Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kigali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $881 in Kigali.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kigali $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,373 in Kigali.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kigali $1,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,865 in Kigali.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kigali $1,865

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 44% more expensive than in Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kigali 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.74 RWF 4,030

324.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$30.98 RWF 45.6K

22.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.89 RWF 10.1K

40.20%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.44 RWF 3,586

46.31%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.80 RWF 1,170

35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.58 RWF 857

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.04 RWF 1,525

151.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.42 RWF 3,555

25.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.85 RWF 1,255

155.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.02 RWF 1,506

-21.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.31 RWF 1,931

32.82%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.68 RWF 2,469

68.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$4.11 RWF 6,046

126.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.63 RWF 6,804

40.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$4.43 RWF 6,523

192.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.43 RWF 3,569

-30.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.77 RWF 1,132

140.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.55 RWF 2,284

27.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.08 RWF 1,585

124.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.48 RWF 702

70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.71 RWF 1,040

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.66 RWF 971

103.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.80 RWF 1,172

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.98 RWF 2,915

80.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$10.11 RWF 14.9K

-24.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.04 RWF 1,529

63.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.54 RWF 2,265

55.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.35 RWF 516

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$25.84 RWF 38.0K

-41.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.76 RWF 4,059

-58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.98 RWF 2,915

-60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$3.41 RWF 5,024

246.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.88 RWF 2,770

-22.87%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$26.3K RWF 38.7M

-6.60%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$29.9K RWF 44.0M

-25.32%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$83.6 RWF 123.0K

6.18%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$6.96 RWF 10.2K

88.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$21.33 RWF 31.4K

-7.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$29.27 RWF 43.1K

118.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$4.15 RWF 6,109

358.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.47 RWF 5,102

105.19%

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

$375 ₾971

$111 RWF 163.4K

237.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

10.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$17.52 RWF 25.8K

491.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$15.25 RWF 22.4K

157.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$22.03 RWF 32.4K

432.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$33.75 RWF 49.6K

260.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$672 RWF 988.3K

3.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$415 RWF 610.0K

8.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,358 RWF 2.0M

-0.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$838 RWF 1.2M

8.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$3,389 RWF 5.0M

-32.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$3,078 RWF 4.5M

-56.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$279 RWF 410.7K

137.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

16.2

-22.10%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kigali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kigali

$415 47.1% 8.1% $36

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kigali

$151 17.2% 35.3% $83

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kigali

$87 9.9% 54.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kigali

$40 4.5% 76.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kigali

$112 12.7% 7.9% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kigali

$36 4.1% 53.8% $42

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kigali

$40 4.5% 82.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $672 in Kigali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $31 in Kigali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $151 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, 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).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Kigali 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kigali

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 Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Tbilisi is about 2.4 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 $672 in Kigali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kigali – a meal for two runs $31 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kigali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Kigali 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 Kigali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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