Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Meru

For one person, living is cheaper in Meru: $520 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Meru
Learn more

Meru Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Meru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Meru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $520 in Meru.

Tbilisi $1,278
Meru $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $853 in Meru.

Tbilisi $2,017
Meru $853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,185 in Meru.

Tbilisi $2,755
Meru $1,185

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 146% more expensive than in Meru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Meru 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$6.43 KES 835

80.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$34.99 KES 4,543

9.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$6.24 KES 810

56.09%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.59 KES 336

37.45%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$0.66 KES 85.6

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.66 KES 86.0

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.35 KES 305

16.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$2.73 KES 355

14.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$0.82 KES 106

160.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.40 KES 51.4

87.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.11 KES 144

62.16%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$1.46 KES 190

91.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$10.70 KES 1,389

-11.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$6.68 KES 867

4.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.84

$5.12 KES 665

147.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$3.35 KES 434

-51.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$0.80 KES 104

130.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$0.75 KES 98.0

162.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$0.80 KES 103

208.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.16 KES 150

-35.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.01 KES 132

-33.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.24 KES 31.33

487.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.40 KES 51.9

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.09

$3.38 KES 439

3.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$11.69 KES 1,518

-32.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$2.29 KES 297

-25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$2.67 KES 347

-11.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$1.57 KES 204

-24.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.52 KES 198

-51.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$2.85 KES 370

317.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.60 KES 208

-8.75%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$19.5K KES 2.5M

27.96%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

4.21%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$57.0 KES 7,394

54.75%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$15.21 KES 1,976

-16.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$34.48 KES 4,478

-42.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.60

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$7.51 KES 976

-11.45%

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

$371 ₾961

$281 KES 36.4K

32.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

-24.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$27.89 KES 3,621

266.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$28.49 KES 3,699

39.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$69.5 KES 9,027

69.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$57.8 KES 7,502

107.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,785

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,524

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,892

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,565

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,837

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

14.71

-14.82%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Meru: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Meru

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Meru

$183 35.2% 22.1% $52

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Meru

$124 23.8% 35.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Meru

$83 15.9% 51.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Meru

$107 20.5% 11.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Meru

$15 * 2.9% 80.6% $63

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Meru

$9.2 * 1.8% 57.6% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $35 in Meru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $183 per month, with Meru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇰🇪 Meru

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,833,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.89 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Meru 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Meru

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 Meru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meru wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $781 in Meru 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.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $281 in Meru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Meru – a meal for two runs $35 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $520 in Meru versus $1,278 in Tbilisi, a $800 budget is realistic in Meru but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Meru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.