Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kukes

For one person, living is cheaper in Kukes: $750 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Kukes
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Kukes Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Kukes

🇦🇱 Albania

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kukes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $750 in Kukes.

Tbilisi $1,269
Kukes $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,115 in Kukes.

Tbilisi $2,016
Kukes $1,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,480 in Kukes.

Tbilisi $2,763
Kukes $1,480

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 69% more expensive than in Kukes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Kukes 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.63 ALL 293

220.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$22.06 ALL 1,782

71.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.57 ALL 612

27.61%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.49 ALL 121

139.60%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.40 ALL 113

-22.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.64 ALL 51.5

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.89 ALL 153

38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.25 ALL 182

35.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.59 ALL 128

36.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.78 ALL 63.0

2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.10 ALL 170

-17.14%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.72 ALL 220

4.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$9.23 ALL 745

0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$7.39 ALL 597

-11.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$10.49 ALL 847

23.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$0.98 ALL 79.0

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.91 ALL 154

-3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$0.95 ALL 76.4

107.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.59 ALL 129

52.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.77 ALL 62.3

6.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.02 ALL 82.3

-27.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.08 ALL 87.3

24.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.70 ALL 56.6

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.41 ALL 356

-19.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$7.51 ALL 607

2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.09 ALL 88.0

55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.64 ALL 132

46.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.50 ALL 40.72

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$19.35 ALL 1,563

-21.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.80 ALL 307

-70.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$3.80 ALL 307

-79.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$4.91 ALL 396

140.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$2.25 ALL 182

-35.56%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$33.8K ALL 2.7M

-27.36%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

-10.08%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$61.4 ALL 4,962

44.53%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$16.50 ALL 1,332

-20.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$17.09 ALL 1,380

15.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$57.5 ALL 4,640

11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$12.40 ALL 1,002

53.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.62 ALL 292

96.69%

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

$375 ₾971

$99.3 ALL 8,022

278.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$37.24 ALL 3,008

178.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$28.06 ALL 2,267

39.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$50.2 ALL 4,055

133.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$44.89 ALL 3,626

171.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$235 ALL 18.9K

196.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$175 ALL 14.1K

158.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$281 ALL 22.7K

383.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$207 ALL 16.7K

337.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,941 ALL 156.8K

18.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,312 ALL 106.0K

2.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$544 ALL 43.9K

22.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

152.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kukes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Kukes

$175 23.3% 61.3% $277

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Kukes

$208 27.7% 11.1% $26

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Kukes

$92 12.2% 51.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Kukes

$72 9.6% 58% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Kukes

$95 12.7% 21.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Kukes

$65 8.6% 17.4% $14

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Kukes

$44 5.9% 102% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $235 in Kukes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 22% 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 $22 in Kukes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $208 per month, with Kukes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇦🇱 Kukes

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

21:27 9:27 PM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

47,985

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.91 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Kukes 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Kukes

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 Kukes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kukes is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $235 in Kukes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 21% less than in Kukes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $99 in Kukes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $750 in Kukes versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kukes but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Kukes 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.

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