Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $376 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Erdenet
🇲🇳 Mongolia
$376
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Erdenet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $376 in Erdenet.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Erdenet $376

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $622 in Erdenet.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Erdenet $622

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $868 in Erdenet.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Erdenet $868

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 238% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Erdenet 72% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$4.25 MNT 15.3K
170.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$28.10 MNT 101.1K
36.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$4.12 MNT 14.8K
137.86%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$2.27 MNT 8,151
56.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$0.61 MNT 2,200
73.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$0.44 MNT 1,584
40.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$1.64 MNT 5,912
68.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$1.66 MNT 5,958
80.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.02 MNT 3,657
111.76%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$0.88 MNT 3,167
-13.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$2.71 MNT 9,728
-35.79%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$2.04 MNT 7,340
36.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$7.01 MNT 25.2K
31.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$7.13 MNT 25.6K
-8.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$4.42 MNT 15.9K
189.82%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$2.18 MNT 7,839
-23.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.69 MNT 6,086
9.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$1.69 MNT 6,084
17.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$1.41 MNT 5,074
78.01%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$1.40 MNT 5,036
-37.86%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$0.82 MNT 2,942
-10.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$1.36 MNT 4,895
4.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$0.92 MNT 3,322
-21.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$2.73 MNT 9,822
23.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$5.51 MNT 19.8K
42.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$1.69 MNT 6,089
-4.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$1.63 MNT 5,861
46.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$0.18 MNT 635
105.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
$19.23 MNT 69.2K
-19.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$0.66 MNT 2,370
72.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.40 MNT 1,448
97.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$0.75 MNT 2,714
100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$59.0 MNT 212.3K
49.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$2.81 MNT 10.1K
365.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$13.90 MNT 50.0K
40.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$276 MNT 994.0K
35.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$2,460 MNT 8.8M
334.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Erdenet
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
$218 MNT 785.6K
221.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
0
-

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Erdenet
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Erdenet
$188 19.3% $45
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Erdenet
$89 53.2% $101
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Erdenet
- * 100%
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Erdenet
$76 37.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Erdenet
- * 100%
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Erdenet
$23 2.3% $0.5

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

Cost Breakdown

Tbilisi pays 222% 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: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $28.00 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $188 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇲🇳 Erdenet
🕒 Local time
17:19 5:19 PM
21:19 9:19 PM
4 h ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
86,866
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Erdenet 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tbilisi and in Erdenet?
Tbilisi and Erdenet differ by about 238% in total monthly costs ($1,270 vs $376 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Tbilisi or Erdenet?
Average pay runs 222% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Erdenet?
Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $276 in Erdenet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $376 in Erdenet versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Erdenet?
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.
Is Tbilisi or Erdenet safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Erdenet are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Tbilisi or Erdenet?
Expats usually find Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 238% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?