Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $972 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kuching

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $972 in Kuching.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kuching $2,070

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 31% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.37 MYR 13.68

245.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$24.51 MYR 99.4

54.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.90 MYR 19.88

97.14%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.19 MYR 12.94

11.91%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.78 MYR 3.18

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.38 MYR 1.55

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$4.61 MYR 18.69

-43.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$5.96 MYR 24.18

-48.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.39 MYR 9.69

-9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.19 MYR 4.82

46.22%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.38 MYR 9.63

18.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$10.99 MYR 44.55

-15.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.34 MYR 17.58

50.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$10.00 MYR 40.53

29.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$3.17 MYR 12.86

-47.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.32 MYR 5.36

40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.52 MYR 10.23

-21.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.78 MYR 7.22

35.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-40.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.19 MYR 4.82

-37.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.61 MYR 6.53

-16.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.55 MYR 2.21

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.76 MYR 19.28

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$22.25 MYR 90.2

-65.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$4.13 MYR 16.73

-58.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$5.06 MYR 20.50

-52.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.36 MYR 1.46

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$7.48 MYR 30.32

103.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.97 MYR 3.93

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.23 MYR 4.99

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.82 MYR 35.74

34.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.94 MYR 3.81

54.26%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

-46.50%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

-38.06%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$35.63 MYR 144

149.23%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$10.19 MYR 41.31

28.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$25.50 MYR 103

-22.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$33.85 MYR 137

89.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$12.26 MYR 49.69

55.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$4.87 MYR 19.75

46.20%

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

$375 ₾971

$135 MYR 548

177.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

46.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$64.1 MYR 260

61.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$37.52 MYR 152

4.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$90.0 MYR 365

30.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$64.6 MYR 262

88.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$469 MYR 1,902

48.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$334 MYR 1,354

35.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$834 MYR 3,382

62.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$654 MYR 2,653

38.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,053 MYR 8,322

11.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,534 MYR 6,217

-12.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$535 MYR 2,170

24.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.37

188.79%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 26% $117

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kuching

$272 28% 16.4% $38

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 37.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 32.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 41.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 44.3% $35

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 26.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 24% 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 $25 in Kuching. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $272, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

349,147

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 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 = 0.346 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Kuching 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kuching

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 Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $25 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $972 in Kuching – Kuching is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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