Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Pernik

For one person, living is cheaper in Pernik: $844 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Pernik
Learn more

Pernik Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Pernik

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Pernik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $844 in Pernik.

Tbilisi $1,270
Pernik $844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,065 in Pernik.

Tbilisi $2,008
Pernik $1,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $1,286 in Pernik.

Tbilisi $2,745
Pernik $1,286

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 51% more expensive than in Pernik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Pernik 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$10.15 BGN 17.65

13.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$25.59 BGN 44.53

49.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$8.74 BGN 15.20

12.13%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$1.55 BGN 2.69

129.03%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.99 BGN 1.72

7.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.52 BGN 0.91

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$2.20 BGN 3.82

25.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$1.95 BGN 3.40

53.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.43 BGN 2.48

51.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.65 BGN 1.13

16.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.44 BGN 2.50

20.83%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.37 BGN 4.12

17.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$8.40 BGN 14.61

9.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$6.64 BGN 11.55

-1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$8.29 BGN 14.43

54.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.15 BGN 2.00

45.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.64 BGN 2.85

12.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.44 BGN 2.51

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.98 BGN 3.44

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.83 BGN 1.44

4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.72 BGN 1.25

1.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.58 BGN 1.01

144.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.63 BGN 1.10

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$3.37 BGN 5.86

0.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$5.21 BGN 9.06

50.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$0.74 BGN 1.28

118.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.69 BGN 2.95

40.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-55.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$11.50 BGN 20.00

34.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-14.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.61 BGN 1.07

29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$11.27 BGN 19.61

2.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.57 BGN 2.73

-4.46%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$30.7K BGN 53.3K

-19.66%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$23.7K BGN 41.3K

-5.67%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$92.4 BGN 161

-4.49%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$14.91 BGN 25.95

-12.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$12.35 BGN 21.48

58.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$34.02 BGN 59.2

88.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.62 BGN 9.78

24.38%

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

$373 ₾966

$232 BGN 404

60.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$2,315 BGN 4,027

361.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$30.71 BGN 53.4

234.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$19.41 BGN 33.78

108.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$64.9 BGN 113

79.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$51.4 BGN 89.4

137.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$293 BGN 509

131.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$256 BGN 445

77.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,152 BGN 2,004

109.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,049 BGN 1,825

35.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-55.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

2.99

322.07%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pernik: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Pernik

$256 30.3% 43.6% $198

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Pernik

$182 21.6% 21.9% $51

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Pernik

$147 17.4% 22.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Pernik

$75 8.9% 56.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Pernik

$120 14.2% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Pernik

$45 5.4% 42.1% $33

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Pernik

$19 2.3% 13% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $293 in Pernik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pernik pays 123% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $26.00 in Pernik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $182 per month, with Pernik cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇬 Pernik

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

78,342

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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 = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Pernik 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Pernik

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 Pernik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pernik wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pernik the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 123% lower in Pernik. 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $293 in Pernik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pernik runs roughly 35% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $232 in Pernik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $844 in Pernik versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pernik but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Pernik the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pernik delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $844 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pernik hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Pernik 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 Pernik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.