Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Forbes

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Forbes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Tbilisi $1,269
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Tbilisi $2,016
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Tbilisi $2,763
Forbes $4,958

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 50% less than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Forbes is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$15.91 A$22.61

-26.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$94.9 A$135

-60.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$11.31 A$16.07

-14.59%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.52 A$5.00

1.42%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.99 A$4.24

-63.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$2.37 A$3.37

-76.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$6.98 A$9.92

-62.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$7.40 A$10.52

-58.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.69 A$2.41

28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.42 A$3.44

-66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.14 A$3.04

-18.69%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$5.00 A$7.10

-43.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$10.16 A$14.44

-8.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$9.52 A$13.53

-31.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$13.72 A$19.49

-5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.78 A$5.37

-55.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$3.01 A$4.27

-38.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$3.55 A$5.05

-44.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$4.92 A$6.99

-50.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.50 A$3.55

-67.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.55 A$3.63

-70.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$2.28 A$3.24

-41.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.45 A$2.06

-46.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$46.43 A$66.0

-92.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$12.36 A$17.57

-37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$4.75 A$6.75

-64.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$5.80 A$8.24

-58.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$2.66 A$3.78

-84.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$78.5 A$111

-80.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.70 A$5.26

-69.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.72 A$2.45

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$45.70 A$64.9

-74.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.25 A$1.78

16.00%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$33.8K A$48.1K

-27.33%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$28.1K A$40.0K

-20.65%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$195 A$277

-54.44%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$23.66 A$33.62

-44.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$53.4 A$75.8

-63.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$59.1 A$84.0

8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$19.72 A$28.02

-3.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$12.05 A$17.13

-40.91%

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

$375 ₾971

$2,301 A$3,269

-83.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$21.3K A$30.3K

-50.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$80.6 A$115

28.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$56.7 A$80.6

-30.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$117 A$166

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$124 A$176

-1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$1,558 A$2,213

-55.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$1,278 A$1,816

-64.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$2,463 A$3,499

-44.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$2,041 A$2,901

-55.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$5,228 A$7,428

-56.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$5,146 A$7,312

-73.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.9

113.90%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 183% $827

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 55.5% $130

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 44.1% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 1.1% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 124% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 6.3% $4.9

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Forbes

$101 4% 363% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $95 in Forbes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $364 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

06:02 6:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

7 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

8,481

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

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Between locations

Tbilisi Forbes 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $2,543 in Forbes, so Tbilisi is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,904 in Tbilisi and $3,814 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $2,543 in Forbes – Tbilisi is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 81% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,543 in Forbes, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Forbes. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi 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 Forbes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.