Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Durban, South Africa
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Durban
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,130
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Durban

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Durban $2,366

Tbilisi costs about 12% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$7.93 R 132
46.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$39.14 R 654
-3.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$6.15 R 103
57.07%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$2.73 R 45.64
30.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.12 R 18.63
-3.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.91 R 15.26
-38.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$2.43 R 40.58
7.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$2.48 R 41.50
22.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$1.17 R 19.56
85.47%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$1.01 R 16.80
-20.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.50 R 25.03
16.00%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$2.43 R 40.60
16.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$8.22 R 137
13.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$5.32 R 88.8
22.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$7.28 R 122
77.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.33
$1.95 R 32.53
-13.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.95 R 32.53
-5.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$1.94 R 32.43
1.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$1.65 R 27.49
46.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$1.55 R 25.88
-47.10%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.46 R 24.38
-49.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$1.17 R 19.46
14.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$1.14 R 19.01
-32.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.64 R 60.9
-1.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$4.73 R 79.1
62.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$1.41 R 23.48
20.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$1.89 R 31.65
26.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$1.79 R 29.86
-77.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$21.32 R 356
-28.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$0.41 R 6.80
178.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$0.76 R 12.62
2.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$7.72 R 129
53.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.49 R 24.90
-2.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$35.5K R 592.9K
-30.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$32.3K R 540.0K
-30.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$148 R 2,467
-39.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$35.49 R 593
-63.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$39.45 R 659
-50.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$31.01 R 518
106.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$8.61 R 144
121.14%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$7.39 R 124
-3.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$317 R 5,288
18.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$7,714 R 128.9K
35.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$53.2 R 889
94.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$30.50 R 510
28.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$99.1 R 1,655
18.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$85.0 R 1,420
43.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$445 R 7,434
56.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$374 R 6,256
20.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$814 R 13.6K
66.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$744 R 12.4K
21.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$820 R 13.7K
179.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$565 R 9,443
137.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$1,280 R 21.4K
-48.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
11.78
7.13%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Durban
$374 17% $77
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Durban
$194 17% $40
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Durban
$140 26.6% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Durban
$121 29.9% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Durban
$223 83% $101
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Durban
$46 41.5% $33
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Durban
$33 49.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $445 in Durban. 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 93% higher in Durban, 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 $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $194 in Durban – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇿🇦 Durban
🕒 Local time
07:25 7:25 AM
05:25 5:25 AM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
3,442,361
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Durban 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Durban

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 Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Durban cheaper than Tbilisi?
Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.
What are total monthly expenses in Tbilisi and in Durban?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,130 in Durban. That makes Durban about 11% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 29% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 enough for either Tbilisi or Durban?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Tbilisi or Durban more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Durban – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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