Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Hickory, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,078 in Hickory, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Hickory, NC
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Hickory, NC Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Hickory, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Hickory, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC.

Tbilisi $1,269
Hickory, NC $2,078

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $2,962 in Hickory, NC.

Tbilisi $2,016
Hickory, NC $2,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $3,847 in Hickory, NC.

Tbilisi $2,763
Hickory, NC $3,847

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 39% less than in Hickory, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Hickory, NC is 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$15.01 $15.01

-22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$61.7 $61.7

-38.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$11.03 $11.03

-12.42%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$5.00 $5.00

-28.60%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.23 $2.23

-51.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.57 $1.57

-64.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$5.46 $5.46

-52.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$6.79 $6.79

-55.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.85 $0.85

155.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$3.65 $3.65

-78.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$3.12 $3.12

-44.23%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.43 $3.43

-17.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.08

$10.74 $10.74

-13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.86

$8.98 $8.98

-27.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$17.00 $17.00

-23.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.99 $3.99

-57.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.75 $1.75

5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.35 $2.35

-16.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.75 $1.75

38.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.38 $2.38

-65.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$3.25 $3.25

-77.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.79 $1.79

-25.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$2.11 $2.11

-63.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$9.00 $9.00

-60.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.84

$14.93 $14.93

-48.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.66 $1.66

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.93 $2.93

-18.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.22 $1.22

-67.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.39

$44.59 $44.59

-65.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.98 $1.98

-42.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$2.27 $2.27

-65.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.59

$17.72 $17.72

-33.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.82 $0.82

76.83%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$27.0K $27.0K

-9.08%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$26.3K $26.3K

-14.99%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$141 $141

-36.85%

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

$13.12 ₾33.94

$59.9 $59.9

-78.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$54.1 $54.1

-63.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$27.46 $27.46

133.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.25

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$14.27 $14.27

-50.11%

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

$375 ₾971

$354 $354

6.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$25.3K $25.3K

-58.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$40.75 $40.75

154.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$20.24 $20.24

93.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$39.51 $39.51

197.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$49.94 $49.94

143.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$1,299 $1,299

-46.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$1,030 $1,030

-56.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,505

$1,688 $1,688

-19.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,344

$1,522 $1,522

-40.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,936

$2,141 $2,141

7.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,479

$2,163 $2,163

-37.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$4,526 $4,526

-85.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.53

128.21%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hickory, NC: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Hickory, NC

$1K 49.6% 128% $579

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Hickory, NC

$338 16.3% 44.5% $104

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Hickory, NC

$269 13% 41.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Hickory, NC

$68 3.3% 60.6% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Hickory, NC

$255 12.3% 109% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Hickory, NC

$56 2.7% 28.5% $22

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Hickory, NC

$63 3% 187% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $1,299 in Hickory, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hickory, NC pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $62 in Hickory, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $338 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇺🇸 Hickory, NC

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

13:43 1:43 PM

8 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

40,374

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Hickory, NC 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Hickory, NC

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 Hickory, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Hickory, NC differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,269 vs $2,078 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,299 in Hickory, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $62 in Hickory, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,078 in Hickory, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Hickory, NC. 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.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Hickory, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.