Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Busembatya

For one person, living is cheaper in Busembatya: $391 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Busembatya
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Busembatya Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Busembatya

🇺🇬 Uganda

$391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Busembatya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $391 in Busembatya.

Tbilisi $1,278
Busembatya $391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $618 in Busembatya.

Tbilisi $2,017
Busembatya $618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $845 in Busembatya.

Tbilisi $2,755
Busembatya $845

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 227% more expensive than in Busembatya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Busembatya 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

386.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$23.66 UGX 99.8K

62.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$6.96 UGX 29.3K

39.94%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.37 UGX 9,995

50.21%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$0.33 UGX 1,407

227.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.26 UGX 1,100

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$1.15 UGX 4,833

137.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$1.71 UGX 7,227

83.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$0.76 UGX 3,209

181.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.80 UGX 3,382

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.21 UGX 5,116

48.76%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$1.37 UGX 5,796

104.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$4.09 UGX 17.3K

130.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$4.19 UGX 17.7K

67.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.83

$4.69 UGX 19.8K

170.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.96 UGX 8,262

-16.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.41 UGX 5,966

30.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.24 UGX 5,234

58.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$1.24 UGX 5,215

99.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.16 UGX 4,890

-35.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.25 UGX 5,277

-46.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.71 UGX 2,978

98.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.50 UGX 2,121

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$2.30 UGX 9,711

52.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$7.04 UGX 29.7K

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.01 UGX 4,256

68.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.78 UGX 7,524

33.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.49 UGX 2,078

142.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.30 UGX 1,283

146.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$2.99 UGX 12.6K

297.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.34 UGX 5,654

8.96%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$7,067 UGX 29.8M

253.54%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$7,089 UGX 29.9M

222.03%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$67.3 UGX 284.0K

30.87%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$11.11 UGX 46.9K

14.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$32.95 UGX 139.0K

-39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.59

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$6.97 UGX 29.4K

-4.59%

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

$371 ₾961

$267 UGX 1.1M

39.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$15.7K UGX 66.4M

-41.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$12.99 UGX 54.8K

686.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$12.06 UGX 50.9K

228.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$30.48 UGX 128.6K

287.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$41.93 UGX 176.8K

185.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,523

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

20.75

-39.61%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Busembatya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Busembatya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Busembatya

$140 35.9% 40.3% $95

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Busembatya

$80 20.4% 58.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Busembatya

$44 11.2% 74.3% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Busembatya

$111 28.5% 7.6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Busembatya

$14 * 3.6% 82% $64

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Busembatya

$2 * 0.5% 90.7% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $24 in Busembatya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $140 per month, with Busembatya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇺🇬 Busembatya

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

15,889

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Busembatya 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Busembatya

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 Busembatya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Tbilisi and $391 in Busembatya, so Busembatya is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $587 in Busembatya 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.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $267 in Busembatya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Busembatya – a meal for two runs $24 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $391 in Busembatya versus $1,278 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Busembatya but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Busembatya 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 Busembatya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.