Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,278
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,017
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,755
Hillcrest $2,292

Tbilisi costs about 18% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Hillcrest are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 5% lower, Hillcrest 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$7.87 R 129

47.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$38.34 R 629

0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$6.01 R 98.6

62.06%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.71 R 44.53

31.37%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$1.14 R 18.70

-5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.90 R 14.71

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.45 R 40.23

11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$2.50 R 41.05

25.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$1.18 R 19.28

81.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.98 R 16.13

-23.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.50 R 24.59

20.00%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.32 R 38.10

20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$8.19 R 134

15.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$5.05 R 82.8

38.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.83

$7.27 R 119

74.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.29 R 21.22

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.93 R 31.60

-4.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.95 R 31.93

1.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$1.73 R 28.43

42.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.46 R 23.99

-48.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.44 R 23.67

-53.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.21 R 19.77

16.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$1.14 R 18.71

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.71 R 60.8

-5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$4.80 R 78.7

64.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.41 R 23.10

20.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.96 R 32.19

20.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.54 R 25.19

-75.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.44 R 7.14

170.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.71 R 11.61

4.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$7.70 R 126

54.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.45 R 23.84

0.69%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$35.2K R 577.7K

-29.04%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$33.1K R 542.3K

-30.93%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$153 R 2,511

-42.41%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$35.61 R 584

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$39.04 R 641

-49.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$33.00 R 541

94.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.59

$13.55 R 222

41.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$7.29 R 120

-8.78%

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

$371 ₾961

$310 R 5,092

19.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$7,429 R 121.9K

23.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$51.6 R 846

98.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$27.96 R 459

41.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$97.0 R 1,591

21.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$79.2 R 1,299

51.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$377 R 6,179

83.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$353 R 5,785

30.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,523

$640 R 10.5K

112.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$732 R 12.0K

22.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

$764 R 12.5K

198.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

$575 R 9,430

139.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

11.78

6.37%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 23.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 19.5% $46

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 27.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 32.7% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 88.8% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 38.7% $30

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 53.4% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Tbilisi versus $377 in Hillcrest. 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 $38 in Hillcrest. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Tbilisi vs $189 in Hillcrest – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.343 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.343 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Hillcrest 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi, $1,081 in Hillcrest – Hillcrest comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,918 per month in Tbilisi and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $690 in Tbilisi.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Tbilisi and $310 in Hillcrest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Tbilisi and $1,081 in Hillcrest. That makes Hillcrest about 15% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Tbilisi and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $1,278 in Tbilisi. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.