbilisi $1,266
Bujumbura $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $1,177 in Bujumbura.

Tbilisi $2,007
Bujumbura $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $1,711 in Bujumbura.

Tbilisi $2,749
Bujumbura $1,711

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 97% more expensive than in Bujumbura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Bujumbura 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$3.77 BIF 11.3K

200.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$66.3 BIF 197.9K

-41.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$3.72 BIF 11.1K

158.87%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$2.98 BIF 8,915

16.11%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.72 BIF 5,127

-36.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$1.34 BIF 3,990

-52.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$2.21 BIF 6,612

25.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$6.60 BIF 19.7K

-53.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.02 BIF 3,057

120.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$1.98 BIF 5,929

-59.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.99 BIF 5,933

-11.56%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$3.54 BIF 10.6K

-22.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$8.44 BIF 25.2K

11.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$11.26 BIF 33.6K

-40.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$11.23 BIF 33.6K

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$5.92 BIF 17.7K

-71.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.95 BIF 5,835

-1.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$1.64 BIF 4,890

46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$1.96 BIF 5,864

-63.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$11.28 BIF 33.7K

-32.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$2.12 BIF 6,340

-23.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$3.92 BIF 11.7K

-41.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.04 BIF 3,115

-64.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$29.48 BIF 88.1K

-46.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$5.16 BIF 15.4K

-77.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$3.27 BIF 9,756

-75.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$29.72 BIF 88.8K

-60.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.37 BIF 4,089

2.19%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

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

$89.1 ₾231

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$8.02 BIF 24.0K

64.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$67.7 BIF 202.1K

-70.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$26.48 BIF 79.1K

145.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$1.63 BIF 4,861

303.07%

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

$377 ₾975

$98.3 BIF 293.5K

283.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$9,907 BIF 29.6M

8.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$430 BIF 1.3M

55.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$91.1 BIF 272.1K

393.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$1,351 BIF 4.0M

-4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$272 BIF 812.4K

227.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$1,996 BIF 6.0M

21.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$1,634 BIF 4.9M

-15.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$375 BIF 1.1M

81.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

14.17

-10.94%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bujumbura: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Bujumbura

$91 14.2% 79.7% $358

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Bujumbura

$278 * 43.2% 18.8% $44

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Bujumbura

$114 17.7% 39.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Bujumbura

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Bujumbura

$76 * 11.8% 38% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Bujumbura

$30 4.6% 61.9% $48

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Bujumbura

$55 8.6% 148% $33

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 $430 in Bujumbura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 81% 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: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $66.0 in Bujumbura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $278 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇮 Bujumbura

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

658,859

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD

10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BIF, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,987 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD). 1 EUR = 3,358 BIF (10,000 BIF = 2.98 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Bujumbura 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Bujumbura

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 Bujumbura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bujumbura wins on cost – living expenses run 97% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bujumbura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 81% 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: $666 in Tbilisi versus $430 in Bujumbura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,266 per month in Tbilisi versus $643 in Bujumbura – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bujumbura runs roughly 88% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $643 in Bujumbura versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bujumbura but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Bujumbura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bujumbura delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bujumbura hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Bujumbura are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bujumbura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.