Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,423 in Cluj-Napoca.

Tbilisi $1,269
Cluj-Napoca $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $2,126 in Cluj-Napoca.

Tbilisi $2,016
Cluj-Napoca $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,830 in Cluj-Napoca.

Tbilisi $2,763
Cluj-Napoca $2,830

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 11% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Cluj-Napoca is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$12.58 RON 60.1

-7.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$54.8 RON 262

-31.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$9.59 RON 45.85

0.73%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.78 RON 18.05

-5.56%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.30 RON 11.01

-53.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$2.22 RON 10.62

-74.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.32 RON 15.85

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$4.20 RON 20.06

-27.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.60 RON 7.66

35.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.44 RON 6.89

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.69 RON 8.09

2.96%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.76 RON 17.95

-24.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$9.07 RON 43.33

2.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$7.14 RON 34.11

-8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$11.46 RON 54.7

13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.39 RON 6.62

20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.58 RON 7.55

17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.88 RON 8.99

4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.37 RON 11.32

2.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.92 RON 4.40

-10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.90 RON 4.29

-17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.90 RON 4.32

48.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.01 RON 4.81

-23.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$6.42 RON 30.68

-44.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$7.41 RON 35.42

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.25 RON 5.95

36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.73 RON 8.27

38.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.76 RON 3.63

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$44.23 RON 211

-65.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.84 RON 3.99

35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.96 RON 4.60

-18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.27 RON 39.51

43.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.94 RON 9.26

-25.26%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$28.3K RON 135.4K

-13.24%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$24.7K RON 118.2K

-9.71%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$151 RON 721

-41.14%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.44 RON 40.32

55.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$9.16 RON 43.79

114.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$47.36 RON 226

35.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$22.01 RON 105

-13.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$9.35 RON 44.70

-23.85%

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

$375 ₾971

$577 RON 2,758

-34.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$9,450 RON 45.2K

10.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$87.1 RON 416

19.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$44.26 RON 211

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$98.8 RON 472

18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$107 RON 510

14.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$668 RON 3,193

4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$536 RON 2,560

-15.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,227 RON 5,861

10.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$807 RON 3,859

12.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$4,568 RON 21.8K

-49.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$3,342 RON 16.0K

-59.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,241 RON 5,928

-46.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

6.65

89.77%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$536 37.7% 18.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Cluj-Napoca

$230 16.2% 1.7% $3.9

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.3% 14.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$152 10.7% 11.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Cluj-Napoca

$168 11.8% 38.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Cluj-Napoca

$66 4.6% 15.6% $12

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Cluj-Napoca

$53 3.7% 142% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $55 in Cluj-Napoca. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $230, with Cluj-Napoca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

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 = 0.346 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Cluj-Napoca 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in transport and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $668 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $577 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $55 in Cluj-Napoca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tbilisi delivers better value at $1,269 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tbilisi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Cluj-Napoca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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