Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $850 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Sal

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

A single person spends $1,266 per month in Tbilisi vs $850 in Sal, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,266
Sal $850

A couple spends around $2,007 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,313 in Sal, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,007
Sal $1,313

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,777 in Sal, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,749
Sal $1,777

Tbilisi costs about 49% more than Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Sal are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Sal 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$5.51 CVE 540

105.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$44.18 CVE 4,332

-11.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$11.03 CVE 1,081

-12.69%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$2.32 CVE 227

49.14%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$2.54 CVE 249

-57.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$1.09 CVE 107

-42.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$4.61 CVE 452

-39.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$3.07 CVE 301

0.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.58 CVE 155

42.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$2.27 CVE 223

-64.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.20 CVE 118

46.67%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$2.79 CVE 273

-1.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$9.03 CVE 886

3.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$7.51 CVE 736

-11.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$15.99 CVE 1,568

-19.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$3.16 CVE 310

-47.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$2.49 CVE 245

-27.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$3.33 CVE 326

-42.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$3.98 CVE 391

-39.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$1.64 CVE 161

-47.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$1.85 CVE 182

-62.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.55 CVE 152

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$1.10 CVE 108

-35.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$4.57 CVE 448

-23.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$6.40 CVE 628

18.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$4.03 CVE 395

-59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$1.88 CVE 184

22.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.99 CVE 96.6

-62.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.08 CVE 204

-45.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$3.08 CVE 302

-74.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$12.65 CVE 1,240

-6.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.38 CVE 135

1.45%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

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

$89.1 ₾231

$60.8 CVE 5,964

46.53%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$49.23 CVE 4,827

-59.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$27.47 CVE 2,694

136.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

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

$377 ₾975

$115 CVE 11.2K

228.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$30.09 CVE 2,950

239.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$144 CVE 14.1K

-14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$252 CVE 24.7K

164.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$168 CVE 16.5K

167.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$307 CVE 30.1K

318.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$206 CVE 20.2K

331.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$654 CVE 64.1K

270.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$331 CVE 32.5K

316.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$257 CVE 25.2K

164.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.25

140.38%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Sal

$168 19.8% 62.6% $281

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Sal

$296 34.8% 26.6% $62

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Sal

$149 17.5% 20.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Sal

$78 * 9.2% 54.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Sal

$110 * 13% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Sal

$27 * 3.2% 64.8% $51

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Sal

$21 * 2.5% 3.7% $0.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Tbilisi versus $252 in Sal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 164% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi versus $44.00 in Sal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $296 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

5 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,288

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Sal 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi, $850 in Sal – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,899 per month in Tbilisi and $1,274 in Sal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi and $44.00 in Sal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sal, where all-in costs run around $850, than in Tbilisi at $1,266. In Sal 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 $850 in Sal to $1,266 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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