Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bukavu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukavu: $681 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Bukavu
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Bukavu Living Index

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Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Bukavu

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bukavu

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $681 in Bukavu, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Bukavu $681

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,100 in Bukavu, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Bukavu $1,100

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,520 in Bukavu, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Bukavu $1,520

Tbilisi costs about 86% more than Bukavu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Bukavu are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Bukavu 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$7.38 CDF 16.7K

57.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$15.08 CDF 34.1K

150.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

94.76%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.08 CDF 9,210

-12.50%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.52 CDF 3,443

-28.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.01 CDF 2,284

-44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.98 CDF 4,478

32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.02 CDF 6,824

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.46 CDF 3,304

48.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.94 CDF 4,382

-58.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.28 CDF 2,901

35.94%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$4.26 CDF 9,612

-33.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$5.34 CDF 12.1K

74.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.39 CDF 9,916

48.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$5.92 CDF 13.4K

118.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.99 CDF 9,000

-57.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.02 CDF 2,293

81.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$0.98 CDF 2,207

101.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.17 CDF 2,644

106.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.27 CDF 2,875

-35.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.97 CDF 4,456

-62.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$3.06 CDF 6,920

-56.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$2.05 CDF 4,622

-62.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$5.13 CDF 11.6K

-30.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$15.27 CDF 34.5K

-49.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.97 CDF 4,448

-13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.06 CDF 4,646

16.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.26 CDF 592

53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$14.86 CDF 33.6K

2.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.98 CDF 8,982

-71.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.02 CDF 2,298

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$10.19 CDF 23.0K

16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.65 CDF 3,729

-12.12%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$14.8K CDF 33.3M

66.55%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$17.0K CDF 38.3M

31.65%

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

$88.8 ₾230

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$24.82 CDF 56.0K

-47.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$35.08 CDF 79.2K

82.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$10.18 CDF 23.0K

87.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

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

$375 ₾971

$75.2 CDF 169.7K

399.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$1,194 CDF 2.7M

776.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$30.27 CDF 68.4K

242.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$45.87 CDF 103.6K

-14.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$50.2 CDF 113.3K

133.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$119 CDF 268.0K

2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$99.9 CDF 225.7K

351.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$496 CDF 1.1M

173.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$197 CDF 444.4K

360.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$998 CDF 2.3M

129.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$504 CDF 1.1M

166.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$495 CDF 1.1M

34.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.17%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bukavu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Bukavu

$100 14.7% 77.9% $351

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Bukavu

$237 34.8% 1.2% $2.8

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Bukavu

$149 21.9% 21.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Bukavu

$110 16.2% 35.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Bukavu

$25 * 3.6% 79.6% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Bukavu

$35 * 5.2% 55.2% $43

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Bukavu

$25 3.7% 14.1% $3.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 34% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $15 in Bukavu. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $237 in Bukavu – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇩 Bukavu

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

816,811

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

10,000 CDF = 4.43 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CDF, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2,258 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.43 USD). 1 EUR = 2,514 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.98 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Bukavu 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Bukavu

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 Bukavu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,021 in Bukavu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $15 in Bukavu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $75 in Bukavu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bukavu, where all-in costs run around $681, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Bukavu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $681 in Bukavu to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Bukavu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.