Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Medan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $613 in Medan.

Tbilisi $1,266
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $940 in Medan.

Tbilisi $2,007
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $1,266 in Medan.

Tbilisi $2,749
Medan $1,266

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 106% more expensive than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

563.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

370.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

226.44%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

126.14%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$0.35 Rp 6,215

211.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.25 Rp 4,534

152.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

66.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-13.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

102.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-32.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

117.28%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

108.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

85.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

103.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

-30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

35.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

159.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

2.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

-61.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.38 Rp 6,905

268.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.44 Rp 7,872

61.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

22.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

-51.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-10.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-23.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.27 Rp 4,816

37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

164.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.51 Rp 9,186

123.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.19 Rp 3,465

315.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

75.00%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

0.48%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-32.15%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

5.04%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

316.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-16.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

282.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

126.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

99.70%

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

$377 ₾975

$112 Rp 2.0M

237.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

537.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

88.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

3.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$108 Rp 1.9M

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$111 Rp 2.0M

11.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$233 Rp 4.2M

186.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

400.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$494 Rp 8.9M

159.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$212 Rp 3.8M

320.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

109.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$560 Rp 10.1M

146.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$215 Rp 3.9M

215.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

9.25

36.43%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Medan

$90 14.6% 80% $359

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Medan

$181 29.5% 22.6% $53

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Medan

$59 9.6% 68.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Medan

$140 22.9% 18.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Medan

$112 18.2% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Medan

$24 3.8% 69.9% $55

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 61.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Tbilisi and $233 in Medan. 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: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $8.00 in Medan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $181 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Medan 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 106% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Tbilisi versus $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medan runs roughly 164% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $377 in Tbilisi versus $112 in Medan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $613 in Medan versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medan but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Medan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Medan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.