Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,328 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Carlton, Australia
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Carlton
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,328
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,328 in Carlton.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Carlton $2,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $3,353 in Carlton.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Carlton $3,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $4,379 in Carlton.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Carlton $4,379

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 45% less than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Carlton is 71% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$17.33 A$24.65
-32.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$69.1 A$98.3
-45.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$10.28 A$14.62
-6.03%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.03 A$4.31
17.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$2.70 A$3.84
-60.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$2.05 A$2.91
-72.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$6.69 A$9.51
-60.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$6.60 A$9.39
-53.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$1.30 A$1.85
66.92%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$2.08 A$2.96
-61.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.39 A$1.98
25.18%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$3.41 A$4.84
-17.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$10.40 A$14.79
-10.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$9.96 A$14.17
-34.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$14.94 A$21.25
-13.32%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.33
$3.31 A$4.71
-49.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$2.76 A$3.93
-32.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$3.27 A$4.66
-39.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$4.77 A$6.79
-49.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$2.41 A$3.42
-65.98%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$2.17 A$3.09
-65.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$2.25 A$3.20
-40.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.90 A$1.28
-14.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$25.30 A$35.98
-85.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$10.61 A$15.09
-27.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$5.57 A$7.92
-69.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$5.28 A$7.51
-54.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$3.08 A$4.38
-87.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$82.7 A$118
-81.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$3.67 A$5.22
-68.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$1.24 A$1.76
-37.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$26.46 A$37.64
-55.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.29 A$1.84
12.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$18.2K A$25.9K
34.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$14.0K A$20.0K
59.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$93.2 A$133
-4.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$28.34 A$40.30
-53.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$46.79 A$66.6
-57.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$31.85 A$45.30
101.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$17.90 A$25.46
6.37%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$13.46 A$19.14
-47.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$2,108 A$2,998
-82.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$12.4K A$17.6K
-15.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$80.0 A$114
29.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$51.0 A$72.5
-22.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$69.7 A$99.1
68.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$132 A$187
-7.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$1,409 A$2,005
-50.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$1,235 A$1,756
-63.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$2,220 A$3,158
-38.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$1,837 A$2,612
-50.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$5,665 A$8,057
-59.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$4,619 A$6,569
-70.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Carlton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$5,904 A$8,398
-88.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
5.9
113.90%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Carlton
$1.2K 174% $784
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Carlton
$340 45.3% $106
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Carlton
$272 42.5% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Carlton
$150 13% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Carlton
$168 38.4% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Carlton
$59 24.9% $20
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Carlton
$105 379% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $1,409 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays about 8.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $69 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $340 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇦🇺 Carlton
🕒 Local time
12:49 12:49 PM
19:49 7:49 PM
7 h ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
19,001
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Carlton 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Carlton

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tbilisi and in Carlton?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $2,328 in Carlton, so Tbilisi is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 89% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Tbilisi and in Carlton?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,409 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Carlton?
Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $2,108 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,328 in Carlton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Carlton. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Carlton?
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.
Is Tbilisi or Carlton safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Carlton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Tbilisi or Carlton?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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