Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $616 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
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Mogadishu Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Mogadishu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $616 in Mogadishu.

Tbilisi $1,270
Mogadishu $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $949 in Mogadishu.

Tbilisi $2,008
Mogadishu $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $1,282 in Mogadishu.

Tbilisi $2,745
Mogadishu $1,282

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 106% more expensive than in Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$2.96 SOS 1,681

288.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$34.95 SOS 19.9K

9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$4.53 SOS 2,573

116.34%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.03 SOS 1,155

74.88%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.20 SOS 680

-11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.53 SOS 303

16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.27 SOS 720

70.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.58 SOS 897

-51.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.79 SOS 449

120.25%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.95 SOS 1,107

43.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$5.13 SOS 2,913

79.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$3.85 SOS 2,189

69.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$4.55 SOS 2,585

181.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$3.82 SOS 2,169

-56.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.98 SOS 555

88.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$3.04 SOS 1,727

-34.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.31 SOS 745

91.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.54 SOS 876

-43.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.76 SOS 1,000

-58.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.52 SOS 861

-6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.53 SOS 303

35.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$2.04 SOS 1,156

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.52 SOS 298

-28.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.02 SOS 577

11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.57 SOS 325

38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$3.07 SOS 1,744

276.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$0.85 SOS 485

76.47%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$6,413 SOS 3.6M

248.77%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$161 SOS 91.6K

-45.29%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$4.89 SOS 2,778

167.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$66.3 SOS 37.7K

-70.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$31.50 SOS 17.9K

103.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

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

$373 ₾966

$77.4 SOS 44.0K

382.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$771 SOS 438.1K

1285.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$14.11 SOS 8,013

627.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$13.82 SOS 7,848

192.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$24.83 SOS 14.1K

368.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$32.74 SOS 18.6K

272.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$198 SOS 112.6K

241.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$76.5 SOS 43.5K

493.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$470 SOS 267.0K

171.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$190 SOS 107.8K

369.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$3,145 SOS 1.8M

-23.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$2,428 SOS 1.4M

-41.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$280 SOS 159.2K

150.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Mogadishu

$77 12.4% 83.1% $378

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.3% 30.3% $71

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Mogadishu

$69 * 11.1% 64% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Mogadishu

$38 6.3% 77.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Mogadishu

$233 37.8% 92.4% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.1% 59.7% $47

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Mogadishu

$6 * 1% 72.9% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $198 in Mogadishu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 151% 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: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $35.00 in Mogadishu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $162 per month, with Mogadishu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 639 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Mogadishu 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Mogadishu

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 Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mogadishu wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mogadishu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 151% 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $198 in Mogadishu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $77.4 in Mogadishu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mogadishu – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $616 in Mogadishu versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mogadishu but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Mogadishu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mogadishu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $616 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mogadishu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu 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.