Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Petaling Jaya: $1,056 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Petaling Jaya

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Petaling Jaya $1,056

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,569 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Petaling Jaya $1,569

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,082 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Tbilisi costs about 20% more than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.57 MYR 14.54

225.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$24.39 MYR 99.4

55.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.85 MYR 19.75

99.18%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.08 MYR 12.53

15.91%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.85 MYR 3.46

27.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.41 MYR 1.67

36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.28 MYR 13.38

-20.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$5.69 MYR 23.19

-46.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.93 MYR 7.87

12.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.03 MYR 4.21

-22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.44 MYR 5.87

20.83%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.77 MYR 7.21

59.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$9.71 MYR 39.56

-4.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.28 MYR 13.36

98.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$9.73 MYR 39.65

33.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.51 MYR 14.29

-52.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.86 MYR 7.57

-0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.73 MYR 11.13

-27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.83 MYR 7.44

32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.15 MYR 8.75

-61.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-63.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.45 MYR 5.90

-7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.52 MYR 2.14

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.56 MYR 18.59

-21.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$19.38 MYR 79.0

-60.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.64 MYR 10.75

-35.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$4.48 MYR 18.24

-46.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-68.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$12.45 MYR 50.7

22.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-4.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.35 MYR 1.44

122.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.75 MYR 35.65

35.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.87 MYR 3.55

66.67%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

-46.42%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

-36.76%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$49.61 MYR 202

79.00%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.18 MYR 33.33

60.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$27.36 MYR 111

-28.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$40.42 MYR 165

58.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$3.03 MYR 12.34

528.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$5.00 MYR 20.38

42.40%

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

$375 ₾971

$273 MYR 1,112

37.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

-0.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$51.6 MYR 210

100.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$29.45 MYR 120

33.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$78.0 MYR 318

50.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$87.2 MYR 355

39.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$511 MYR 2,084

35.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$426 MYR 1,738

5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$961 MYR 3,914

41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$699 MYR 2,849

29.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

-27.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$976 MYR 3,978

37.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,746 MYR 7,115

-61.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.51

179.82%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 5.5% $25

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 6.6% $15

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 40.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 35.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 30% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 35.6% $28

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 6.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Petaling Jaya are about 2.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $24 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

771,687

💱 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 = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Petaling Jaya 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 20% more than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,583 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Petaling Jaya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Petaling Jaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $273 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Petaling Jaya costs $1,056 versus $1,269 in Tbilisi. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.