Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Rustenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $797 in Rustenburg.

Tbilisi $1,269
Rustenburg $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,316 in Rustenburg.

Tbilisi $2,016
Rustenburg $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,834 in Rustenburg.

Tbilisi $2,763
Rustenburg $1,834

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 59% more expensive than in Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Rustenburg 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$4.87 R 81.3

138.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$45.11 R 754

-16.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$6.22 R 104

55.31%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.66 R 27.75

115.06%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.02 R 17.03

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.50 R 8.38

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.48 R 24.77

77.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.13 R 35.57

42.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.03 R 17.19

110.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.90 R 15.00

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.70 R 28.40

2.35%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.61 R 43.60

8.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.57 R 127

22.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$5.04 R 84.3

29.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$6.28 R 105

106.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.78 R 29.73

-5.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.57 R 26.20

17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.80 R 30.00

9.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.07 R 17.94

126.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.31 R 21.94

-37.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.08 R 18.12

-31.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.34 R 22.34

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.86 R 14.34

-10.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.07 R 51.2

16.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$6.02 R 101

27.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.59 R 9.80

188.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$0.92 R 15.34

160.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.81 R 13.60

40.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.89 R 14.86

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$14.27 R 238

-17.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.45 R 24.16

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$31.6K R 527.3K

-22.12%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$31.7K R 529.2K

-29.48%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$76.1 R 1,271

16.75%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$13.47 R 225

-2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$37.07 R 619

-46.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$38.12 R 637

68.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$6.11 R 102

211.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$4.90 R 81.9

45.31%

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

$375 ₾971

$110 R 1,842

240.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,453 R 91.1K

92.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$41.73 R 697

148.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$44.31 R 740

-11.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$112 R 1,863

5.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$53.3 R 890

128.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$336 R 5,614

106.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$237 R 3,955

90.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$716 R 12.0K

89.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$515 R 8,609

75.84%

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

$1,065 R 17.8K

-37.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

9.9

27.47%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Rustenburg

$237 29.7% 47.5% $214

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Rustenburg

$173 21.7% 26.2% $61

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Rustenburg

$95 12% 50% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Rustenburg

$113 14.2% 34.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Rustenburg

$127 15.9% 4.1% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Rustenburg

$48 6% 38.8% $30

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7% 76% $17

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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rustenburg pays 60% 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 $45 in Rustenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $173, with Rustenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

549,575

💱 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 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 Rustenburg 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rustenburg is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% 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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $110 in Rustenburg. 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 $45 in Rustenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.