Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,270 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
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Kirkwall Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kirkwall

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $2,121 in Kirkwall.

Tbilisi $1,270
Kirkwall $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $3,026 in Kirkwall.

Tbilisi $2,008
Kirkwall $3,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $3,931 in Kirkwall.

Tbilisi $2,745
Kirkwall $3,931

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 40% less than in Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 6% below, Kirkwall is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$23.63 £17.73

-51.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$94.8 £71.1

-59.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$10.57 £7.93

-7.28%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$3.92 £2.94

-9.44%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$3.26 £2.44

-67.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$1.31 £0.98

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$6.20 £4.65

-55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$8.47 £6.36

-64.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$0.79 £0.59

173.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.58 £1.19

-51.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.05 £1.54

-15.12%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$3.22 £2.42

-13.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$6.59 £4.95

39.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$8.97 £6.73

-27.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$15.90 £11.92

-19.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.20 £1.65

-24.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.97 £1.48

-6.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.57 £1.18

26.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.32 £0.99

90.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.11 £0.83

-21.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.09 £0.82

-33.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.77 £0.58

84.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$1.08 £0.81

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$20.10 £15.08

-83.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$9.18 £6.89

-14.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$2.71 £2.03

-40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.88 £2.16

-17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$10.51 £7.89

-96.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$107 £80.4

-85.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$5.19 £3.90

-78.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$2.58 £1.93

-69.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$27.06 £20.30

-57.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$2.05 £1.54

-26.83%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$37.8K £28.4K

-34.93%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$41.2K £30.9K

-45.65%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$282 £212

-68.76%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$30.12 £22.60

-56.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$33.04 £24.79

-40.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$41.73 £31.31

53.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$11.46 £8.60

-39.01%

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

$373 ₾966

$1,237 £928

-69.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$91.5 £68.7

12.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$43.72 £32.80

-7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$95.0 £71.3

22.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$138 £103

-11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$935 £701

-27.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$792 £594

-42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$1,182 £887

7.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$966 £725

-7.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$1,914 £1,436

-63.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.07

148.92%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 74.3% $338

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 8.3% $19

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 75.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 3.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 186% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 657% $145

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $935 in Kirkwall. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkwall pays 172% 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: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $95.0 in Kirkwall for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $252 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

7,500

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Kirkwall 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Kirkwall differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,270 vs $2,121 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 172% lower in Kirkwall. 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $935 in Kirkwall. 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 $38.00 versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,270 per month in Tbilisi versus $2,121 in Kirkwall – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $2,121 in Kirkwall, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Kirkwall. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Kirkwall 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 Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Kirkwall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.