Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Erbil

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $958 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Erbil

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $958 in Erbil, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Erbil $958

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,427 in Erbil, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Erbil $1,427

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,896 in Erbil, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Erbil $1,896

Tbilisi costs about 33% more than Erbil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Erbil are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Erbil 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$6.42 IQD 9,704

81.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$36.55 IQD 55.2K

3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.41 IQD 11.2K

30.36%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.24 IQD 4,889

10.19%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.89 IQD 1,341

21.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.33 IQD 505

69.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$5.75 IQD 8,681

-54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.92 IQD 5,921

-22.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.07 IQD 1,611

102.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.67 IQD 1,019

19.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.52 IQD 2,303

14.47%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.60 IQD 2,413

76.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.00 IQD 10.6K

33.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.38 IQD 6,614

48.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$12.67 IQD 19.1K

2.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$0.94 IQD 1,415

78.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.01 IQD 1,528

83.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.02 IQD 1,544

93.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$0.70 IQD 1,064

245.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.65 IQD 982

26.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.63 IQD 952

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.64 IQD 968

109.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.52 IQD 781

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.19 IQD 3,303

63.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.83 IQD 16.4K

-29.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.45 IQD 2,191

17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.79 IQD 2,712

34.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.49 IQD 736

-18.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

-61.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.67 IQD 2,519

-31.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.60 IQD 2,418

-51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$5.78 IQD 8,728

104.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.57 IQD 867

154.39%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

46.33%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

30.38%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$111 IQD 168.1K

-20.17%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

7.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$24.61 IQD 37.2K

-20.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

12.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$13.48 IQD 20.4K

41.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$9.63 IQD 14.6K

-26.06%

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

$375 ₾971

$294 IQD 443.8K

27.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$2,726 IQD 4.1M

284.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$26.71 IQD 40.4K

288.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$38.49 IQD 58.2K

2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$61.1 IQD 92.3K

92.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$59.9 IQD 90.5K

103.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$426 IQD 643.6K

63.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$271 IQD 410.0K

66.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$699 IQD 1.1M

93.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$404 IQD 610.4K

124.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,017 IQD 1.5M

125.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$615 IQD 929.8K

118.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$519 IQD 783.7K

28.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

2.53

398.81%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Erbil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Erbil

$271 28.3% 39.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Erbil

$174 18.1% 25.8% $60

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Erbil

$154 16.1% 19.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Erbil

$84 8.8% 51.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Erbil

$148 15.5% 21.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Erbil

$76 8% 2.7% $2.1

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Erbil

$51 5.3% 133% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $426 in Erbil. 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 28% 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 Erbil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $174 – making Erbil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇶 Erbil

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,713,461

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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 = 0.347 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,686 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Erbil 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Erbil

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 Erbil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,437 in Erbil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erbil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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