Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Samaxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Samaxi: $842 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Samaxi
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
$842
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Samaxi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $842 in Samaxi.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Samaxi $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,521 in Samaxi.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Samaxi $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $2,200 in Samaxi.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Samaxi $2,200

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 51% more expensive than in Samaxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Samaxi 38% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$8.29 ₼14.08
38.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$29.87 ₼50.8
28.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$5.85 ₼9.94
67.52%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$2.75 ₼4.68
29.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$0.85 ₼1.45
24.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$0.34 ₼0.58
82.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$1.21 ₼2.06
128.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$2.31 ₼3.93
29.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.35 ₼2.29
60.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$0.36 ₼0.60
111.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$2.41 ₼4.09
-27.80%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$1.12 ₼1.90
149.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$2.93 ₼4.98
213.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$4.41 ₼7.49
48.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$9.07 ₼15.41
41.23%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$0.63 ₼1.06
165.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.56 ₼2.65
18.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$1.44 ₼2.44
37.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$1.05 ₼1.78
139.05%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$0.59 ₼1.00
47.46%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$0.51 ₼0.87
43.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$0.43 ₼0.74
230.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$0.59 ₼0.99
22.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$3.48 ₼5.92
-2.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$5.13 ₼8.72
52.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$0.85 ₼1.44
90.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$1.94 ₼3.29
22.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$0.30 ₼0.52
23.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
$14.48 ₼24.60
7.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$1.74 ₼2.97
-34.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.30 ₼0.52
163.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
$3.00 ₼5.10
285.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$0.57 ₼0.97
163.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
$23.5K ₼39.9K
4.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
$24.8K ₼42.2K
-9.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$33.84 ₼57.5
160.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$12.85 ₼21.84
1.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$14.52 ₼24.68
34.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
$29.79 ₼50.6
115.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
$14.85 ₼25.23
29.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
$7.22 ₼12.27
-3.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$234 ₼398
59.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$11.6K ₼19.7K
-7.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
$47.94 ₼81.5
114.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
$58.1 ₼98.7
-30.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
$117 ₼199
-0.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
$118 ₼201
3.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
$388 ₼659
74.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
$289 ₼491
57.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
$703 ₼1,195
81.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
$894 ₼1,519
-0.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
$2,067 ₼3,513
16.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
$1,196 ₼2,032
18.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Samaxi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
$347 ₼590
102.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
8
57.75%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Samaxi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Samaxi
$289 36.4% $165
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Samaxi
$143 38.8% $90
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Samaxi
$132 30.6% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Samaxi
$153 10.6% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Samaxi
$61 49.3% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Samaxi
$44 43.4% $34
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Samaxi
$19 14.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $388 in Samaxi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 102% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $30.00 in Samaxi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $143 per month, with Samaxi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇦🇿 Samaxi
🕒 Local time
17:18 5:18 PM
17:18 5:18 PM
Same time as Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
41,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Samaxi 340 km
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Samaxi

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 Samaxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tbilisi or Samaxi?
Samaxi wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Samaxi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Tbilisi or in Samaxi?
Average pay runs 102% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Tbilisi compared to Samaxi?
Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Tbilisi versus $388 in Samaxi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Tbilisi and in Samaxi?
Dining out is cheaper in Samaxi – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Tbilisi compared to Samaxi?
All in, you'll spend $1,270 per month in Tbilisi versus $842 in Samaxi – a 51% 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 Samaxi?
At $842 in Samaxi versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Samaxi but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Samaxi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Tbilisi or Samaxi?
Both work as nomad bases, but Samaxi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $842 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Samaxi hard to pass up.
How safe is Tbilisi compared to Samaxi?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Samaxi 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 Samaxi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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