Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Penza

For one person, living is cheaper in Penza: $782 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Penza
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Penza Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Penza

🇷🇺 Russia

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Penza

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $782 in Penza, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Penza $782

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,236 in Penza, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Penza $1,236

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,690 in Penza, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Penza $1,690

Tbilisi costs about 62% more than Penza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tbilisi and Penza are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Penza 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$8.31 ₽694

38.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$36.30 ₽3,030

5.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$7.79 ₽650

25.80%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$3.50 ₽292

1.43%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.05 ₽87.3

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.69 ₽57.4

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$2.26 ₽189

22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.79 ₽233

7.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.00 ₽83.5

116.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.46 ₽38.64

65.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.48 ₽124

88.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$13.45 ₽1,122

-31.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$4.14 ₽346

57.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.86 ₽72.0

-16.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.60 ₽217

30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$9.11 ₽760

-13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.05 ₽87.3

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.49 ₽208

-4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.37 ₽31.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$2.50 ₽209

-54.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.25 ₽21.02

216.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$14.48 ₽1,209

-20.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$0.83 ₽69.3

80.72%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$36.8K ₽3.1M

-33.00%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$42.6K ₽3.6M

-47.54%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$83.6 ₽6,974

5.61%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$6.63 ₽554

97.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$11.10 ₽926

75.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$81.7 ₽6,822

-21.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$6.29 ₽525

11.13%

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

$373 ₾966

$357 ₽29.8K

4.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$163 ₽13.6K

-36.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$73.8 ₽6,163

-45.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$335 ₽28.0K

101.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$199 ₽16.6K

128.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$481 ₽40.1K

165.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$393 ₽32.8K

126.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$2,254 ₽188.1K

6.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,073 ₽89.5K

32.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$595 ₽49.6K

18.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

-47.42%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Penza: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Penza

$199 25.4% 56.3% $256

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Penza

$120 * 15.4% 48.3% $112

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Penza

$156 19.9% 18.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Penza

$106 * 13.6% 38% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Penza

$101 13% 16.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Penza

$94 12.1% 20.7% $16

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Penza

$5.3 * 0.7% 76.2% $17

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 $335 in Penza. 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 18% 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 $36.00 in Penza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $120 – making Penza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇺 Penza

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

509,513

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Penza 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Penza

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 Penza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $782 in Penza – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,173 in Penza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $782 in Penza. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $357 in Penza. 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 Penza, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Penza 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 $782 in Penza 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 Penza. 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.