Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Elbasan

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $887 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Elbasan
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Elbasan Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Elbasan

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Tbilisi vs $887 in Elbasan, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,278
Elbasan $887

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,399 in Elbasan, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,017
Elbasan $1,399

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,912 in Elbasan, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,755
Elbasan $1,912

Tbilisi costs about 44% more than Elbasan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Elbasan are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 5% lower, Elbasan 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.06

$9.95 ALL 802

16.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.3

$36.83 ALL 2,967

4.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.18

$6.76 ALL 544

44.08%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$1.72 ALL 138

106.98%

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

$1.08 ₾2.79

$1.40 ALL 113

-22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.65 ALL 52.7

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.14 ALL 172

27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.08

$2.74 ALL 220

14.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.54

$1.90 ALL 153

12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.94 ALL 75.4

-20.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.57 ALL 127

14.65%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.60 ALL 210

7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.39

$10.33 ALL 832

-8.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.09

$5.91 ALL 476

18.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.82

$11.30 ALL 910

12.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.20 ALL 96.8

35.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$2.25 ALL 182

-18.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.39 ALL 112

41.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.38

$1.14 ALL 91.6

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.00 ALL 80.2

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.04 ALL 83.8

-35.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.83 ALL 66.6

69.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.66 ALL 53.5

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$4.34 ALL 350

-19.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.39

$6.10 ALL 492

29.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.02 ALL 82.3

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.80 ALL 145

31.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$0.47 ALL 38.21

-19.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.54

$19.64 ALL 1,582

-22.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$3.60 ALL 290

-66.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.45 ALL 117

-48.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.75

$14.57 ALL 1,174

-18.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$2.14 ALL 172

-31.78%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$29.2K ALL 2.4M

-14.47%

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

$22.8K ₾59.0K

$29.3K ALL 2.4M

-22.01%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$61.7 ALL 4,970

42.86%

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

$12.71 ₾32.85

$15.34 ALL 1,236

-17.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$12.08 ALL 973

63.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$58.0 ALL 4,671

10.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.57

$17.03 ALL 1,372

12.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.19

$4.41 ALL 355

50.79%

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

$371 ₾960

$142 ALL 11.4K

162.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$1,886 ALL 151.9K

385.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$72.7 ALL 5,856

40.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$44.03 ALL 3,547

-9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$93.4 ALL 7,522

26.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$96.4 ALL 7,767

24.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$297 ALL 23.9K

132.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$208 ALL 16.8K

121.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,522

$435 ALL 35.1K

212.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,320

$317 ALL 25.5K

183.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,888

$1,377 ALL 111.0K

65.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,562

$870 ALL 70.1K

58.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

$626 ALL 50.4K

13.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

6.1

105.41%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elbasan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Elbasan

$208 23.5% 54.8% $253

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Elbasan

$208 23.4% 11.7% $28

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Elbasan

$145 16.3% 24.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Elbasan

$138 15.6% 19.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Elbasan

$89 10.1% 26.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Elbasan

$67 7.5% 13.9% $11

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Elbasan

$32 3.7% 49.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Tbilisi versus $297 in Elbasan. 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 13% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $37 in Elbasan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $208 – making Elbasan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

78,703

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.56 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.44 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Elbasan 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Elbasan

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 Elbasan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,918 per month in Tbilisi and $1,331 in Elbasan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elbasan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $690 in Tbilisi.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $37 in Elbasan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Elbasan, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Tbilisi at $1,278. In Elbasan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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