Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Nalchik

For one person, living is cheaper in Nalchik: $955 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Nalchik
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Nalchik Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Nalchik

🇷🇺 Russia

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Nalchik

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $955 in Nalchik, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Nalchik $955

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,474 in Nalchik, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Nalchik $1,474

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,994 in Nalchik, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Nalchik $1,994

Tbilisi costs about 33% more than Nalchik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tbilisi and Nalchik are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Nalchik 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.77

$10.62 ₽854

8.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.0

$43.13 ₽3,469

-11.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.35

$8.22 ₽661

19.22%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.18

$2.90 ₽233

22.41%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.17 ₽94.5

-9.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.44 ₽35.26

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.15

$1.22 ₽98.3

126.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.76

$1.46 ₽118

105.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.58

$1.72 ₽138

25.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.38 ₽30.96

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.50

$0.91 ₽73.1

91.21%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.84 ₽148

51.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.82

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.88

$3.66 ₽294

78.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.15

$8.22 ₽662

55.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.37 ₽191

-29.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.06 ₽166

-10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$2.12 ₽171

-6.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$2.56 ₽206

-1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.25

$1.53 ₽123

-43.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.23 ₽98.8

-40.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.48 ₽119

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.63 ₽50.6

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.46 ₽198

37.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.30

$6.21 ₽500

26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.20 ₽96.3

35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.42 ₽114

67.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.38 ₽30.55

-2.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.14

$30.61 ₽2,462

-49.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.70 ₽137

-32.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.95

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.02 ₽82.1

47.06%

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

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

$88.3 ₾228

$67.7 ₽5,445

30.37%

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

$13.08 ₾33.84

$4.71 ₽379

177.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.5

$12.02 ₽967

62.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$12.28 ₽987

422.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.63

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.09

$4.27 ₽344

63.70%

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

$373 ₾965

$245 ₽19.7K

52.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$111 ₽8,960

-7.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$46.19 ₽3,715

-12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$172 ₽13.9K

-32.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$120 ₽9,637

1.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,752

$369 ₽29.7K

83.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,175

$291 ₽23.4K

55.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,304

$534 ₽43.0K

139.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,302

$422 ₽33.9K

111.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,234

$491 ₽39.5K

390.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,668

$361 ₽29.0K

292.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,818

$395 ₽31.7K

78.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

17.5

-27.89%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nalchik: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Nalchik

$291 30.5% 35.9% $163

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Nalchik

$162 * 17% 30.3% $71

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Nalchik

$160 16.7% 16.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Nalchik

$202 21.2% 17.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Nalchik

$84 8.8% 30.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Nalchik

$21 2.2% 73.4% $57

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Nalchik

$34 * 3.5% 53.1% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $369 in Nalchik. 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 78% higher in Tbilisi, 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 $43.00 in Nalchik. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Tbilisi vs $162 in Nalchik – so Nalchik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Nalchik

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

239,054

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 80.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.43 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Tbilisi Nalchik 220 km

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Tbilisi
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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 Nalchik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $955 in Nalchik – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,432 in Nalchik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 97% less in Nalchik. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $245 in Nalchik. 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 Nalchik, where all-in costs run around $955, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Nalchik it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $955 in Nalchik to $1,270 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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