Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 18% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kawagoe 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$6.33 ¥1,000

83.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$41.23 ¥6,507

-8.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.95 ¥782

95.15%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.50 ¥552

2.00%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.92 ¥145

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.52 ¥82.6

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.91 ¥301

37.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.74 ¥432

10.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.15 ¥182

88.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.28 ¥202

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$3.67 ¥579

-52.59%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.08 ¥328

36.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$6.34 ¥1,001

46.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$5.90 ¥932

10.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$14.16 ¥2,236

-8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$5.82 ¥918

-71.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.34 ¥369

-20.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.88 ¥455

-31.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$3.12 ¥492

-22.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.54 ¥401

-67.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.85 ¥292

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.27 ¥201

5.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.76 ¥120

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.83 ¥604

-6.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.65 ¥734

64.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.81 ¥286

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.03 ¥320

18.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$2.97 ¥469

-86.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$52.8 ¥8,338

-71.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.11 ¥491

-63.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$2.63 ¥415

-70.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$20.31 ¥3,205

-41.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.06 ¥168

36.79%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$15.6K ¥2.5M

57.37%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

73.98%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$133 ¥21.0K

-33.20%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$22.18 ¥3,500

-40.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$31.10 ¥4,909

-36.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$43.19 ¥6,817

48.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$30.97 ¥4,888

-38.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$10.95 ¥1,729

-34.98%

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

$375 ₾971

$320 ¥50.6K

17.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$6,292 ¥993.1K

66.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$31.66 ¥4,997

227.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$33.72 ¥5,323

16.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$43.55 ¥6,874

169.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$93.2 ¥14.7K

30.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$407 ¥64.2K

70.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$267 ¥42.1K

69.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$862 ¥136.1K

57.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$605 ¥95.5K

49.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,474 ¥390.5K

-7.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,772 ¥279.6K

-24.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,597 ¥252.0K

-58.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

1.6

688.75%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 40.9% $184

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 9.6% $23

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 32.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 47.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 53.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 16.9% $13

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 270% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kawagoe pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $41 in Kawagoe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $257 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

5 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

350,745

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, 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 = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

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Tbilisi Kawagoe 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kawagoe

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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $41 in Kawagoe. 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 $1,075 in Kawagoe – Kawagoe is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.