Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
East London $992

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
East London $2,230

Tbilisi costs about 28% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and East London are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, East London 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$9.10 R 151

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$38.23 R 635

-1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$5.57 R 92.5

73.43%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$2.05 R 34.01

74.15%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.04 R 17.30

3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.76 R 12.68

-26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$2.69 R 44.62

-2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$3.21 R 53.3

-5.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.18 R 19.67

83.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.87 R 14.51

-8.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$1.44 R 23.94

20.83%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.27 R 37.75

24.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$8.37 R 139

11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$5.49 R 91.2

18.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$6.71 R 111

93.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.46 R 24.26

15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.53 R 25.39

20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$1.63 R 27.12

20.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$1.43 R 23.81

69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$1.68 R 27.84

-51.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.43 R 23.69

-48.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.17 R 19.45

14.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.95 R 15.79

-18.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$2.89 R 47.99

23.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$4.70 R 78.0

63.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.19 R 19.76

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$0.98 R 16.35

144.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.47 R 24.48

-72.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$46.85 R 778

-67.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.22 R 20.27

-6.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.46 R 7.58

69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$8.38 R 139

41.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.35 R 22.41

7.41%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$34.7K R 575.7K

-29.11%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$29.3K R 486.3K

-23.72%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$122 R 2,030

-27.38%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$32.64 R 542

-59.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$44.35 R 736

-55.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$39.51 R 656

62.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$4.54 R 75.4

56.83%

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

$375 ₾972

$177 R 2,941

111.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,438 R 90.3K

92.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$56.8 R 944

82.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$32.80 R 545

19.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$73.1 R 1,213

60.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$95.2 R 1,580

27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$290 R 4,822

139.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$251 R 4,161

80.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$543 R 9,011

149.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$633 R 10.5K

43.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$1,664 R 27.6K

-60.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

14.73%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

East London

$251 25.3% 44.5% $201

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

East London

$180 18.1% 23.2% $54

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

East London

$141 14.2% 25.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

East London

$116 11.7% 32.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

East London

$199 20.1% 63.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

East London

$49 4.9% 37.9% $30

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

East London

$56 5.7% 157% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $290 in East London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in East London are about 2.5 times higher, 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 $38 in East London. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $180 in East London – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi East London 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $992 in East London – East London comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $992 in East London. That makes East London about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $177 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.