Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Port Shepstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,007 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Port Shepstone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,007 in Port Shepstone.

Tbilisi $1,269
Port Shepstone $1,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,582 in Port Shepstone.

Tbilisi $2,016
Port Shepstone $1,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,156 in Port Shepstone.

Tbilisi $2,763
Port Shepstone $2,156

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 26% more expensive than in Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Port Shepstone 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$8.04 R 134

44.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$39.88 R 666

-5.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.95 R 99.5

62.35%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.64 R 44.12

35.23%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.14 R 19.05

-5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.86 R 14.35

-34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.49 R 41.62

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.64 R 44.15

15.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.95 R 15.85

128.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.71 R 11.79

12.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.24 R 20.75

40.32%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.48 R 24.66

91.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.20 R 120

29.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.69 R 61.6

76.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$7.49 R 125

72.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.24 R 20.69

35.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.75 R 12.53

146.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$0.62 R 10.37

217.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.51 R 25.16

60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.60 R 9.95

36.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.40 R 23.38

-47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.88 R 14.77

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.63 R 10.53

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.70 R 61.8

-3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$4.88 R 81.6

57.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.46 R 24.40

16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.92 R 32.09

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.54 R 25.76

-74.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.45 R 7.54

153.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.75 R 12.57

4.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.76 R 130

52.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.36 R 22.68

6.62%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$36.2K R 604.2K

-32.03%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$33.3K R 555.6K

-32.83%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$123 R 2,052

-27.68%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$18.50 R 309

-29.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$36.99 R 618

-46.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$31.96 R 534

100.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$11.10 R 186

71.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.29 R 122

-2.33%

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

$375 ₾971

$315 R 5,263

19.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$7,688 R 128.4K

36.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$53.6 R 896

93.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$30.74 R 514

27.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$100 R 1,678

16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$86.4 R 1,443

40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$397 R 6,639

74.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$363 R 6,069

24.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$745 R 12.5K

81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$743 R 12.4K

22.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$886 R 14.8K

158.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$678 R 11.3K

98.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$3,014 R 50.4K

-77.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

11.78

7.13%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Port Shepstone

$363 36.1% 19.5% $88

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Port Shepstone

$147 14.6% 37.1% $87

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Port Shepstone

$140 13.9% 26.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Port Shepstone

$122 12.1% 29% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Port Shepstone

$178 17.7% 46.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Port Shepstone

$47 4.6% 40.6% $32

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Port Shepstone

$10 * 1% 52.6% $12

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 $397 in Port Shepstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Shepstone pays about 4.5 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 $40 in Port Shepstone. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $147, with Port Shepstone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

52,793

💱 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 = 5.36 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Port Shepstone 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Port Shepstone

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 Port Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Shepstone wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Port Shepstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $397 in Port Shepstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $315 in Port Shepstone. 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 $40 in Port Shepstone. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Port Shepstone 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.