Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Mataram

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $608 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Mataram
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Mataram

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $608 in Mataram.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Mataram $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $967 in Mataram.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Mataram $967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $1,327 in Mataram.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Mataram $1,327

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 109% more expensive than in Mataram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Mataram 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$0.93 Rp 16.8K
1137.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$9.22 Rp 166.0K
315.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$3.21 Rp 57.8K
205.30%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$1.47 Rp 26.4K
141.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$0.44 Rp 7,889
140.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$0.31 Rp 5,491
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$2.71 Rp 48.8K
1.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$3.45 Rp 62.1K
-13.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.38 Rp 24.9K
56.52%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$1.47 Rp 26.4K
-48.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$0.80 Rp 14.5K
117.50%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
87.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$7.12 Rp 128.2K
29.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$3.00 Rp 54.1K
117.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$7.39 Rp 133.0K
73.34%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
-26.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.25 Rp 22.4K
48.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$1.70 Rp 30.6K
16.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$1.29 Rp 23.1K
94.57%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$1.24 Rp 22.3K
-29.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$1.94 Rp 34.9K
-62.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$0.73 Rp 13.1K
94.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$0.40 Rp 7,214
80.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$2.63 Rp 47.3K
28.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$20.99 Rp 377.9K
-62.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$1.91 Rp 34.4K
-15.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$3.04 Rp 54.7K
-21.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$0.27 Rp 4,838
37.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$0.50 Rp 8,960
128.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.35 Rp 6,222
125.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
$2.72 Rp 48.9K
325.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$0.62 Rp 11.2K
141.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
$23.8K Rp 428.7M
3.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
$30.6K Rp 551.3M
-26.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$66.0 Rp 1.2M
33.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$3.96 Rp 71.3K
230.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$19.47 Rp 350.5K
0.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
$19.35 Rp 348.4K
231.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
$8.15 Rp 146.8K
135.34%
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
$2.85 Rp 51.2K
145.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$94.8 Rp 1.7M
293.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$7,572 Rp 136.3M
41.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
$44.19 Rp 795.3K
132.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
$28.84 Rp 519.0K
40.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
$73.5 Rp 1.3M
58.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
$71.4 Rp 1.3M
70.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
$225 Rp 4.0M
200.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
$133 Rp 2.4M
241.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
$530 Rp 9.5M
140.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
$356 Rp 6.4M
150.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
$1,184 Rp 21.3M
103.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
$796 Rp 14.3M
78.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Mataram
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
$222 Rp 4.0M
216.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
9.46
33.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mataram: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Mataram
$133 70.7% $321
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Mataram
$201 13.5% $32
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Mataram
$58 69.5% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Mataram
$98 42.9% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Mataram
$89 26% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Mataram
$25 68% $53
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Mataram
$3.3 * 85.1% $19

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 $677 in Tbilisi and $225 in Mataram. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 216% 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: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $9.00 in Mataram for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $201 per month, with Mataram cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇮🇩 Mataram
🕒 Local time
17:19 5:19 PM
21:19 9:19 PM
4 h ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
402,843
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Mataram 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Mataram

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 Mataram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tbilisi and in Mataram?
Tbilisi and Mataram differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($1,270 vs $608 including rent). Mataram is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Tbilisi or Mataram?
Average pay runs 216% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Tbilisi and in Mataram?
Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Tbilisi versus $225 in Mataram. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Tbilisi or Mataram?
All in, you'll spend $1,270 per month in Tbilisi versus $608 in Mataram – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $608 in Mataram versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mataram but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Mataram the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Mataram?
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 Mataram safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Mataram are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Tbilisi or Mataram?
Expats usually find Mataram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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