Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kandy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $513 in Kandy.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $728 in Kandy.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $943 in Kandy.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kandy $943

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 147% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kandy 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.66 LKR 885

337.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$13.01 LKR 4,324

190.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.00 LKR 1,996

61.00%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.90 LKR 632

87.89%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.52 LKR 174

107.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.26 LKR 87.1

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.86 LKR 620

40.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.80 LKR 931

8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.15 LKR 382

88.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.52 LKR 174

53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.77 LKR 255

125.97%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.71 LKR 568

65.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$5.14 LKR 1,708

81.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.25 LKR 1,412

53.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$6.87 LKR 2,285

88.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-46.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.84 LKR 280

120.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.73 LKR 574

13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.29 LKR 429

87.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.02 LKR 339

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.83 LKR 277

-10.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.43 LKR 144

211.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.42 LKR 140

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-55.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$11.28 LKR 3,751

-32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.93 LKR 643

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.08 LKR 691

15.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.16 LKR 53.3

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$4.38 LKR 1,457

247.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.41 LKR 136

178.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.35 LKR 116

122.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$0.47 LKR 156

2417.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.15 LKR 383

26.09%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

75.86%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-39.21%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

50.48%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$3.86 LKR 1,282

239.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$12.72 LKR 4,227

54.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$10.85 LKR 3,606

490.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$6.80 LKR 2,262

180.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$2.74 LKR 909

159.85%

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

$375 ₾971

$21.65 LKR 7,199

1634.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$304 LKR 101.0K

3347.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$18.28 LKR 6,078

466.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$10.15 LKR 3,375

286.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

73.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$26.56 LKR 8,831

358.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$172 LKR 57.2K

304.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$113 LKR 37.5K

299.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$172 LKR 57.2K

687.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

867.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$397 LKR 131.9K

478.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$400 LKR 133.0K

236.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$262 LKR 86.9K

154.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.17%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kandy

$113 22% 75% $338

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 29.1% $68

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 57.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 67.9% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 37.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 79.2% $62

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 67.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

23:09 11:09 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

125,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Kandy 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. The 147% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Tbilisi is about 2.5 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 $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $513 in Kandy – a 147% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 71% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $513 in Kandy versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandy but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Kandy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kandy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Kandy are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.