Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kelachay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kelachay: $537 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Kelachay
Learn more

Kelachay Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Kelachay

🇮🇷 Iran

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kelachay

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $537 in Kelachay, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Kelachay $537

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $846 in Kelachay, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Kelachay $846

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,156 in Kelachay, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Kelachay $1,156

Tbilisi costs about 137% more than Kelachay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Kelachay are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Kelachay 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$2.98 $2.98

286.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$16.73 $16.73

128.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$3.97 $3.97

146.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$1.10 $1.10

222.73%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.51 $0.51

107.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$1.02 $1.02

-39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$0.65 $0.65

232.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.49 $0.49

55.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.09 $2.09

-16.75%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.18 $1.18

136.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$4.48 $4.48

105.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$3.45 $3.45

89.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$10.12 $10.12

26.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.08 $1.08

54.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.54 $1.54

20.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$0.86 $0.86

130.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$0.56 $0.56

348.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.54 $0.54

61.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.47 $0.47

55.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.57 $0.57

149.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.26 $0.26

176.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.49 $2.49

35.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.13 $0.13

184.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$9.58 $9.58

62.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$0.41 $0.41

178.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.29 $0.29

172.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$2.65 $2.65

336.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$0.09 $0.09

1566.67%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$50.7K $50.7K

-51.45%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$44.3K $44.3K

-49.46%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$13.26 $13.26

565.54%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$1.56 $1.56

738.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$3.66 $3.66

433.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$18.43 $18.43

248.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$13.26 $13.26

44.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$1.98 $1.98

253.03%

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

$373 ₾966

$109 $109

241.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$2,447 $2,447

336.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$22.89 $22.89

348.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$28.16 $28.16

43.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$97.2 $97.2

19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$73.8 $73.8

65.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$292 $292

132.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$215 $215

111.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$810 $810

57.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$359 $359

148.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,152 $1,152

109.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$530 $530

167.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

24.3

-48.07%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kelachay: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Kelachay

$215 40% 52.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Kelachay

$114 21.3% 50.8% $118

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kelachay

$55 10.3% 71.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kelachay

$100 18.6% 41.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Kelachay

$18 3.4% 84.7% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kelachay

$22 4.2% 71.4% $56

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kelachay

$12 2.2% 46% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $292 in Kelachay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $17.00 in Kelachay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $114 – making Kelachay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇷 Kelachay

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

30 min behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

12,379

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Kelachay 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kelachay

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 Kelachay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $805 in Kelachay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kelachay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Kelachay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $109 in Kelachay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kelachay, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Kelachay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kelachay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kelachay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.