Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Calarasi, Romania

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $884 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Calarasi, Romania
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Calarasi
🇷🇴 Romania
$884
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $884 in Calarasi, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Calarasi $884

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,366 in Calarasi, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Calarasi $1,366

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,848 in Calarasi, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Calarasi $1,848

Tbilisi costs about 44% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tbilisi and Calarasi are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Calarasi 35% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.10
$8.87 RON 42.27
31.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.9
$33.46 RON 160
13.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾25.01
$7.54 RON 35.94
28.12%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.25
$2.08 RON 9.89
71.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.83 RON 8.73
-40.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$1.72 RON 8.18
-67.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.79
$1.53 RON 7.30
71.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.86
$1.44 RON 6.89
111.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.61
$1.45 RON 6.90
49.66%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$0.92 RON 4.39
-13.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.52
$1.49 RON 7.08
16.78%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.32
$2.71 RON 12.92
4.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.10
$7.58 RON 36.15
22.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.87
$4.30 RON 20.50
51.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.54
$8.38 RON 39.94
54.53%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$1.09 RON 5.18
54.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.80
$1.38 RON 6.60
34.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.11
$1.23 RON 5.88
60.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.26
$1.45 RON 6.91
66.90%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.12
$0.44 RON 2.07
86.36%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$0.62 RON 2.95
19.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$0.44 RON 2.09
204.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.01
$0.81 RON 3.86
-4.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.25
$6.19 RON 29.50
-42.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.86
$4.23 RON 20.18
81.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$0.98 RON 4.67
73.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$1.38 RON 6.56
73.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.41 RON 1.93
-2.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.43
$12.30 RON 58.6
23.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$0.60 RON 2.87
90.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$0.61 RON 2.89
27.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.62
$6.34 RON 30.20
86.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.62 RON 7.74
-10.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$28.3K RON 135.1K
-13.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$25.1K RON 119.6K
-10.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$163 RON 777
-45.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.98
$6.16 RON 29.35
112.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$6.51 RON 31.05
202.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$47.78 RON 228
34.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.30
$51.6 RON 246
-63.13%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.44
$8.22 RON 39.17
-13.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾972
$375 RON 1,786
0.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$5,713 RON 27.2K
83.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$73.5 RON 350
41.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$20.65 RON 98.4
90.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾304
$89.8 RON 428
30.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$95.9 RON 457
26.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,800
$313 RON 1,493
121.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,168
$191 RON 912
135.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,508
$413 RON 1,968
228.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,346
$327 RON 1,558
177.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,942
$1,190 RON 5,671
92.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,482
$965 RON 4,600
39.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Calarasi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,720
$728 RON 3,472
-8.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
7.85
60.76%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Calarasi
$191 57.6% $260
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Calarasi
$166 29.1% $68
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Calarasi
$143 24.9% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Calarasi
$126 26.8% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Calarasi
$176 44.5% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Calarasi
$64 18% $14
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Calarasi
$18 19.8% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $313 in Calarasi. 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 10% higher in Calarasi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $33 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇷🇴 Calarasi
🕒 Local time
09:40 9:40 AM
07:40 7:40 AM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
65,181
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Calarasi 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tbilisi and in Calarasi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $884 in Calarasi – Calarasi comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Calarasi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,326 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tbilisi and Calarasi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Calarasi?
Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $375 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 41% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Calarasi?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $884 in Calarasi to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tbilisi or Calarasi safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Where should expats move: Tbilisi or Calarasi?
For expats, Calarasi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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