Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Plovdiv

For one person, living costs are similar in Tbilisi and in Plovdiv: $1,242 and $1,212 a month, rent and utilities included.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,242
/mo nomad
Plovdiv
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,212
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Plovdiv

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

A single person spends $1,242 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,212 in Plovdiv, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,242
  • Plovdiv $1,212

A couple spends around $1,962 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,850 in Plovdiv, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,962
  • Plovdiv $1,850

A family of three spends $2,682 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,489 in Plovdiv, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,682
  • Plovdiv $2,489

Tbilisi costs about 2% more than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Plovdiv are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Plovdiv 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.98 ₾28.46
$9.12 BGN 15.96
20.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.21 ₾99.0
$44.93 BGN 78.6
-14.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.58 ₾24.84
$9.39 BGN 16.43
2.02%
Cappuccino
$3.59 ₾9.31
$2.78 BGN 4.86
29.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 ₾2.66
$1.77 BGN 3.09
-41.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₾1.64
$1.58 BGN 2.76
-60.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.74 ₾7.10
$2.53 BGN 4.43
8.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ₾8.22
$4.14 BGN 7.25
-23.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ₾5.53
$1.76 BGN 3.07
21.02%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.16 BGN 2.03
-36.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 ₾4.46
$2.24 BGN 3.93
-23.21%
Eggs
$2.78 ₾7.21
$3.64 BGN 6.37
-23.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.48 ₾24.56
$11.42 BGN 19.98
-16.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.45 ₾16.71
$8.46 BGN 14.81
-23.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.02 ₾33.76
$14.11 BGN 24.70
-7.73%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 ₾4.37
$1.67 BGN 2.92
1.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 ₾4.76
$1.82 BGN 3.18
1.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 ₾4.90
$1.90 BGN 3.33
-0.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.40 ₾6.22
$2.58 BGN 4.51
-6.98%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ₾2.17
$1.04 BGN 1.83
-19.23%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 ₾1.75
$1.06 BGN 1.85
-35.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.68
$1.16 BGN 2.04
22.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.01
$0.73 BGN 1.27
5.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.56 ₾9.22
$4.06 BGN 7.11
-12.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 ₾19.39
$6.17 BGN 10.79
21.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ₾4.43
$1.12 BGN 1.96
52.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 ₾5.94
$2.03 BGN 3.56
12.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.04
$0.55 BGN 0.96
-27.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.15 ₾39.27
$28.99 BGN 50.7
-47.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ₾3.08
$1.29 BGN 2.27
-7.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.03
$0.61 BGN 1.06
27.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.77 ₾30.50
$10.13 BGN 17.73
16.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 ₾3.65
$1.70 BGN 2.98
-17.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K ₾62.9K
$30.0K BGN 52.4K
-19.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K ₾56.3K
$25.1K BGN 43.8K
-13.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.6 ₾227
$114 BGN 200
-23.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.33 ₾34.55
$18.53 BGN 32.43
-28.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.51 ₾50.6
$15.25 BGN 26.69
27.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.7 ₾168
$40.23 BGN 70.4
60.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.85 ₾48.86
$20.30 BGN 35.52
-7.14%
Cinema Ticket
$6.55 ₾16.97
$9.01 BGN 15.76
-27.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$377 ₾978
$515 BGN 901
-26.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₾27.5K
$5,450 BGN 9,537
95.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 ₾265
$67.3 BGN 118
52.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.36 ₾105
$42.10 BGN 73.7
-4.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾302
$96.0 BGN 168
21.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 ₾314
$103 BGN 181
17.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$675 ₾1,749
$530 BGN 928
27.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,170
$388 BGN 679
16.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,275 ₾3,305
$878 BGN 1,536
45.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$883 ₾2,288
$670 BGN 1,173
31.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,415 ₾6,259
$2,226 BGN 3,896
8.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,404 ₾3,640
$1,572 BGN 2,751
-10.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Plovdiv
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$706 ₾1,830
$1,161 BGN 2,032
-39.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
3.1
307.10%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Plovdiv
$388 14.1% $64
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$232
Plovdiv
$252 8.4% $20
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$186
Plovdiv
$169 9.4% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$171
Plovdiv
$139 18.8% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$120
Plovdiv
$148 23% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Plovdiv
$58 25.1% $20
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Plovdiv
$36 62.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $675 in Tbilisi versus $530 in Plovdiv. 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 65% higher in Plovdiv, 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $45.00 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $252 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇧🇬 Plovdiv
🕒 Local time
10:21 10:21 AM
09:21 9:21 AM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
368,983
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Plovdiv 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Plovdiv

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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tbilisi and in Plovdiv compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,242 in Tbilisi, $1,212 in Plovdiv – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Plovdiv?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,863 per month in Tbilisi and $1,817 in Plovdiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tbilisi and Plovdiv?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Plovdiv, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Tbilisi and in Plovdiv?
Public transport costs about 91% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Plovdiv?
Kindergarten costs $377 per month in Tbilisi and $515 in Plovdiv. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Plovdiv, where all-in costs run around $1,212, than in Tbilisi at $1,242. In Plovdiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Plovdiv?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,212 in Plovdiv to $1,242 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tbilisi or Plovdiv safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Tbilisi and Plovdiv?
If budget matters most, go with Plovdiv. 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.

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