Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Tbilisi vs $838 in Hawassa, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,278
Hawassa $838

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,202 in Hawassa, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,017
Hawassa $1,202

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,566 in Hawassa, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,755
Hawassa $1,566

Tbilisi costs about 52% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Hawassa are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 5% lower, Hawassa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.06

$3.88 ETB 625

199.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.3

$42.15 ETB 6,777

-8.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.18

$6.60 ETB 1,061

47.58%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$0.88 ETB 142

304.55%

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

$1.08 ₾2.79

$0.63 ETB 101

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.68 ETB 109

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$0.78 ETB 125

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.08

$2.21 ETB 355

41.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.54

$1.05 ETB 169

103.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.17 ETB 189

-35.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.03 ETB 165

74.76%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$1.58 ETB 254

77.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.39

$7.38 ETB 1,186

27.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.09

$10.02 ETB 1,612

-30.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.82

$9.27 ETB 1,491

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$5.23 ETB 841

-68.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$0.63 ETB 101

192.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$2.24 ETB 361

-12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.38

$0.69 ETB 112

257.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.47 ETB 75.0

59.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.09 ETB 175

-38.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.66 ETB 106

113.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.57 ETB 91.7

26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$7.91 ETB 1,272

-55.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.39

$5.65 ETB 908

39.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$0.67 ETB 108

153.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.22 ETB 197

94.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$1.36 ETB 218

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.27 ETB 43.39

174.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.75

$2.02 ETB 325

488.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$0.95 ETB 153

53.68%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-53.97%

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

$22.8K ₾59.0K

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

-58.89%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$205 ETB 33.0K

-57.03%

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

$12.71 ₾32.85

$7.48 ETB 1,202

69.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$216 ETB 34.8K

-90.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.57

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.19

$3.81 ETB 613

74.54%

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

$371 ₾960

$616 ETB 99.1K

-39.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

-69.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$33.38 ETB 5,368

206.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

-43.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

52.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

43.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,522

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,320

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,888

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,562

$500 ETB 80.3K

175.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

18.5

-32.27%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Hawassa

$205 24.5% 12.7% $30

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Hawassa

$75 8.9% 60.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Hawassa

$119 14.2% 30.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Hawassa

$429 51.2% 256% $308

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9% 90.2% $70

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3% 87.5% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $42 in Hawassa. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Tbilisi vs $205 in Hawassa – so Hawassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Hawassa 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi, $838 in Hawassa – Hawassa comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,918 per month in Tbilisi and $1,258 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $42 in Hawassa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Tbilisi at $1,278. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $1,278 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.