Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Gisenyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gisenyi: $452 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Gisenyi
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Gisenyi Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Gisenyi

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Gisenyi

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $452 in Gisenyi, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Gisenyi $452

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $695 in Gisenyi, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Gisenyi $695

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $937 in Gisenyi, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Gisenyi $937

Tbilisi costs about 181% more than Gisenyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Gisenyi are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Gisenyi 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.66 RWF 3,920

337.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$15.09 RWF 22.2K

150.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.04 RWF 8,892

59.93%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.48 RWF 3,643

43.95%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.81 RWF 1,194

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.54 RWF 797

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.03 RWF 1,516

154.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.95 RWF 2,869

55.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.87 RWF 1,286

149.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.08 RWF 1,585

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.28 RWF 1,884

35.94%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.59 RWF 2,334

77.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$4.19 RWF 6,165

122.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.63 RWF 6,816

40.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$4.63 RWF 6,805

179.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.47 RWF 3,641

-31.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.77 RWF 1,126

140.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.48 RWF 2,179

33.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.02 RWF 1,508

137.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.49 RWF 714

67.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.77 RWF 1,139

-3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.29 RWF 421

362.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.86 RWF 1,265

-10.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.06 RWF 3,029

73.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.06 RWF 14.8K

-23.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.99 RWF 1,457

71.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.58 RWF 2,321

51.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.10 RWF 143

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.70 RWF 3,968

-57.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.97 RWF 2,903

-60.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$3.43 RWF 5,048

244.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.84 RWF 2,703

-21.20%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$26.5K RWF 39.0M

-7.37%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$29.1K RWF 42.8M

-23.25%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$84.0 RWF 123.5K

5.76%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$3.02 RWF 4,450

334.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$21.19 RWF 31.2K

-7.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.29 RWF 4,840

116.41%

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

$375 ₾971

$113 RWF 166.4K

231.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$9,547 RWF 14.0M

9.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$17.68 RWF 26.0K

486.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$15.82 RWF 23.3K

148.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$22.10 RWF 32.5K

431.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$33.83 RWF 49.8K

259.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$290 RWF 426.3K

139.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$49.55 RWF 72.9K

810.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$295 RWF 433.3K

360.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$120 RWF 177.0K

653.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

16.2

-22.10%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gisenyi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Gisenyi

$50 11% 89% $402

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Gisenyi

$151 33.5% 35.3% $83

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Gisenyi

$84 18.5% 56.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Gisenyi

$40 8.9% 76.6% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Gisenyi

$108 23.9% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Gisenyi

$6.6 * 1.5% 91.6% $72

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Gisenyi

$13 * 2.9% 40.9% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $290 in Gisenyi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $15 in Gisenyi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $151 – making Gisenyi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇼 Gisenyi

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

172,357

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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 = 0.346 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,643 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Gisenyi 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Gisenyi

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 Gisenyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 181% more than Gisenyi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $679 in Gisenyi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gisenyi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $15 in Gisenyi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Gisenyi, where all-in costs run around $452, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Gisenyi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gisenyi – 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.