Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,168 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Irkutsk
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Irkutsk Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Irkutsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,168

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Irkutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,168 in Irkutsk.

Tbilisi $1,269
Irkutsk $1,168

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,712 in Irkutsk.

Tbilisi $2,016
Irkutsk $1,712

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,256 in Irkutsk.

Tbilisi $2,763
Irkutsk $2,256

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 9% more expensive than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Irkutsk 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$9.23 ₽744

26.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$36.50 ₽2,940

3.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.13 ₽494

57.59%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.09 ₽249

15.53%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.62 ₽130

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.65 ₽52.5

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.41 ₽194

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.73 ₽300

-18.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.25 ₽100

73.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.64 ₽51.2

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.54 ₽124

12.99%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.67 ₽134

69.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$11.87 ₽956

-21.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$7.44 ₽599

-12.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$12.70 ₽1,023

1.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.20 ₽177

-23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.98 ₽159

-6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.69 ₽136

16.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$3.51 ₽282

-31.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.71 ₽56.9

15.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.72 ₽58.0

2.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.52 ₽122

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.67 ₽54.1

14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.31 ₽266

7.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$7.89 ₽636

-2.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.03 ₽83.3

65.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.03 ₽163

18.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.53 ₽43.06

-24.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$19.42 ₽1,564

-21.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.26 ₽102

-9.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.18 ₽14.45

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$9.22 ₽742

28.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.84 ₽67.6

72.62%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$54.6K ₽4.4M

-55.01%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-46.62%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$124 ₽9,963

-28.22%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$6.10 ₽491

115.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$11.77 ₽948

67.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$71.9 ₽5,790

-10.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$21.96 ₽1,768

-13.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.82 ₽549

4.40%

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

$375 ₾971

$403 ₽32.5K

-6.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$3,288 ₽264.8K

218.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$78.5 ₽6,324

31.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$25.13 ₽2,024

56.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$105 ₽8,420

12.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$118 ₽9,531

2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$535 ₽43.1K

29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$380 ₽30.6K

18.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$791 ₽63.7K

71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$497 ₽40.0K

82.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,799 ₽225.4K

-18.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,886 ₽151.9K

-28.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$683 ₽55.0K

-2.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

24.57

-48.64%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Irkutsk

$380 32.5% 15.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Irkutsk

$232 19.9% 0.7% $1.6

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Irkutsk

$158 13.5% 17.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Irkutsk

$147 12.6% 14.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Irkutsk

$142 12.1% 16.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Irkutsk

$86 7.3% 9.2% $7.2

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Irkutsk

$24 2% 8.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $535 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Irkutsk pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $37 in Irkutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $232 per month, with Irkutsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Irkutsk

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

617,515

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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 = 0.347 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Irkutsk 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Irkutsk

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 Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% 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 $535 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 22% less than in Irkutsk. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,168 in Irkutsk – Irkutsk is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Irkutsk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.