Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $979 in Buzau.

Tbilisi $1,269
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,447 in Buzau.

Tbilisi $2,016
Buzau $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,916 in Buzau.

Tbilisi $2,763
Buzau $1,916

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 30% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Buzau 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$10.50 RON 50.5

10.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$24.73 RON 119

52.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.34 RON 30.47

52.37%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.95 RON 9.37

83.08%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.92 RON 9.23

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.45 RON 6.96

-61.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.71 RON 8.22

53.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.70 RON 8.19

78.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.66 RON 8.00

30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.28 RON 6.14

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.43 RON 6.88

21.68%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.03 RON 14.57

-6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.26 RON 34.87

28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$6.39 RON 30.71

2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$10.93 RON 52.5

18.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.96 RON 4.59

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.70 RON 8.16

8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.10 RON 5.26

79.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.21 RON 5.82

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.64 RON 3.08

28.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.78 RON 3.76

-5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.49 RON 2.37

173.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.67 RON 3.21

14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$6.29 RON 30.21

-43.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$6.34 RON 30.47

20.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.79 RON 3.81

115.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.45 RON 6.98

65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.60 RON 2.90

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$21.71 RON 104

-29.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.53 RON 2.56

115.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.52 RON 2.52

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$6.19 RON 29.75

91.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.65 RON 7.91

-12.12%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$18.9K RON 91.0K

29.75%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$21.1K RON 101.4K

5.86%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$121 RON 580

-26.40%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$7.70 RON 37.00

70.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$7.63 RON 36.67

157.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$32.68 RON 157

95.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$17.61 RON 84.7

8.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.94 RON 33.35

2.59%

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

$375 ₾971

$293 RON 1,409

28.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$6,804 RON 32.7K

53.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$55.3 RON 266

87.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$59.4 RON 285

-33.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$97.8 RON 470

20.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$82.8 RON 398

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$353 RON 1,695

97.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$292 RON 1,403

54.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$605 RON 2,908

123.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$425 RON 2,045

112.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,478 RON 7,103

55.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,166 RON 5,602

15.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$854 RON 4,106

-22.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

6.97

81.06%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 35.3% $159

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Buzau

$192 19.6% 17.8% $42

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 20.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Buzau

$133 13.6% 22.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Buzau

$136 13.9% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Buzau

$47 4.8% 40.5% $32

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 24.5% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $353 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $25 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $192 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

115,494

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Buzau 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $979 in Buzau, so Buzau is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $353 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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.