Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
Learn more

Ratnapura Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Ratnapura

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $477 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Ratnapura $477

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $765 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Ratnapura $765

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,054 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Ratnapura $1,054

Tbilisi costs about 166% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Ratnapura are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$1.95 LKR 647

496.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$9.22 LKR 3,067

310.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.06 LKR 2,014

59.41%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.08 LKR 691

71.63%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.73 LKR 244

47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.44 LKR 146

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.93 LKR 642

35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.77 LKR 921

9.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.84 LKR 612

17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.79 LKR 263

1.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.66 LKR 219

163.64%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.07 LKR 357

164.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$14.73 LKR 4,899

-36.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$6.39 LKR 2,126

2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$15.60 LKR 5,188

-16.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$4.26 LKR 1,418

-60.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$0.75 LKR 248

146.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$4.14 LKR 1,378

-52.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$0.94 LKR 311

157.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.05 LKR 349

-21.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.40 LKR 466

-47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.46 LKR 154

191.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.43 LKR 144

79.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$12.86 LKR 4,275

-72.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$12.92 LKR 4,297

-40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.09 LKR 694

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.88 LKR 959

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.34 LKR 115

17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.37 LKR 124

208.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.44 LKR 146

77.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.00 LKR 332

45.00%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

24.39%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

13.67%

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

$88.8 ₾230

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$2.07 LKR 688

533.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$7.41 LKR 2,463

165.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$9.13 LKR 3,035

601.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$2.39 LKR 795

197.91%

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

$375 ₾971

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$10.48 LKR 3,485

888.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$7.70 LKR 2,561

409.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

39.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$25.89 LKR 8,611

370.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

813.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$54.6 LKR 18.2K

726.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

971.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$166 LKR 55.3K

299.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5% 87.9% $397

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Ratnapura

$258 54.2% 10.4% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Ratnapura

$79 16.5% 58.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 66.4% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 92.2% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 82.2% $64

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8% 82% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $76 in Ratnapura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tbilisi are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $9 in Ratnapura. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $258 in Ratnapura – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

52,100

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Ratnapura 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 166%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $715 in Ratnapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $76 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $9 in Ratnapura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Ratnapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Ratnapura to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ratnapura. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.