Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Butterworth

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $913 in Butterworth, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Butterworth $913

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,408 in Butterworth, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Butterworth $1,408

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,902 in Butterworth, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Butterworth $1,902

Tbilisi costs about 39% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Butterworth are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Butterworth 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$3.72 MYR 15.16

212.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$19.36 MYR 78.8

95.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$4.77 MYR 19.43

102.52%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$2.89 MYR 11.76

23.53%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.73 MYR 2.96

47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.36 MYR 1.48

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$4.12 MYR 16.78

-36.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$4.38 MYR 17.82

-30.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$2.12 MYR 8.61

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.10 MYR 4.48

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$1.69 MYR 6.88

2.96%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.24 MYR 9.13

26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$13.69 MYR 55.7

-31.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$4.49 MYR 18.26

45.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$8.64 MYR 35.18

49.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.06 MYR 12.47

-45.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.71 MYR 6.95

8.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.23 MYR 9.07

-11.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$1.47 MYR 5.98

64.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$1.06 MYR 4.33

-22.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.09 MYR 4.42

-32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.09 MYR 4.43

22.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.58 MYR 2.38

32.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$4.36 MYR 17.76

-18.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$19.00 MYR 77.3

-59.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.93 MYR 11.91

-41.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$4.98 MYR 20.27

-51.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$10.85 MYR 44.18

40.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-4.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.38 MYR 1.53

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$4.85 MYR 19.72

143.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.89 MYR 3.61

62.92%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$43.5K MYR 177.0K

-43.48%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$35.5K MYR 144.4K

-37.02%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$36.81 MYR 150

141.24%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$8.61 MYR 35.03

52.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$26.45 MYR 108

-25.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$32.93 MYR 134

94.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

$5.90 MYR 24.00

222.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$4.79 MYR 19.52

48.64%

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

$375 ₾972

$240 MYR 977

56.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$10.9K MYR 44.3K

-3.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$59.8 MYR 243

73.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$35.01 MYR 143

12.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$82.5 MYR 336

42.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$69.5 MYR 283

75.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$412 MYR 1,678

68.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$300 MYR 1,223

50.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$813 MYR 3,309

66.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$563 MYR 2,292

60.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$1,966 MYR 8,002

16.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$1,205 MYR 4,905

11.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.04

212.38%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 33.4% $151

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 10.5% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 41% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 35.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 40.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 45.7% $36

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 23.7% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $412 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $19 in Butterworth. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $258 in Butterworth – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

339,132

💱 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 Butterworth 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $913 in Butterworth – Butterworth comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,370 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $913 in Butterworth. That makes Butterworth about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Butterworth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.