Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Chelyabinsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Chelyabinsk: $936 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chelyabinsk
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Chelyabinsk Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Chelyabinsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Chelyabinsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $936 in Chelyabinsk.

Tbilisi $1,266
Chelyabinsk $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $1,369 in Chelyabinsk.

Tbilisi $2,007
Chelyabinsk $1,369

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $1,801 in Chelyabinsk.

Tbilisi $2,749
Chelyabinsk $1,801

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 35% more expensive than in Chelyabinsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Chelyabinsk 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$8.42 ₽703

34.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$32.78 ₽2,736

19.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$5.31 ₽443

81.36%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$2.64 ₽220

31.06%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.12 ₽93.5

-2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.71 ₽59.4

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$3.59 ₽299

-22.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$4.80 ₽400

-35.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.10 ₽92.0

104.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$0.72 ₽60.4

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.16 ₽96.6

51.72%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.45 ₽121

89.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$10.58 ₽883

-11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$4.80 ₽401

38.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$11.30 ₽943

14.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.93 ₽161

-13.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.77 ₽147

1.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.49 ₽124

28.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$2.68 ₽224

-10.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.68 ₽56.5

26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.54 ₽45.40

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.44 ₽120

-2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.56 ₽46.69

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$2.79 ₽233

25.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$6.45 ₽538

17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$0.86 ₽71.5

89.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$1.74 ₽145

32.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.58 ₽48.12

-36.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$18.87 ₽1,575

-16.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.31 ₽193

-50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.20 ₽16.30

295.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$4.27 ₽357

177.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.82 ₽68.3

70.73%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$35.1K ₽2.9M

-29.34%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$28.5K ₽2.4M

-23.37%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$93.4 ₽7,794

-4.57%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$5.95 ₽496

122.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$9.05 ₽756

118.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$28.26 ₽2,359

129.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$5.86 ₽489

12.12%

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

$377 ₾975

$347 ₽29.0K

8.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$3,761 ₽313.9K

187.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$47.71 ₽3,982

114.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$30.35 ₽2,533

30.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$87.8 ₽7,327

34.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$53.4 ₽4,456

131.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$380 ₽31.7K

75.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$321 ₽26.8K

40.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$652 ₽54.4K

97.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$420 ₽35.0K

112.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$2,205 ₽184.1K

9.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$1,479 ₽123.5K

-6.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$668 ₽55.7K

1.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

20.32

-37.89%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chelyabinsk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Chelyabinsk

$321 34.3% 28.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Chelyabinsk

$194 20.7% 16.9% $40

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Chelyabinsk

$150 16% 20.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Chelyabinsk

$99 10.5% 42.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Chelyabinsk

$108 11.6% 11.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Chelyabinsk

$40 4.3% 48.8% $38

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Chelyabinsk

$24 2.6% 9.9% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Tbilisi and $380 in Chelyabinsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 2% 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: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $33.00 in Chelyabinsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $194 per month, with Chelyabinsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Chelyabinsk

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

1 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,200,719

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Chelyabinsk 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Chelyabinsk

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 Chelyabinsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chelyabinsk wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chelyabinsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Tbilisi versus $380 in Chelyabinsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chelyabinsk runs roughly 20% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $377 in Tbilisi versus $347 in Chelyabinsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $936 in Chelyabinsk versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chelyabinsk but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Chelyabinsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chelyabinsk delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $936 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chelyabinsk hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Chelyabinsk are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chelyabinsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.