Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,242 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,242

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,242 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,242
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $1,962 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,192 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,962
Johannesburg $2,192

A family of three spends $2,682 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,978 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,682
Johannesburg $2,978

Tbilisi is about 12% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ₾28.46

$11.96 R 197

-8.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.21 ₾99.0

$44.08 R 727

-13.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 ₾24.84

$7.41 R 122

29.28%

Cappuccino

$3.59 ₾9.31

$2.47 R 40.67

45.34%

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

$1.03 ₾2.66

$1.17 R 19.36

-11.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.64

$0.87 R 14.41

-27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ₾7.10

$2.26 R 37.31

21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₾8.22

$2.78 R 45.86

14.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ₾5.53

$1.34 R 22.12

58.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.24 R 20.41

-40.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 ₾4.46

$1.78 R 29.33

-3.37%

Eggs

$2.78 ₾7.21

$2.64 R 43.59

5.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.48 ₾24.56

$8.42 R 139

12.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 ₾16.71

$5.36 R 88.4

20.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ₾33.76

$8.43 R 139

54.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ₾4.37

$2.05 R 33.76

-17.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.76

$1.80 R 29.65

2.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ₾4.90

$1.84 R 30.32

2.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 ₾6.22

$2.03 R 33.47

18.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₾2.17

$1.71 R 28.23

-50.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₾1.75

$1.83 R 30.16

-62.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.68

$1.41 R 23.34

0.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$1.32 R 21.82

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 ₾9.22

$3.38 R 55.8

5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ₾19.39

$5.99 R 98.8

24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₾4.43

$1.84 R 30.31

-7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₾5.94

$2.44 R 40.28

-6.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.04

$2.05 R 33.85

-80.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.15 ₾39.27

$89.5 R 1,477

-83.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.82 R 13.58

45.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.03

$0.93 R 15.41

-16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 ₾30.50

$14.67 R 242

-19.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₾3.65

$1.50 R 24.77

-6.00%

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

$24.3K ₾62.9K

$36.0K R 594.6K

-32.70%

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

$21.7K ₾56.3K

$32.7K R 539.8K

-33.55%

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

$87.6 ₾227

$227 R 3,751

-61.46%

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

$13.33 ₾34.55

$37.98 R 627

-64.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.51 ₾50.6

$36.49 R 602

-46.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 ₾168

$36.84 R 608

75.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.85 ₾48.86

$17.39 R 287

8.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 ₾16.97

$7.84 R 129

-16.45%

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

$377 ₾978

$238 R 3,931

58.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₾27.5K

$5,563 R 91.8K

91.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$58.6 R 967

74.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.36 ₾105

$46.52 R 768

-13.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾302

$109 R 1,796

7.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₾314

$105 R 1,738

14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 ₾1,749

$496 R 8,177

36.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,170

$422 R 6,958

7.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₾3,305

$979 R 16.1K

30.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 ₾2,288

$892 R 14.7K

-1.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,415 ₾6,259

$964 R 15.9K

150.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ₾3,640

$757 R 12.5K

85.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$706 ₾1,830

$1,755 R 29.0K

-59.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.91

15.67%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.8%

Johannesburg

$422 29.9% 6.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$232 18.4%

Johannesburg

$216 15.3% 7.2% $17

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$186 14.8%

Johannesburg

$173 12.2% 7.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.6%

Johannesburg

$144 10.2% 16% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$120 9.6%

Johannesburg

$302 21.4% 151% $181

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Johannesburg

$53 3.7% 32.5% $25

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 372% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $675 in Tbilisi versus $496 in Johannesburg. 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 149% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $44.00 in Johannesburg. Groceries tell a different story – $232 in Tbilisi vs $216 in Johannesburg – so Johannesburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Johannesburg 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 13% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,863 per month in Tbilisi and $2,109 in Johannesburg. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $44.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,242 in Tbilisi and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,242, than in Johannesburg at $1,406. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,242 versus $1,406 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.