Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Malayer

For one person, living is cheaper in Malayer: $531 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Malayer
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Malayer Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Malayer

🇮🇷 Iran

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Malayer

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $531 in Malayer.

Tbilisi $1,269
Malayer $531

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $844 in Malayer.

Tbilisi $2,016
Malayer $844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,156 in Malayer.

Tbilisi $2,763
Malayer $1,156

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 139% more expensive than in Malayer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Malayer 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.41 $3.41

241.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$16.23 $16.23

133.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$3.49 $3.49

176.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.66 $0.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.17 $1.17

205.13%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.52 $0.52

107.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.09 $1.09

-48.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.69 $0.69

214.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.48 $0.48

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.08 $2.08

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.18 $1.18

139.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$4.40 $4.40

111.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.33 $3.33

95.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$10.16 $10.16

27.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.03 $1.03

63.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.54 $1.54

20.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$0.82 $0.82

140.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$0.55 $0.55

340.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.54 $0.54

51.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.51 $0.51

45.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.57 $0.57

135.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.26 $0.26

196.15%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.54 $2.54

40.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.16 $0.16

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$9.86 $9.86

54.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.44 $0.44

159.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.33 $0.33

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$2.37 $2.37

399.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.09 $0.09

1511.11%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$50.6K $50.6K

-51.38%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$45.1K $45.1K

-50.42%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$14.51 $14.51

511.99%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$1.60 $1.60

720.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$3.41 $3.41

476.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$18.67 $18.67

243.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$12.85 $12.85

48.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$1.78 $1.78

300.00%

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

$375 ₾971

$108 $108

246.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$2,196 $2,196

376.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$22.38 $22.38

363.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$25.93 $25.93

51.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$96.2 $96.2

22.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$70.9 $70.9

71.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$292 $292

138.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$208 $208

116.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$789 $789

71.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$360 $360

151.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,166 $1,166

96.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$529 $529

154.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$216 $216

207.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

24.3

-48.07%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Malayer: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Malayer

$208 39.2% 53.9% $243

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Malayer

$114 21.4% 51.5% $120

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Malayer

$58 11% 69.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Malayer

$97 18.3% 43.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Malayer

$20 3.7% 83.9% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Malayer

$22 4.2% 71.6% $56

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Malayer

$13 2.4% 42.5% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $292 in Malayer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $16 in Malayer for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $114 per month, with Malayer cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇷 Malayer

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

30 min behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

170,237

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Malayer 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Malayer

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 Malayer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malayer is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Tbilisi is about 3.1 times higher, 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 $292 in Malayer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $108 in Malayer. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $531 in Malayer versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Malayer but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Malayer 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.

Expats usually find Malayer gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.