Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $913 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Penang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $913 in Penang.

Tbilisi $1,269
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,403 in Penang.

Tbilisi $2,016
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,894 in Penang.

Tbilisi $2,763
Penang $1,894

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 39% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.73 MYR 15.23

211.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$19.91 MYR 81.4

90.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.78 MYR 19.53

102.09%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.98 MYR 12.18

19.80%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.75 MYR 3.08

44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.37 MYR 1.50

51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$4.06 MYR 16.60

-35.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$4.38 MYR 17.88

-30.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.86 MYR 7.62

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.08 MYR 4.42

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.76 MYR 7.21

-1.14%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.22 MYR 9.07

27.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.08

$13.46 MYR 55.0

-30.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.86

$4.45 MYR 18.19

46.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$8.70 MYR 35.56

48.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.92 MYR 11.93

-42.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.65 MYR 6.74

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.61 MYR 10.67

-24.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.40 MYR 5.72

72.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.05 MYR 4.29

-21.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.12 MYR 4.56

-33.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.10 MYR 4.48

21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.59 MYR 2.40

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.69 MYR 19.15

-23.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.84

$19.31 MYR 78.9

-60.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.00 MYR 12.28

-43.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$5.41 MYR 22.10

-55.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.50 MYR 2.05

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.39

$12.03 MYR 49.15

26.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.66 MYR 6.80

-31.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.38 MYR 1.55

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.59

$7.47 MYR 30.53

58.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.95 MYR 3.86

52.63%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$44.2K MYR 180.6K

-44.38%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$35.8K MYR 146.2K

-37.54%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$36.68 MYR 150

142.09%

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

$13.12 ₾33.94

$9.56 MYR 39.06

37.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$29.49 MYR 121

-33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$39.20 MYR 160

63.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.25

$4.85 MYR 19.84

292.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$4.78 MYR 19.53

48.95%

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

$375 ₾971

$398 MYR 1,625

-5.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$10.6K MYR 43.3K

-1.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$60.9 MYR 249

70.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$35.45 MYR 145

10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$83.6 MYR 342

40.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$70.2 MYR 287

73.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$408 MYR 1,667

70.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$287 MYR 1,174

57.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,505

$698 MYR 2,851

94.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,344

$534 MYR 2,183

69.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,936

$2,117 MYR 8,650

8.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,479

$1,261 MYR 5,153

6.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$931 MYR 3,807

-28.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.04

212.38%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Penang

$287 31.5% 36.3% $164

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Penang

$257 28.2% 10% $23

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Penang

$113 12.4% 40.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Penang

$113 12.3% 34.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Penang

$76 8.3% 37.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Penang

$49 5.3% 37.7% $30

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Penang

$18 1.9% 19.7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $20 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $257, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

158,336

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Penang 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Penang

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 Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Penang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $913 in Penang – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Penang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.