Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kalar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
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Kalar Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kalar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $500 in Kalar.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kalar $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $745 in Kalar.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kalar $745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $991 in Kalar.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kalar $991

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 154% more expensive than in Kalar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kalar 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$4.18 IQD 6,309

178.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

259.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$3.07 IQD 4,643

214.66%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$0.85 IQD 1,283

320.00%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.45 IQD 682

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.14 IQD 214

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$5.49 IQD 8,284

-52.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.93 IQD 5,936

-22.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.92 IQD 1,387

135.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.72 IQD 1,090

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.29 IQD 1,945

34.88%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.12 IQD 1,697

152.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$2.90 IQD 4,373

221.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$2.00 IQD 3,018

226.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

19.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.81 IQD 1,218

107.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.97 IQD 1,461

90.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$0.85 IQD 1,285

131.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$0.70 IQD 1,052

245.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.58 IQD 873

41.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.63 IQD 948

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.60 IQD 908

123.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.39 IQD 585

97.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.09 IQD 3,163

70.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

-28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.46 IQD 2,212

16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.86 IQD 2,813

29.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.49 IQD 739

-18.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

-41.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.67 IQD 2,524

-31.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.55 IQD 2,345

-49.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$3.34 IQD 5,036

254.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.54 IQD 814

168.52%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

68.02%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

36.00%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$46.19 IQD 69.7K

92.25%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

12.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$20.88 IQD 31.5K

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

281.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

-41.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

5.64%

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

$375 ₾971

$43.60 IQD 65.8K

761.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

701.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

854.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

226.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

410.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

331.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$151 IQD 227.8K

360.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$92.5 IQD 139.7K

387.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$246 IQD 371.3K

450.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$126 IQD 189.6K

621.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$874 IQD 1.3M

162.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$392 IQD 591.3K

243.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$300 IQD 453.1K

121.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

2.53

398.81%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kalar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kalar

$93 18.5% 79.5% $359

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kalar

$137 27.4% 41.6% $97

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kalar

$91 18.1% 52.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kalar

$33 6.7% 80.6% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kalar

$79 15.8% 35.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kalar

$30 6.1% 61.4% $48

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kalar

$38 7.5% 71.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $151 in Kalar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 2.2 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $11 in Kalar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $137 per month, with Kalar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇶 Kalar

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

250,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,681 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Kalar 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kalar

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 Kalar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalar is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Tbilisi is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $151 in Kalar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalar – a meal for two runs $11 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $500 in Kalar – Kalar is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kalar versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalar but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Kalar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Kalar wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.