Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
Learn more

Cahul Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Cahul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $627 in Cahul.

Tbilisi $1,269
Cahul $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $917 in Cahul.

Tbilisi $2,016
Cahul $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,207 in Cahul.

Tbilisi $2,763
Cahul $1,207

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 102% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$8.19 MDL 146

42.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$23.41 MDL 417

61.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$10.36 MDL 185

-6.76%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.69 MDL 30.11

111.24%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.11 MDL 19.82

-2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.53 MDL 9.53

5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.01 MDL 35.81

30.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.76 MDL 31.45

72.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.20 MDL 21.36

80.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.49 MDL 8.72

63.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.60 MDL 28.45

8.75%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.24 MDL 39.89

26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$6.51 MDL 116

43.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.54 MDL 80.9

43.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$6.17 MDL 110

109.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.98 MDL 17.39

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.19 MDL 39.09

-15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.81 MDL 32.25

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.37 MDL 42.33

2.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.76 MDL 13.54

7.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.52 MDL 9.22

42.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.43 MDL 7.74

211.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.53 MDL 9.50

45.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.39 MDL 60.5

5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.38 MDL 78.1

75.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.41 MDL 25.19

20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.97 MDL 35.06

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.27 MDL 4.81

48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.87 MDL 51.1

-60.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.24 MDL 4.27

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$5.44 MDL 97.0

117.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.56 MDL 27.74

-7.05%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

-26.16%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

-8.55%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$221 MDL 3,948

-59.90%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$7.65 MDL 136

71.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$11.03 MDL 197

78.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.62 MDL 136

-6.56%

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

$375 ₾971

$110 MDL 1,964

240.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

99.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$45.08 MDL 804

129.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$56.4 MDL 1,005

108.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$51.0 MDL 909

138.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$507 MDL 9,048

30.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

57.75%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Cahul

$161 25.7% 31.1% $73

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Cahul

$137 21.8% 28.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Cahul

$69 * 10.9% 60.1% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Cahul

$240 38.3% 97.5% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 80.5% $63

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8% 76.5% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

Tbilisi pays 31% 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 $23 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $161 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

39,500

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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 = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Cahul 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $627 in Cahul – Cahul is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul 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 Cahul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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