Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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 Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Medias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $1,102 in Medias.

Tbilisi $1,278
Medias $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,683 in Medias.

Tbilisi $2,017
Medias $1,683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $2,263 in Medias.

Tbilisi $2,755
Medias $2,263

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 16% more expensive than in Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Medias 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$11.14 RON 52.9

4.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$51.8 RON 246

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$7.35 RON 34.91

32.52%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$3.70 RON 17.57

-3.78%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$2.46 RON 11.67

-56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$2.25 RON 10.70

-75.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$3.20 RON 15.18

-14.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$3.27 RON 15.54

-4.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$1.23 RON 5.82

73.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.43 RON 6.77

-47.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.73 RON 8.23

4.05%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$3.59 RON 17.03

-22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$8.65 RON 41.09

9.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$6.69 RON 31.78

4.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.83

$12.89 RON 61.2

-1.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.48 RON 7.01

10.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.48 RON 7.04

24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.55 RON 7.34

27.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$2.58 RON 12.26

-4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.77 RON 3.66

-2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$0.75 RON 3.57

-10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.80 RON 3.78

76.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.75 RON 3.56

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$6.21 RON 29.47

-43.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$7.54 RON 35.81

4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.23 RON 5.82

38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.80 RON 8.55

31.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$0.70 RON 3.31

-45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.56

$23.96 RON 114

-36.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.66 RON 3.14

80.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.68 RON 3.22

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$6.60 RON 31.32

80.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.38 RON 6.56

5.80%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$29.0K RON 137.8K

-13.89%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

-9.57%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$180 RON 856

-51.14%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$7.25 RON 34.44

75.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$9.26 RON 43.94

113.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$37.03 RON 176

73.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.59

$20.31 RON 96.5

-5.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$6.12 RON 29.07

8.66%

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

$371 ₾961

$438 RON 2,080

-15.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$7,770 RON 36.9K

17.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$52.3 RON 249

95.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$35.51 RON 169

11.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$73.5 RON 349

60.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$90.8 RON 431

31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$389 RON 1,848

77.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$292 RON 1,388

57.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,523

$602 RON 2,859

126.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$453 RON 2,150

98.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

$2,039 RON 9,680

11.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

$1,480 RON 7,029

-6.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

7.23

73.31%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Medias

$292 26.5% 36.6% $169

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Medias

$222 20.2% 5.5% $13

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Medias

$197 17.9% 2.9% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Medias

$113 10.3% 33.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Medias

$197 17.9% 63.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Medias

$49 4.5% 36.5% $28

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Medias

$31 2.8% 42.1% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $389 in Medias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $52 in Medias. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $222, with Medias cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

53,564

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.343 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.343 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Medias 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medias is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $1,653 in Medias 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Tbilisi versus $389 in Medias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $438 in Medias. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Medias 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 Medias are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.