Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sandton Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sandton

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,209 in Tbilisi versus $1,116 in Sandton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,867 in Tbilisi versus $1,766 in Sandton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,526 in Tbilisi versus $2,416 in Sandton.

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 8% more expensive than Sandton, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 10% lower, Sandton 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.80 ₾28.71

$11.10 R 180

-2.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.18 ₾115

$45.62 R 741

-5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 ₾22.04

$4.80 R 78.0

72.71%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ₾7.97

$2.13 R 34.59

40.85%

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

$0.82 ₾2.17

$1.02 R 16.57

-19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₾1.21

$0.89 R 14.41

-48.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 ₾5.93

$2.28 R 37.00

-2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₾7.75

$2.56 R 41.62

14.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 ₾5.12

$1.20 R 19.47

60.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 ₾1.81

$1.02 R 16.57

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ₾5.00

$1.64 R 26.69

14.63%

Eggs

$2.54 ₾6.74

$2.45 R 39.88

3.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.42 ₾19.70

$7.54 R 122

-1.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 ₾16.44

$4.56 R 74.0

35.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ₾24.87

$6.77 R 110

38.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 ₾3.25

$1.63 R 26.57

-25.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₾4.40

$1.46 R 23.78

13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.78

$1.60 R 25.93

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 ₾5.96

$1.65 R 26.75

35.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ₾1.89

$1.36 R 22.03

-47.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.79

$1.38 R 22.43

-51.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₾3.13

$1.14 R 18.52

3.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₾1.76

$0.98 R 15.99

-32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.98 ₾7.91

$2.81 R 45.73

6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾20.22

$6.10 R 99.2

24.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₾4.08

$1.35 R 21.97

14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₾5.99

$1.66 R 27.04

35.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₾0.95

$1.67 R 27.08

-78.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.44 ₾38.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ₾3.97

$1.14 R 18.45

30.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 ₾1.82

$0.93 R 15.13

-26.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.23 ₾19.20

$3.10 R 50.3

133.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ₾3.04

$1.27 R 20.62

-10.24%

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

$18.5K ₾49.1K

$22.2K R 361.0K

-16.90%

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

$20.0K ₾53.1K

$23.9K R 387.8K

-16.32%

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

$73.7 ₾196

$120 R 1,950

-38.59%

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

$11.64 ₾30.92

$37.26 R 605

-68.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.84 ₾47.41

$42.18 R 685

-57.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 ₾160

$43.30 R 704

38.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 ₾44.65

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ₾17.55

$7.36 R 120

-10.33%

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

$266 ₾708

$194 R 3,150

37.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,191 ₾13.8K

$4,825 R 78.4K

7.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 ₾206

$51.2 R 832

51.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.75 ₾119

$33.71 R 548

32.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾310

$89.0 R 1,446

31.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₾300

$87.4 R 1,420

29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₾1,840

$385 R 6,255

79.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ₾1,227

$379 R 6,157

21.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 ₾3,507

$664 R 10.8K

98.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₾2,057

$819 R 13.3K

-5.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 ₾6,458

$777 R 12.6K

212.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,446 ₾3,842

$720 R 11.7K

100.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$673 ₾1,788

$2,116 R 34.4K

-68.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.89

11.51

3.30%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: May 31, 2026

Last update for Sandton: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $693 in Tbilisi and $385 in Sandton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays 214% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Tbilisi vs $46.00 in Sandton. Groceries flip the comparison at $203 vs $181, with Sandton cheaper for home cooking.

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 Sandton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandton wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sandton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Sandton earns 214% less. 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: $693 in Tbilisi versus $385 in Sandton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Tbilisi versus $194 in Sandton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sandton – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $43.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,116 in Sandton versus $1,209 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sandton but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Sandton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sandton delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,116 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sandton hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Sandton 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 Sandton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.