Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,053 in Ilmenau, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Ilmenau, Germany
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Ilmenau
🇩🇪 Germany
$2,053
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Ilmenau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,053 in Ilmenau.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Ilmenau $2,053

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $2,519 in Ilmenau.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Ilmenau $2,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,986 in Ilmenau.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Ilmenau $2,986

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 38% less than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Ilmenau is 51% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$11.31 €10.16
2.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$67.1 €60.3
-43.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$11.04 €9.92
-12.50%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.42 €3.07
4.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$4.07 €3.66
-73.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$7.61 €6.83
-92.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$4.51 €4.05
-41.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$4.95 €4.44
-38.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$1.12 €1.01
93.75%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$2.11 €1.89
-62.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$3.30 €2.96
-47.27%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$3.21 €2.89
-11.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$14.17 €12.73
-34.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$10.28 €9.24
-36.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$17.89 €16.07
-27.61%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$2.86 €2.57
-41.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.46 €1.32
26.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$3.55 €3.19
-44.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$3.82 €3.43
-36.65%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$2.09 €1.88
-60.77%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.36 €1.22
-45.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$1.62 €1.46
-17.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.87 €0.78
-11.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$9.34 €8.39
-61.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$6.26 €5.62
22.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$1.14 €1.02
49.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$1.52 €1.37
57.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$65.8 €59.1
-76.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$5.26 €4.73
-78.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$4.24 €3.81
-81.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$44.24 €39.75
-73.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$2.13 €1.92
-31.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$32.8K €29.5K
-25.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$37.4K €33.6K
-40.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$671 €603
-86.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$27.51 €24.71
-52.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$34.26 €30.77
-42.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$49.08 €44.09
30.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$13.16 €11.82
-45.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$455 €409
-17.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$92.4 €83.0
12.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$31.93 €28.68
22.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$121 €108
-2.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$113 €102
7.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$474 €426
46.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$438 €394
2.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$849 €763
59.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Ilmenau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$3,184 €2,860
-79.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
3.95
219.49%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Ilmenau
$438 2.8% $13
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Ilmenau
$309 32.3% $75
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Ilmenau
$244 27.9% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Ilmenau
$161 6.2% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Ilmenau
$733 503% $611
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Ilmenau
$75 3.7% $2.9
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Ilmenau
$92 * 321% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $474 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $67 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $309 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇩🇪 Ilmenau
🕒 Local time
01:34 1:34 AM
22:34 10:34 PM
3 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
39,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Ilmenau 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Ilmenau

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 Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tbilisi and in Ilmenau?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $2,053 in Ilmenau, so Tbilisi is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 79% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Tbilisi and in Ilmenau?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $474 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Tbilisi or Ilmenau?
All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $2,053 in Ilmenau – Tbilisi is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Tbilisi and in Ilmenau?
A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 77% less than in Ilmenau. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,053 in Ilmenau, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Ilmenau. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Ilmenau?
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.
Is Tbilisi or Ilmenau safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Ilmenau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Tbilisi and Ilmenau?
It comes down to priorities – Tbilisi wins on affordability, Ilmenau on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?