Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $946 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kota Kinabalu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $946 in Kota Kinabalu.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kota Kinabalu $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,398 in Kota Kinabalu.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kota Kinabalu $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,850 in Kota Kinabalu.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kota Kinabalu $1,850

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 34% more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kota Kinabalu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.63 MYR 14.72

220.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$19.53 MYR 79.2

93.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.75 MYR 19.24

103.37%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.61 MYR 10.57

36.78%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.55 MYR 2.22

96.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.30 MYR 1.21

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.47 MYR 10.00

6.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.63 MYR 14.72

-16.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.81 MYR 7.32

19.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.32 MYR 5.36

-39.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.26 MYR 9.16

-23.01%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.53 MYR 14.30

-19.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$28.39 MYR 115

-67.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.76 MYR 15.25

73.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$6.62 MYR 26.82

95.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.24 MYR 9.09

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.45 MYR 5.88

27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.99 MYR 8.08

-1.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.98 MYR 8.04

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.74 MYR 7.07

-52.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.05 MYR 8.29

-63.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.94 MYR 3.81

42.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.48 MYR 1.94

60.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.91 MYR 19.89

-27.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$15.67 MYR 63.5

-51.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.82 MYR 15.47

-55.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.40 MYR 9.74

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.19 MYR 0.77

110.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$25.16 MYR 102

-39.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.01 MYR 8.13

-43.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.23 MYR 0.93

239.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.77 MYR 3.14

88.31%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$44.7K MYR 181.3K

-45.03%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

-36.77%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$70.5 MYR 286

25.96%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$9.30 MYR 37.69

41.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$32.18 MYR 130

-38.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$35.85 MYR 145

78.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$3.04 MYR 12.34

526.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$5.21 MYR 21.13

36.66%

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

$375 ₾971

$142 MYR 578

163.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$6,866 MYR 27.8K

52.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$82.7 MYR 335

25.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$37.42 MYR 152

4.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$92.8 MYR 376

26.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$49.47 MYR 201

146.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$619 MYR 2,511

12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$253 MYR 1,026

78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$708 MYR 2,870

91.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$376 MYR 1,523

141.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,810 MYR 7,339

26.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,097 MYR 4,447

22.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$584 MYR 2,366

13.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.9

223.59%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$253 26.8% 43.9% $198

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$290 30.7% 24% $56

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.3% 48.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kota Kinabalu

$118 12.5% 31.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kota Kinabalu

$112 11.8% 7.9% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$46 4.9% 40.9% $32

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$29 3.1% 32.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $619 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 14% 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 in Tbilisi vs $20 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $290, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

500,425

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Kota Kinabalu 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Tbilisi, 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 $619 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 39% less than in Kota Kinabalu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $142 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value at $946 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Kota Kinabalu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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