Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Embu

For one person, living is cheaper in Embu: $517 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Embu
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Embu Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Embu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Embu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $517 in Embu.

Tbilisi $1,266
Embu $517

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $822 in Embu.

Tbilisi $2,007
Embu $822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $1,127 in Embu.

Tbilisi $2,749
Embu $1,127

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 145% more expensive than in Embu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Embu 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$6.24 KES 809

81.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$30.87 KES 4,002

26.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$5.42 KES 702

77.68%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$2.35 KES 305

47.23%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$0.36 KES 46.68

202.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.24 KES 31.13

162.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$2.28 KES 296

21.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$2.63 KES 341

17.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$0.56 KES 72.9

301.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$0.52 KES 66.8

53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$0.96 KES 124

83.33%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.71 KES 222

60.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$3.89 KES 504

141.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$3.21 KES 416

107.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$4.20 KES 544

207.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$3.34 KES 433

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.05 KES 136

71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$2.06 KES 267

-6.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$0.41 KES 53.0

487.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.63 KES 81.5

36.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.91 KES 118

-24.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.74 KES 95.8

89.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.55 KES 71.9

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.65 KES 473

-3.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$11.48 KES 1,489

-33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$2.23 KES 289

-26.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$2.70 KES 350

-14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.14 KES 148

-67.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.51 KES 196

-24.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.58 KES 205

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$2.94 KES 382

303.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.60 KES 207

-12.50%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$21.2K KES 2.7M

17.00%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

79.82%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$57.1 KES 7,400

56.13%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$15.06 KES 1,952

-12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$34.48 KES 4,470

-42.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$17.41 KES 2,257

272.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$4.28 KES 555

53.50%

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

$377 ₾975

$251 KES 32.5K

50.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$12.6K KES 1.6M

-14.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$9.22 KES 1,196

1008.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$29.38 KES 3,809

35.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$70.3 KES 9,113

67.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$15.37 KES 1,993

703.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$76.2 KES 9,876

774.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$53.1 KES 6,886

745.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$91.6 KES 11.9K

871.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$272 KES 35.3K

149.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

14.71

-14.21%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Embu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Embu

$53 10.3% 88.2% $396

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Embu

$148 28.6% 36.7% $86

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Embu

$113 22% 39.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Embu

$56 10.8% 67.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Embu

$107 20.6% 12.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Embu

$26 5% 66.7% $52

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Embu

$14 * 2.7% 37.2% $8.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Tbilisi and $76.2 in Embu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 150% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $31.00 in Embu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $148 per month, with Embu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇰🇪 Embu

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

20:54 8:54 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

41,092

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Embu 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Embu

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 Embu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Embu differ by about 145% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $517 including rent). Embu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Tbilisi versus $76.2 in Embu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $377 in Tbilisi versus $251 in Embu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Embu – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $517 in Embu versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Embu but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Embu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Embu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Embu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.