Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kocaeli

For one person, living costs are similar in Tbilisi and in Kocaeli: $1,269 and $1,233 a month, rent and utilities included.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Kocaeli, Turkey
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Kocaeli
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,233
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kocaeli

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,233 in Kocaeli, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Kocaeli $1,233

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,746 in Kocaeli, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Kocaeli $1,746

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,260 in Kocaeli, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Kocaeli $2,260

Tbilisi costs about 3% more than Kocaeli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Kocaeli are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Kocaeli 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$8.17 ₺407
42.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$30.06 ₺1,498
25.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$7.63 ₺380
26.61%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.53 ₺176
1.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.12 ₺56.0
-3.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.29 ₺14.21
93.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$2.58 ₺128
1.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$2.84 ₺141
7.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$0.92 ₺45.79
135.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$0.88 ₺43.92
-9.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$2.53 ₺126
-31.23%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$2.67 ₺133
5.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$9.58 ₺478
-2.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$3.93 ₺196
65.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$19.99 ₺996
-35.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$1.70 ₺84.9
-1.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.95 ₺97.4
-5.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$1.02 ₺50.6
93.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$1.20 ₺59.9
101.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$0.50 ₺24.67
64.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$0.43 ₺21.32
72.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$0.74 ₺37.12
81.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.65 ₺32.35
18.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$2.15 ₺107
66.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$8.27 ₺412
-7.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$2.16 ₺108
-21.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$2.23 ₺111
7.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.68 ₺33.79
-41.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$72.8 ₺3,630
-79.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$1.03 ₺51.1
10.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.33 ₺66.5
9.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$41.3K ₺2.1M
-40.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$38.5K ₺1.9M
-41.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$77.2 ₺3,845
15.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$11.50 ₺573
14.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$12.74 ₺635
54.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$53.3 ₺2,657
20.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$4.11 ₺205
363.26%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$5.06 ₺252
40.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$450 ₺22.4K
-16.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$6,102 ₺304.1K
71.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$48.22 ₺2,403
114.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$53.6 ₺2,669
-26.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$118 ₺5,891
-0.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$99.6 ₺4,965
22.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$778 ₺38.7K
-10.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$471 ₺23.5K
-4.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$1,212 ₺60.4K
11.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$564 ₺28.1K
60.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$1,011 ₺50.4K
127.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$810 ₺40.4K
65.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Kocaeli
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$1,182 ₺58.9K
-43.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
41
-69.22%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kocaeli: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Kocaeli
$471 4.4% $20
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Kocaeli
$222 4.9% $12
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Kocaeli
$155 18.8% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Kocaeli
$144 16.3% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Kocaeli
$101 16.6% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Kocaeli
$63 19% $15
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Kocaeli
$77 * 250% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $778 in Kocaeli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 78% higher in Kocaeli, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $30 in Kocaeli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $222 – making Kocaeli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇹🇷 Kocaeli
🕒 Local time
21:45 9:45 PM
20:45 8:45 PM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
2,079,072
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Kocaeli 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Kocaeli

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 Kocaeli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tbilisi or Kocaeli?
Tbilisi costs about 3% more than Kocaeli, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Tbilisi and in Kocaeli?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,850 in Kocaeli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Tbilisi or Kocaeli?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $778 in Kocaeli.
How much does it cost to live in Tbilisi compared to Kocaeli?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,233 in Kocaeli. That’s a gap of about 3%.
How expensive is transport in Tbilisi compared to Kocaeli?
Public transport costs about 79% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Tbilisi or in Kocaeli?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,233 in Kocaeli. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Tbilisi or Kocaeli?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,233 in Kocaeli to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Tbilisi compared to Kocaeli?
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.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?