Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,270 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Istanbul $3,256

Tbilisi is about 17% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tbilisi sits 6% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$11.96 ₺592

-3.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$57.2 ₺2,834

-33.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$9.51 ₺471

3.05%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$4.40 ₺218

-19.32%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.75 ₺86.6

-39.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.56 ₺27.57

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$4.71 ₺233

-41.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$6.14 ₺304

-51.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.24 ₺61.6

74.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.95 ₺47.25

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.28 ₺113

-23.68%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.45 ₺121

13.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$10.56 ₺523

-12.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$5.50 ₺272

18.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$21.65 ₺1,072

-40.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.83 ₺90.6

-8.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.29 ₺113

-19.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.28 ₺63.4

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.82 ₺90.1

37.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.66 ₺32.74

31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.63 ₺31.14

15.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.27 ₺62.8

11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.56 ₺27.62

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.36 ₺117

43.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$12.98 ₺642

-39.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$2.48 ₺123

-34.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$3.50 ₺174

-32.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.82 ₺40.77

-54.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$65.2 ₺3,228

-76.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.33 ₺65.7

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.90 ₺44.60

-12.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$10.91 ₺540

6.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.43 ₺70.7

4.90%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-50.32%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-48.21%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$88.8 ₺4,395

-0.59%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$11.69 ₺579

11.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$16.09 ₺797

21.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$76.3 ₺3,776

-15.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$22.72 ₺1,125

-15.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$8.26 ₺409

-15.38%

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

$373 ₾966

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-63.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-58.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$53.3 ₺2,636

92.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$40.55 ₺2,008

-0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$100 ₺4,956

16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$93.5 ₺4,630

30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$977 ₺48.4K

-30.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$627 ₺31.0K

-27.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-22.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-22.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,787 ₺88.5K

-20.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$1,213 ₺60.1K

-42.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

40.69

-68.99%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 38% $173

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 12.8% $30

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 16.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 24.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 3.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 18.7% $15

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 236% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $977 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $263 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Istanbul 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,270, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tbilisi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.