Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam.

Tbilisi $1,269
Bukit Mertajam $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $976 in Bukit Mertajam.

Tbilisi $2,016
Bukit Mertajam $976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam.

Tbilisi $2,763
Bukit Mertajam $1,331

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 104% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$1.91 MYR 7.79

508.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$20.97 MYR 85.4

80.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$3.98 MYR 16.21

142.71%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$3.14 MYR 12.77

13.69%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.69 MYR 2.82

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.45 MYR 1.85

24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$4.51 MYR 18.35

-41.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$6.26 MYR 25.48

-51.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.66 MYR 6.76

30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.12 MYR 4.56

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-10.77%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.55 MYR 10.37

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$13.83 MYR 56.3

-32.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$4.41 MYR 17.96

47.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$9.98 MYR 40.64

29.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.39 MYR 13.79

-50.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.76 MYR 7.16

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.26 MYR 9.21

-12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$1.55 MYR 6.31

56.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$1.27 MYR 5.15

-35.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.12 MYR 4.55

19.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.67 MYR 2.72

14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$4.45 MYR 18.11

-19.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$19.54 MYR 79.5

-60.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.42 MYR 13.91

-50.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-52.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.24 MYR 5.03

-8.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-34.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$4.95 MYR 20.16

138.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.81 MYR 3.31

79.01%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

-43.96%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

-37.10%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$63.1 MYR 257

40.77%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$8.54 MYR 34.76

53.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$26.67 MYR 109

-26.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$5.00 MYR 20.36

42.40%

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

$375 ₾972

$249 MYR 1,013

50.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

-20.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$70.5 MYR 287

47.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$41.35 MYR 168

-5.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$86.7 MYR 353

35.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$95.0 MYR 387

28.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$572 MYR 2,330

16.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.17

202.64%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 15% $35

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 45.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 23.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 19.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 87.2% $68

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 67.1% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

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 $21 in Bukit Mertajam. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $269, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

212,329

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Bukit Mertajam 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $621 in Bukit Mertajam, so Bukit Mertajam is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – Bukit Mertajam is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bukit Mertajam but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Bukit Mertajam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bukit Mertajam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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