Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Mecca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $1,076 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Mecca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,076 in Mecca.

Tbilisi $1,269
Mecca $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,613 in Mecca.

Tbilisi $2,016
Mecca $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,151 in Mecca.

Tbilisi $2,763
Mecca $2,151

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 18% more expensive than in Mecca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Mecca 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$4.64 SAR 17.41

150.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$26.18 SAR 98.2

44.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.00 SAR 26.27

38.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 SAR 5.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.86

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.53 SAR 9.50

41.11%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.71 SAR 2.67

52.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.25 SAR 0.94

124.00%

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

$1.69 SAR 6.34

28.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.96 SAR 3.62

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.10 SAR 7.89

-17.14%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.50 SAR 9.39

13.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$5.91 SAR 22.16

57.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$8.18 SAR 30.71

-20.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$13.00 SAR 48.77

-0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.09 SAR 7.83

-19.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.62 SAR 6.06

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.60 SAR 5.99

23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.54 SAR 5.76

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.17 SAR 4.39

-29.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.32 SAR 4.94

-43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.09 SAR 4.08

22.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.54 SAR 2.03

42.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$6.70 SAR 25.16

-46.72%

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

$1.09 SAR 4.07

-63.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$45.74 SAR 172

-66.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.43 SAR 9.11

-53.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.77 SAR 6.65

-55.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$13.28 SAR 49.84

-10.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.61 SAR 2.27

137.70%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$26.5K SAR 99.5K

-7.30%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$21.4K SAR 80.2K

4.50%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$67.8 SAR 254

31.05%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$34.99 SAR 131

-62.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$61.9 SAR 232

-68.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$80.8 SAR 303

-20.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$41.97 SAR 157

-54.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$12.00 SAR 45.04

-40.67%

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

$375 ₾971

$757 SAR 2,840

-50.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$16.8K SAR 63.0K

-37.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$13.39 SAR 50.3

674.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$56.6 SAR 212

-30.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$39.94 SAR 150

193.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$52.6 SAR 197

131.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$603 SAR 2,264

15.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$386 SAR 1,449

16.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$903 SAR 3,388

50.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$620 SAR 2,327

46.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$5,392 SAR 20.2K

-57.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,411 SAR 5,293

-4.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,071 SAR 4,020

-38.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.25

140.38%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mecca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Mecca

$386 35.9% 14.4% $65

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Mecca

$194 18% 17.2% $40

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Mecca

$92 8.6% 51.5% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Mecca

$73 6.8% 57.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Mecca

$165 15.3% 35.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Mecca

$105 9.7% 33.8% $26

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Mecca

$61 5.7% 180% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $603 in Mecca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mecca pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $26 in Mecca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $194 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇸🇦 Mecca

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,675,368

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Mecca 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Mecca

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 Mecca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mecca is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $603 in Mecca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,076 in Mecca – Mecca is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 67% less than in Mecca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Mecca gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Mecca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.