Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,242 a month against $1,793 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,242

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Moscow

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

A single person spends $1,242 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,793 in Moscow, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,242
Moscow $1,793

A couple spends around $1,962 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,813 in Moscow, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,962
Moscow $2,813

A family of three spends $2,682 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,833 in Moscow, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,682
Moscow $3,833

Tbilisi is about 31% cheaper than Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while Moscow is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ₾28.47

$11.81 ₽1,004

-7.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.21 ₾99.0

$57.9 ₽4,925

-34.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 ₾24.84

$7.25 ₽617

32.14%

Cappuccino

$3.59 ₾9.31

$3.64 ₽310

-1.37%

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

$1.03 ₾2.66

$1.65 ₽140

-37.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.64

$0.81 ₽68.7

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ₾7.10

$4.72 ₽401

-41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₾8.22

$5.42 ₽461

-41.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ₾5.53

$1.25 ₽106

70.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.00 ₽85.4

-26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 ₾4.46

$1.71 ₽146

0.58%

Eggs

$2.78 ₾7.21

$1.91 ₽163

45.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.48 ₾24.56

$14.59 ₽1,241

-35.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 ₾16.71

$6.65 ₽566

-3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ₾33.76

$14.46 ₽1,229

-9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ₾4.37

$2.03 ₽173

-16.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.76

$1.86 ₽158

-1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ₾4.90

$2.03 ₽173

-6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 ₾6.22

$3.93 ₽334

-38.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₾2.17

$0.93 ₽78.7

-9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₾1.75

$0.70 ₽59.8

-2.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.68

$1.55 ₽132

-8.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.96 ₽81.4

-19.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 ₾9.22

$3.41 ₽290

4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ₾19.39

$11.56 ₽983

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₾4.44

$1.20 ₽102

42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₾5.94

$2.49 ₽212

-8.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.04

$0.95 ₽80.9

-57.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.15 ₾39.27

$40.22 ₽3,419

-62.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$3.56 ₽302

-66.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.03

$0.86 ₽72.9

-9.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 ₾30.51

$11.77 ₽1,001

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₾3.65

$0.90 ₽76.1

56.67%

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

$24.3K ₾62.9K

$38.7K ₽3.3M

-37.34%

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

$21.7K ₾56.4K

$38.0K ₽3.2M

-42.81%

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

$87.6 ₾227

$191 ₽16.2K

-54.08%

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

$13.33 ₾34.56

$8.72 ₽741

52.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.51 ₾50.6

$9.98 ₽848

95.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 ₾168

$42.15 ₽3,584

53.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.85 ₾48.87

$45.14 ₽3,838

-58.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 ₾16.97

$9.31 ₽792

-29.65%

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

$377 ₾978

$811 ₽68.9K

-53.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₾27.5K

$27.0K ₽2.3M

-60.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$110 ₽9,356

-7.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.36 ₾105

$63.4 ₽5,386

-36.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾302

$146 ₽12.4K

-20.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₾314

$184 ₽15.6K

-34.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 ₾1,749

$1,469 ₽124.9K

-54.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,170

$820 ₽69.7K

-44.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₾3,305

$3,026 ₽257.3K

-57.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 ₾2,288

$1,494 ₽127.1K

-40.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,415 ₾6,259

$9,853 ₽837.7K

-75.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ₾3,640

$4,613 ₽392.2K

-69.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$706 ₾1,830

$1,741 ₽148.0K

-59.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

19.56

-35.48%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.8%

Moscow

$820 44.7% 81.6% $368

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$232 18.4%

Moscow

$263 14.3% 12.9% $30

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$186 14.8%

Moscow

$204 11.1% 9.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.6%

Moscow

$226 12.3% 32.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$120 9.6%

Moscow

$210 11.4% 73.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Moscow

$61 3.3% 21.9% $17

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Moscow

$52 2.8% 137% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $675 in Tbilisi versus $1,469 in Moscow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 147% higher in Moscow, 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $58.0 in Moscow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $263 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Moscow 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Moscow

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 Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow costs about 44% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,863 per month in Tbilisi and $2,690 in Moscow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 165% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $377 per month in Tbilisi and $811 in Moscow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,242, than in Moscow at $1,793. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moscow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,242 versus $1,793 in Moscow. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moscow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.