Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Chisinau

For one person, living costs are similar in Tbilisi and in Chisinau: $1,269 and $1,316 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Chisinau
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Chisinau Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Chisinau

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Chisinau

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,316 in Chisinau, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Chisinau $1,316

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,991 in Chisinau, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Chisinau $1,991

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,666 in Chisinau, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Chisinau $2,666

Tbilisi is about 4% cheaper than Chisinau.

Both Tbilisi and Chisinau are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Chisinau 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$11.34 MDL 202

2.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$56.7 MDL 1,011

-33.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$8.14 MDL 145

18.67%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.19 MDL 39.11

63.01%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.22 MDL 21.70

-11.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.90 MDL 16.01

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.20 MDL 39.29

19.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$1.92 MDL 34.30

58.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.26 MDL 22.56

72.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.71 MDL 12.75

12.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.40 MDL 24.96

24.29%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.72 MDL 48.52

4.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.08

$9.70 MDL 173

-4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.86

$5.00 MDL 89.3

30.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$8.77 MDL 157

47.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.97 MDL 17.35

73.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.93 MDL 34.48

-4.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.01 MDL 35.93

-1.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.16 MDL 38.48

12.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.65 MDL 11.64

26.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.56 MDL 10.04

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.30 MDL 23.17

3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.89 MDL 15.95

-13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.31 MDL 59.1

7.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.84

$4.82 MDL 86.0

59.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.22 MDL 21.69

39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.89 MDL 33.75

26.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.38 MDL 6.74

5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.39

$13.55 MDL 242

12.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.27 MDL 40.50

-49.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.34 MDL 6.14

129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.59

$4.94 MDL 88.2

139.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.65 MDL 29.51

-12.12%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$29.8K MDL 532.5K

-17.61%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$27.6K MDL 493.5K

-19.21%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$241 MDL 4,294

-63.08%

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

$13.12 ₾33.94

$9.32 MDL 166

40.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$10.33 MDL 184

90.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$42.89 MDL 766

49.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.25

$20.55 MDL 367

-7.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$8.33 MDL 149

-14.53%

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

$375 ₾971

$430 MDL 7,668

-12.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,720 MDL 102.1K

83.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$78.1 MDL 1,393

32.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$45.91 MDL 820

-14.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$112 MDL 2,008

4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$117 MDL 2,086

4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$691 MDL 12.3K

0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$463 MDL 8,261

-2.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,505

$1,257 MDL 22.4K

7.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,344

$803 MDL 14.3K

12.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,936

$2,585 MDL 46.1K

-11.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,479

$1,861 MDL 33.2K

-27.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$864 MDL 15.4K

-23.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

9.17

37.62%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chisinau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Chisinau

$463 35.2% 2.6% $12

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Chisinau

$190 14.5% 18.6% $44

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Chisinau

$165 12.5% 13.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Chisinau

$159 12.1% 7.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Chisinau

$260 19.8% 114% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Chisinau

$60 4.5% 23.9% $19

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Chisinau

$19 1.5% 13% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $691 in Chisinau. 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 30% higher in Chisinau. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $57 in Chisinau. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $190 in Chisinau – so Chisinau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇩 Chisinau

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

750,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.6 USD). 1 EUR = 19.87 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Chisinau 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Chisinau

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 Chisinau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,974 in Chisinau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $695 in Tbilisi and $691 in Chisinau. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Chisinau – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $57 in Chisinau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,316 in Chisinau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,269 versus $1,316 in Chisinau. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chisinau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.