Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Bulawayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulawayo: $763 a month against $1,242 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,242
/mo nomad
Bulawayo
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$763
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Bulawayo

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

A single person spends $1,242 per month in Tbilisi vs $763 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,242
  • Bulawayo $763

A couple spends around $1,962 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,192 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,962
  • Bulawayo $1,192

A family of three spends $2,682 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,622 in Bulawayo, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,682
  • Bulawayo $1,622

Tbilisi costs about 63% more than Bulawayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Bulawayo are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Bulawayo 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.98 ₾28.46
$4.58 ZWL 122
139.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.21 ₾99.0
$30.29 ZWL 809
26.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.58 ₾24.84
$4.89 ZWL 131
95.91%
Cappuccino
$3.59 ₾9.31
$2.09 ZWL 55.9
71.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 ₾2.66
$0.52 ZWL 13.86
98.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₾1.64
$0.37 ZWL 9.85
70.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.74 ₾7.10
$1.47 ZWL 39.14
86.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ₾8.22
$2.03 ZWL 54.2
56.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ₾5.53
$1.66 ZWL 44.28
28.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.01 ZWL 27.05
-26.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 ₾4.46
$1.55 ZWL 41.32
10.97%
Eggs
$2.78 ₾7.21
$1.91 ZWL 50.9
45.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.48 ₾24.56
$9.59 ZWL 256
-1.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.45 ₾16.71
$4.02 ZWL 107
60.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.02 ₾33.76
$4.46 ZWL 119
191.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 ₾4.37
$1.85 ZWL 49.29
-8.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 ₾4.76
$1.60 ZWL 42.68
15.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 ₾4.90
$2.42 ZWL 64.8
-21.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.40 ₾6.22
$1.04 ZWL 27.89
130.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ₾2.17
$1.28 ZWL 34.19
-34.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 ₾1.75
$1.39 ZWL 37.02
-51.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.68
$1.10 ZWL 29.29
29.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.01
$0.75 ZWL 19.93
2.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.56 ₾9.22
$1.54 ZWL 41.04
131.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 ₾19.39
$5.10 ZWL 136
46.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ₾4.43
$1.35 ZWL 36.15
26.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 ₾5.94
$1.85 ZWL 49.48
23.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.04
$0.77 ZWL 20.65
-48.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.15 ₾39.27
$30.55 ZWL 816
-50.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ₾3.08
$2.94 ZWL 78.6
-59.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.03
$1.95 ZWL 52.1
-60.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.77 ₾30.50
$5.04 ZWL 135
133.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 ₾3.65
$1.64 ZWL 43.75
-14.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K ₾62.9K
$24.6K ZWL 656.4K
-1.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K ₾56.3K
$24.6K ZWL 657.7K
-11.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.6 ₾227
$95.3 ZWL 2,547
-8.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.33 ₾34.55
$17.21 ZWL 460
-22.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.51 ₾50.6
$105 ZWL 2,816
-81.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.7 ₾168
$31.62 ZWL 845
104.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.85 ₾48.86
$20.07 ZWL 536
-6.08%
Cinema Ticket
$6.55 ₾16.97
$9.86 ZWL 263
-33.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$377 ₾978
$231 ZWL 6,175
63.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₾27.5K
$3,512 ZWL 93.8K
202.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 ₾265
$20.96 ZWL 560
387.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.36 ₾105
$11.58 ZWL 309
248.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾302
$45.58 ZWL 1,217
155.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 ₾314
$58.0 ZWL 1,548
108.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$675 ₾1,749
$176 ZWL 4,695
283.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,170
$107 ZWL 2,863
321.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,275 ₾3,305
$414 ZWL 11.1K
207.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$883 ₾2,288
$325 ZWL 8,679
171.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,415 ₾6,259
$2,053 ZWL 54.8K
17.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,404 ₾3,640
$2,046 ZWL 54.7K
-31.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Bulawayo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$706 ₾1,830
$306 ZWL 8,161
131.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
15
-15.87%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bulawayo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Bulawayo
$107 76.3% $344
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$232
Bulawayo
$177 23.8% $55
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$186
Bulawayo
$91 51% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$171
Bulawayo
$61 64.2% $110
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$120
Bulawayo
$218 80.9% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Bulawayo
$51 34% $26
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Bulawayo
$46 112% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $675 in Tbilisi versus $176 in Bulawayo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 131% 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $30.00 in Bulawayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $177 – making Bulawayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇿🇼 Bulawayo
🕒 Local time
13:41 1:41 PM
11:41 11:41 AM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
653,337
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.93 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Bulawayo 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Bulawayo

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 Bulawayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bulawayo cheaper than Tbilisi?
Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,863 per month in Tbilisi and $1,144 in Bulawayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulawayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Tbilisi and in Bulawayo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,242 in Tbilisi and $763 in Bulawayo. That's a gap of about 63%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 102% less in Bulawayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Tbilisi or in Bulawayo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bulawayo, where all-in costs run around $763, than in Tbilisi at $1,242. In Bulawayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Tbilisi or Bulawayo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bulawayo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Tbilisi or Bulawayo?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bulawayo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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