Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kaluga

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaluga: $1,021 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Kaluga
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Kaluga Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kaluga

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kaluga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $1,021 in Kaluga.

Tbilisi $1,278
Kaluga $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,594 in Kaluga.

Tbilisi $2,017
Kaluga $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $2,168 in Kaluga.

Tbilisi $2,755
Kaluga $2,168

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 25% more expensive than in Kaluga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Kaluga 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$10.25 ₽840

13.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$37.27 ₽3,055

3.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$4.96 ₽407

96.37%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.62 ₽215

35.88%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$0.92 ₽75.3

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.58 ₽47.85

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$1.44 ₽118

89.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$1.82 ₽149

71.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$1.26 ₽103

69.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.99 ₽81.5

-24.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$2.42 ₽198

-25.62%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.05 ₽168

36.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$13.66 ₽1,120

-30.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$6.81 ₽558

2.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.83

$14.45 ₽1,185

-12.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.83 ₽150

-10.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.72 ₽141

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.71 ₽140

15.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$2.86 ₽234

-13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.54 ₽44.61

38.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$0.56 ₽45.61

19.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.49 ₽122

-5.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.82 ₽67.1

-12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.18 ₽261

10.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$8.61 ₽705

-8.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.21 ₽99.4

40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$2.73 ₽224

-13.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$0.45 ₽36.53

-15.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.56

$18.83 ₽1,544

-18.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.95 ₽77.5

25.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$6.71 ₽550

77.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$0.86 ₽70.3

69.77%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$53.1K ₽4.4M

-52.96%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-45.37%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$126 ₽10.3K

-30.19%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$6.13 ₽503

107.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$9.38 ₽769

110.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$49.75 ₽4,078

29.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.59

$24.64 ₽2,019

-22.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$3.65 ₽299

82.19%

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

$371 ₾961

$341 ₽28.0K

8.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$97.7 ₽8,004

4.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$37.38 ₽3,064

6.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$184 ₽15.0K

-35.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$94.5 ₽7,744

26.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$302 ₽24.8K

128.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$223 ₽18.2K

107.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,523

$627 ₽51.4K

117.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$367 ₽30.1K

144.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

$1,541 ₽126.3K

47.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

$1,302 ₽106.7K

5.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

$662 ₽54.2K

7.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

23.12

-45.80%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kaluga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Kaluga

$223 21.8% 51.7% $239

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Kaluga

$247 24.2% 4.9% $12

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kaluga

$145 14.2% 24.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Kaluga

$186 18.2% 8.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Kaluga

$142 13.9% 17.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Kaluga

$57 5.6% 26.5% $21

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kaluga

$22 * 2.1% 0.6% $0.1

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 $690 in Tbilisi and $302 in Kaluga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 7% 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 $37 in Kaluga. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $247, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Kaluga

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

331,842

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.343 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.343 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.97 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.27 RUB (100 RUB = 1.08 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Kaluga 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kaluga

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 Kaluga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Tbilisi and $1,021 in Kaluga, so Kaluga is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Tbilisi, 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: $690 in Tbilisi versus $302 in Kaluga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 19% less than in Kaluga. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $341 in Kaluga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kaluga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Kaluga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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