Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,979 in Essen, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Essen
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Essen Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Essen

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,979 in Essen, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Essen $1,979

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,071 in Essen, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Essen $3,071

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $4,163 in Essen, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Essen $4,163

Tbilisi is about 36% cheaper than Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while Essen is 45% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$19.98 €17.82

-41.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$85.8 €76.5

-55.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$13.14 €11.73

-26.48%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$3.85 €3.44

-7.27%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$3.15 €2.81

-65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$2.67 €2.38

-79.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$6.32 €5.64

-58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$5.49 €4.89

-44.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.26 €1.12

72.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.09 €1.86

-61.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$3.10 €2.77

-43.87%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$3.72 €3.32

-23.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$16.15 €14.41

-42.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$10.63 €9.49

-38.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$24.04 €21.45

-46.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.19 €2.84

-47.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$2.12 €1.90

-12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.15 €1.91

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$3.97 €3.55

-39.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$1.32 €1.18

-37.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.30 €1.16

-43.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.48 €1.32

-9.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$1.19 €1.06

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$9.43 €8.42

-62.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$5.41 €4.83

41.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.10 €0.98

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.52 €1.35

57.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$3.97 €3.54

-89.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$71.5 €63.8

-78.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$4.81 €4.29

-76.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$3.40 €3.04

-77.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$39.36 €35.11

-69.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$2.27 €2.03

-36.12%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$32.9K €29.3K

-25.24%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$38.2K €34.1K

-41.57%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$390 €348

-77.23%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$35.31 €31.50

-62.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$40.19 €35.85

-51.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$40.49 €36.12

58.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

$36.62 €32.67

-48.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$14.80 €13.20

-51.89%

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

$375 ₾972

$472 €421

-20.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$9,253 €8,255

13.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$94.4 €84.2

9.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$83.6 €74.6

-53.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$108 €96.6

8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$154 €137

-20.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$623 €556

11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$488 €435

-7.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$1,433 €1,279

-5.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$960 €856

-5.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$4,476 €3,993

-48.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$3,001 €2,677

-55.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$3,023 €2,697

-78.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.95

219.49%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Essen

$488 24.6% 8.1% $36

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Essen

$338 17.1% 44.4% $104

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Essen

$311 15.7% 63.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Essen

$198 10% 15.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Essen

$465 23.5% 283% $344

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Essen

$70 3.5% 10.5% $8.2

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Essen

$109 5.5% 399% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $623 in Essen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Essen are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $86 in Essen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $338 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

13:07 1:07 PM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

569,884

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Essen 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Essen

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 Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,979 in Essen – Tbilisi comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $2,969 in Essen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Essen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $623 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $472 in Essen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,269 in Tbilisi to $1,979 in Essen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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