Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Mashhad, Iraq
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,278
/mo nomad
Mashhad
🇮🇶 Iraq
$756
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $756 in Mashhad.

  • Tbilisi $1,278
  • Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

  • Tbilisi $2,017
  • Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

  • Tbilisi $2,755
  • Mashhad $1,481

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.62 ₾30.07
$4.49 IQD 6,781
158.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.41 ₾99.4
$26.73 IQD 40.4K
43.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 ₾25.20
$6.73 IQD 10.2K
44.73%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ₾9.21
$2.71 IQD 4,100
31.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.80
$0.36 IQD 542
200.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.46
$0.20 IQD 302
180.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.73 ₾7.05
$3.37 IQD 5,090
-18.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 ₾8.09
$3.39 IQD 5,126
-7.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ₾5.55
$0.91 IQD 1,368
135.16%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 ₾1.95
$0.73 IQD 1,106
2.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 ₾4.66
$1.32 IQD 1,997
36.36%
Eggs
$2.80 ₾7.25
$0.82 IQD 1,242
241.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.43 ₾24.41
$3.41 IQD 5,157
176.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.00 ₾18.10
$1.98 IQD 2,985
253.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 ₾32.84
$2.95 IQD 4,463
330.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 ₾4.22
$1.03 IQD 1,556
58.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 ₾4.77
$0.91 IQD 1,377
102.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.09
$0.87 IQD 1,321
126.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.47 ₾6.39
$0.64 IQD 971
285.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₾1.95
$0.59 IQD 898
27.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.67 ₾1.74
$0.56 IQD 840
19.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 ₾3.66
$0.31 IQD 474
354.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.86
$0.21 IQD 321
242.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.51 ₾9.09
$0.77 IQD 1,168
355.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 ₾20.40
$11.82 IQD 17.9K
-33.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.41
$1.92 IQD 2,898
-11.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 ₾6.12
$1.87 IQD 2,832
26.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 ₾0.98
$0.34 IQD 520
11.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.29 ₾39.57
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ₾3.08
$1.96 IQD 2,965
-39.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.31 IQD 1,972
-43.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.89 ₾30.76
$6.42 IQD 9,699
85.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 ₾3.77
$0.54 IQD 810
170.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.0K ₾64.6K
$16.8K IQD 25.4M
48.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K ₾59.1K
$16.5K IQD 25.0M
38.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.1 ₾228
$191 IQD 288.5K
-53.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.71 ₾32.87
$19.44 IQD 29.4K
-34.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.79 ₾51.2
$38.59 IQD 58.3K
-48.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.3 ₾166
$36.79 IQD 55.6K
74.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.17 ₾49.60
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.65 ₾17.20
$9.69 IQD 14.6K
-31.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$371 ₾961
$143 IQD 215.6K
160.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,163 ₾23.7K
$3,191 IQD 4.8M
187.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 ₾264
$25.57 IQD 38.6K
299.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.65 ₾103
$34.03 IQD 51.4K
16.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₾306
$58.7 IQD 88.8K
101.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 ₾310
$42.44 IQD 64.1K
182.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$690 ₾1,785
$212 IQD 319.9K
225.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ₾1,193
$139 IQD 210.6K
230.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,362 ₾3,524
$378 IQD 571.7K
259.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$897 ₾2,321
$319 IQD 482.6K
180.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,277 ₾5,892
$862 IQD 1.3M
164.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,378 ₾3,565
$491 IQD 742.5K
180.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Mashhad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$710 ₾1,837
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.53
4.12
204.13%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$461
Mashhad
$139 69.8% $322
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$235
Mashhad
$115 51.1% $120
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Mashhad
$115 40.2% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$171
Mashhad
$72 57.6% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Mashhad
$249 106% $128
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Mashhad
$56 27.6% $21
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Mashhad
$9.9 * 54.5% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇮🇶 Mashhad
🕒 Local time
12:16 12:16 PM
11:16 11:16 AM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
13,000
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Mashhad 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tbilisi and in Mashhad?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Tbilisi and $756 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Mashhad?
You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $1,134 in Mashhad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Tbilisi and in Mashhad?
Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Tbilisi versus $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Mashhad?
Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,278 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Mashhad?
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.
Is Tbilisi or Mashhad safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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