Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Ruse

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruse: $990 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
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Ruse Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Ruse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $990 in Ruse.

Tbilisi $1,270
Ruse $990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,470 in Ruse.

Tbilisi $2,008
Ruse $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $1,949 in Ruse.

Tbilisi $2,745
Ruse $1,949

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 28% more expensive than in Ruse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Ruse 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$9.07 BGN 15.77

26.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$34.26 BGN 59.6

11.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$9.55 BGN 16.62

2.62%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$1.68 BGN 2.93

111.31%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.48 BGN 2.58

-28.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.76 BGN 3.07

56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.80 BGN 4.88

7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.75 BGN 3.04

23.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.01 BGN 1.76

-24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.28 BGN 3.96

-23.68%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.55 BGN 4.43

9.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$8.93 BGN 15.54

3.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$7.77 BGN 13.52

-15.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$14.42 BGN 25.10

-11.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.40 BGN 2.44

19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.85 BGN 3.21

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-1.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$2.02 BGN 3.52

24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.08 BGN 1.87

-19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.06 BGN 1.84

-31.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.21 BGN 2.11

17.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.66 BGN 1.15

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$3.40 BGN 5.91

-0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$6.12 BGN 10.66

28.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.13 BGN 1.97

43.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.17 BGN 2.04

103.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.84 BGN 1.46

-55.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$15.93 BGN 27.71

-2.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.25 BGN 2.17

-8.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.61 BGN 1.06

29.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$10.22 BGN 17.79

13.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.51 BGN 2.63

-0.66%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

-18.34%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$22.6K BGN 39.3K

-0.92%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$104 BGN 182

-15.41%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$17.91 BGN 31.17

-26.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$12.89 BGN 22.44

51.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$31.68 BGN 55.1

102.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$8.80 BGN 15.32

117.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.60 BGN 9.74

24.82%

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

$373 ₾966

$518 BGN 902

-27.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$5,381 BGN 9,363

98.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$50.9 BGN 88.6

101.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$28.15 BGN 48.99

43.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$72.0 BGN 125

61.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$87.2 BGN 152

39.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$348 BGN 606

94.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$305 BGN 531

48.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$526 BGN 914

142.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$409 BGN 712

117.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,660 BGN 2,889

45.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,210 BGN 2,105

17.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$966 BGN 1,681

-27.26%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Ruse: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Ruse

$305 30.9% 32.8% $149

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Ruse

$230 23.3% 1% $2.4

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Ruse

$145 14.7% 23.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Ruse

$107 10.8% 37.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Ruse

$135 13.7% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Ruse

$43 4.3% 45.2% $35

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Ruse

$24 2.4% 6.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $348 in Ruse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ruse pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $34.00 in Ruse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $230 per month, with Ruse cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇬 Ruse

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

159,798

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Ruse 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Ruse

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 Ruse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ruse wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ruse the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Ruse. 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $348 in Ruse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ruse runs roughly 3% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $518 in Ruse. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $990 in Ruse versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ruse but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Ruse the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ruse delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $990 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ruse hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Ruse are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ruse gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.