Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Randburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,058 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,266
/mo nomad
Randburg
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,058
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Randburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,058 in Randburg.

  • Tbilisi $1,266
  • Randburg $1,058

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $1,714 in Randburg.

  • Tbilisi $2,007
  • Randburg $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $2,370 in Randburg.

  • Tbilisi $2,749
  • Randburg $2,370

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 20% more expensive than in Randburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Randburg 22% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.34 ₾29.35
$10.48 R 173
8.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.05 ₾101
$43.30 R 713
-9.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.63 ₾24.92
$5.35 R 88.2
80.00%
Cappuccino
$3.46 ₾8.95
$2.50 R 41.19
38.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 ₾2.82
$1.18 R 19.43
-7.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₾1.62
$0.89 R 14.59
-29.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.77 ₾7.17
$2.54 R 41.84
9.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 ₾8.04
$3.11 R 51.3
-0.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 ₾5.81
$1.33 R 21.87
69.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.07
$1.14 R 18.79
-29.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 ₾4.55
$1.77 R 29.09
-0.56%
Eggs
$2.75 ₾7.11
$2.73 R 45.04
0.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.39 ₾24.32
$8.60 R 142
9.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.66 ₾17.23
$5.46 R 90.0
21.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.92 ₾33.45
$7.42 R 122
74.12%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$2.11 R 34.83
-20.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 ₾4.65
$1.67 R 27.54
7.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 ₾4.97
$1.75 R 28.84
9.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.41 ₾6.24
$1.63 R 26.84
47.85%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 ₾2.23
$1.66 R 27.30
-48.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.69 ₾1.80
$1.64 R 26.97
-57.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 ₾3.62
$1.22 R 20.15
14.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 ₾1.85
$1.27 R 20.92
-44.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.51 ₾9.08
$3.27 R 53.9
7.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.61 ₾19.69
$5.22 R 85.9
45.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ₾4.21
$1.52 R 25.07
7.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 ₾5.98
$2.20 R 36.27
5.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.67 ₾40.57
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$0.31 R 5.18
267.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.89 R 14.63
-11.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.86 ₾30.70
$14.30 R 236
-17.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 ₾3.62
$1.49 R 24.49
-6.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K ₾64.2K
$36.0K R 593.8K
-31.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.9K ₾56.6K
$32.5K R 536.0K
-32.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.1 ₾231
$150 R 2,479
-40.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.21 ₾34.19
$38.56 R 635
-65.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.76 ₾51.1
$37.13 R 612
-46.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 ₾168
$20.40 R 336
218.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.02 ₾49.24
$4.63 R 76.3
310.80%
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 ₾17.02
$7.04 R 116
-6.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$377 ₾975
$262 R 4,320
43.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K ₾27.9K
$5,581 R 91.9K
93.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 ₾265
$52.7 R 868
94.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.70 ₾103
$46.09 R 759
-13.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₾305
$111 R 1,825
6.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 ₾320
$84.9 R 1,399
45.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$666 ₾1,724
$313 R 5,159
112.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$449 ₾1,163
$298 R 4,914
50.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,284 ₾3,324
$617 R 10.2K
108.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,303
$718 R 11.8K
23.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,425 ₾6,276
$603 R 9,935
302.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,380 ₾3,573
$785 R 12.9K
75.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Randburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$680 ₾1,760
$1,879 R 31.0K
-63.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
11.34
11.29%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Randburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$449
Randburg
$298 33.6% $151
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Randburg
$205 12.4% $29
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$188
Randburg
$157 16.4% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Randburg
$132 23.2% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Randburg
$226 85.3% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Randburg
$34 55.8% $44
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Randburg
$4.8 * 78.7% $18

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 $666 in Tbilisi and $313 in Randburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Randburg pays 176% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $43.00 in Randburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $205, with Randburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇿🇦 Randburg
🕒 Local time
23:03 11:03 PM
21:03 9:03 PM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
335,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Randburg 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Randburg

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 Randburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tbilisi or Randburg?
Randburg wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Randburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Tbilisi or in Randburg?
On paper, salaries run 176% lower in Randburg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Tbilisi compared to Randburg?
Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Tbilisi versus $313 in Randburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Tbilisi or in Randburg?
Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Tbilisi compared to Randburg?
All in, you'll spend $1,266 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,058 in Randburg – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Tbilisi or in Randburg?
At $1,058 in Randburg versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Randburg but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Randburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Tbilisi or Randburg?
Both work as nomad bases, but Randburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,058 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Randburg hard to pass up.
How safe is Tbilisi compared to Randburg?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Randburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Randburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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