Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Medea

For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $453 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Medea, Algeria
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Medea
🇩🇿 Algeria
$453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Medea

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $453 in Medea, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Medea $453

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $778 in Medea, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Medea $778

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,103 in Medea, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Medea $1,103

Tbilisi costs about 181% more than Medea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Medea are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Medea 67% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.10
$1.91 DZD 258
508.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.9
$28.37 DZD 3,835
33.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾25.01
$3.80 DZD 514
154.21%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.25
$0.36 DZD 49.22
891.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$0.43 DZD 58.2
151.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.21 DZD 27.71
166.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.79
$2.19 DZD 296
19.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.86
$2.18 DZD 295
39.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.61
$0.88 DZD 119
146.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$0.08 DZD 10.18
900.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.52
$1.10 DZD 148
58.18%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.32
$1.19 DZD 161
137.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.10
$7.91 DZD 1,069
17.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.87
$3.93 DZD 531
65.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.54
$14.49 DZD 1,959
-10.63%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$2.04 DZD 275
-17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.80
$2.77 DZD 374
-33.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.11
$1.07 DZD 144
84.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.26
$0.60 DZD 80.7
303.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.12
$0.62 DZD 83.2
32.26%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$0.49 DZD 66.0
51.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$0.81 DZD 110
65.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.01
$0.27 DZD 36.52
185.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.25
$2.16 DZD 292
65.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.86
$6.84 DZD 924
12.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$1.28 DZD 172
32.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$1.87 DZD 253
28.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.23 DZD 30.49
73.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.43
$6.89 DZD 932
121.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$0.54 DZD 73.6
111.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$0.46 DZD 62.3
69.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.62
$5.55 DZD 750
113.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$0.32 DZD 43.89
353.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$19.7K DZD 2.7M
24.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$34.4K DZD 4.7M
-35.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$18.29 DZD 2,472
385.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.98
$7.51 DZD 1,015
74.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$12.12 DZD 1,638
62.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$22.61 DZD 3,056
183.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.30
$1.89 DZD 256
907.41%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.44
$3.27 DZD 442
117.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾972
$39.39 DZD 5,325
853.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$6,300 DZD 851.5K
66.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$19.54 DZD 2,641
430.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$31.20 DZD 4,216
25.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾304
$31.23 DZD 4,221
275.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$54.9 DZD 7,414
121.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,800
$141 DZD 19.1K
391.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,168
$91.6 DZD 12.4K
392.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,508
$268 DZD 36.2K
405.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,346
$197 DZD 26.7K
358.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,942
$990 DZD 133.7K
131.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,482
$1,059 DZD 143.1K
27.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Medea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,720
$311 DZD 42.1K
113.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
5
152.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Medea
$92 79.7% $360
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Medea
$173 26.2% $61
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Medea
$49 74.3% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Medea
$62 64.2% $110
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Medea
$38 68.8% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Medea
$29 62.8% $49
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Medea
$11 51.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $141 in Medea. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tbilisi are about 2.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $28 in Medea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $173 – making Medea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇩🇿 Medea
🕒 Local time
12:38 12:38 PM
09:38 9:38 AM
3 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
138,355
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Medea 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Medea

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 Medea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medea cheaper than Tbilisi?
Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 181%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $679 in Medea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $141 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.
Is eating out cheaper in Tbilisi or in Medea?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $28 in Medea. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Tbilisi and in Medea?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $453 in Medea. That makes Medea about 64% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Tbilisi or in Medea?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medea, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Medea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Tbilisi or Medea more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Medea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Tbilisi or Medea?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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