Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Plettenberg Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Plettenberg Bay: $1,117 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Plettenberg Bay
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Plettenberg Bay Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Plettenberg Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Plettenberg Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,117 in Plettenberg Bay.

Tbilisi $1,269
Plettenberg Bay $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,803 in Plettenberg Bay.

Tbilisi $2,016
Plettenberg Bay $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,488 in Plettenberg Bay.

Tbilisi $2,763
Plettenberg Bay $2,488

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 14% more expensive than in Plettenberg Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Plettenberg Bay 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$10.92 R 182

6.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$41.38 R 691

-8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.91 R 98.6

63.45%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.14 R 35.68

66.82%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.02 R 16.96

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.77 R 12.87

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.77 R 46.20

-5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.09 R 34.83

45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.12 R 18.64

93.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.03 R 17.26

-22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.44 R 23.97

20.83%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.68 R 44.70

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$8.68 R 145

7.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$5.47 R 91.4

19.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$8.29 R 138

56.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.78 R 29.74

-5.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.36 R 22.64

36.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.37 R 22.94

43.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.52 R 25.38

59.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.01 R 16.94

-18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.95 R 15.86

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.84 R 14.02

59.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.02 R 17.01

-24.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.86 R 47.67

24.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.68 R 78.2

63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.25 R 20.94

36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.75 R 29.23

37.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.53 R 25.51

-73.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.59 R 9.81

93.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.47 R 7.77

65.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$3.59 R 60.0

229.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.44 R 24.10

0.69%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$35.1K R 586.8K

-30.08%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$29.4K R 490.6K

-24.00%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$122 R 2,034

-27.11%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$35.09 R 586

-62.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$44.10 R 736

-55.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$31.31 R 523

104.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$1.22 R 20.31

1460.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.35 R 106

12.13%

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

$375 ₾971

$148 R 2,464

154.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,983 R 99.9K

75.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$44.35 R 740

133.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$37.64 R 628

4.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$113 R 1,879

4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$95.5 R 1,594

27.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$688 R 11.5K

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$391 R 6,527

15.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,336 R 22.3K

1.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$893 R 14.9K

1.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,146 R 35.8K

6.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,495 R 25.0K

-10.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,353 R 22.6K

-50.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.44

20.88%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Plettenberg Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Plettenberg Bay

$391 35% 13.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Plettenberg Bay

$186 16.7% 20.5% $48

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Plettenberg Bay

$156 14% 18.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Plettenberg Bay

$131 11.7% 24.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Plettenberg Bay

$201 18% 65.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Plettenberg Bay

$44 3.9% 43.8% $34

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Plettenberg Bay

$9 * 0.8% 58.8% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $688 in Plettenberg Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plettenberg Bay pays about 2 times 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 $41 in Plettenberg Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $186, with Plettenberg Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Plettenberg Bay

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

38,126

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Plettenberg Bay 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Plettenberg Bay

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 Plettenberg Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plettenberg Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Plettenberg Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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 $688 in Plettenberg Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $148 in Plettenberg Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $41 in Plettenberg Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Plettenberg Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Plettenberg Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.