Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,082 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Qapshaghay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,082 in Qapshaghay.

Tbilisi $1,269
Qapshaghay $1,082

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,631 in Qapshaghay.

Tbilisi $2,016
Qapshaghay $1,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,180 in Qapshaghay.

Tbilisi $2,763
Qapshaghay $2,180

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 17% more expensive than in Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Qapshaghay 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$11.02 ₸4,990

5.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$22.49 ₸10.2K

68.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$6.63 ₸3,002

45.70%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$1.73 ₸783

106.36%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.01 ₸458

6.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.70 ₸318

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$1.32 ₸596

98.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$1.32 ₸596

130.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.72 ₸779

26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.44 ₸199

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$2.10 ₸951

-17.14%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.44 ₸1,105

15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$12.21 ₸5,533

-23.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$6.60 ₸2,991

-1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$10.80 ₸4,894

19.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.81 ₸818

-7.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$2.39 ₸1,081

-22.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.92 ₸1,322

-32.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$2.70 ₸1,223

-10.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$0.80 ₸362

2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.56 ₸252

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.66 ₸752

-19.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$1.00 ₸452

-23.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$1.66 ₸753

115.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$10.95 ₸4,959

-29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.21 ₸547

40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.37 ₸1,073

1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.20 ₸92.7

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$18.05 ₸8,175

-15.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.84 ₸383

35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.70 ₸315

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$3.91 ₸1,771

202.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.60 ₸274

141.67%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$28.4K ₸12.8M

-13.32%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$31.0K ₸14.1M

-27.99%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$91.1 ₸41.3K

-2.51%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$10.77 ₸4,880

21.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$18.05 ₸8,177

8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$41.86 ₸19.0K

53.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$6.48 ₸2,937

9.88%

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

$375 ₾972

$142 ₸64.5K

163.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$4,442 ₸2.0M

135.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$93.2 ₸42.2K

11.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$49.25 ₸22.3K

-20.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$142 ₸64.2K

-17.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$131 ₸59.1K

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$443 ₸200.7K

56.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$308 ₸139.4K

46.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$721 ₸326.6K

87.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$503 ₸227.8K

80.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$1,131 ₸512.2K

102.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$757 ₸342.7K

77.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

20.65

-38.89%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Qapshaghay

$308 28.4% 31.8% $143

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Qapshaghay

$245 22.7% 4.8% $11

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Qapshaghay

$145 13.4% 24% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Qapshaghay

$187 17.3% 8.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Qapshaghay

$120 11.1% 1.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 30% $23

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Qapshaghay

$23 2.1% 5.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $443 in Qapshaghay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $22 in Qapshaghay. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $245, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

42,167

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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 = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Qapshaghay 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qapshaghay wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Qapshaghay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,904 in Tbilisi and $1,623 in Qapshaghay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $443 in Qapshaghay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $142 in Qapshaghay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Qapshaghay 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.