Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Secunda
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,027
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Secunda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,027 in Secunda.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Secunda $1,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,667 in Secunda.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Secunda $1,667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $2,306 in Secunda.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Secunda $2,306

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 24% more expensive than in Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Secunda 24% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$6.20 R 102
85.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$30.52 R 503
25.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$5.22 R 86.0
87.74%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$2.27 R 37.42
56.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$0.81 R 13.38
30.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$0.51 R 8.33
21.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$1.07 R 17.59
157.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$1.38 R 22.72
117.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.16 R 19.14
86.21%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$0.87 R 14.33
-12.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.84 R 30.33
-5.43%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$2.43 R 40.04
14.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$8.53 R 141
7.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$4.88 R 80.4
33.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$7.11 R 117
80.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$1.75 R 28.78
-4.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.68 R 27.69
10.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$1.80 R 29.60
10.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$1.65 R 27.15
52.12%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$1.12 R 18.50
-22.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$1.18 R 19.52
-38.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$1.24 R 20.38
14.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$1.30 R 21.48
-44.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$3.35 R 55.3
0.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$5.01 R 82.6
56.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$1.53 R 25.21
5.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$1.92 R 31.66
23.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$1.37 R 22.65
-72.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$0.29 R 4.74
293.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$0.76 R 12.51
3.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
$14.36 R 237
-19.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$1.57 R 25.85
-4.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
$35.7K R 587.4K
-30.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
$35.5K R 584.4K
-36.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$156 R 2,569
-43.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$38.00 R 626
-65.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$37.12 R 612
-47.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
$32.65 R 538
96.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
$10.92 R 180
75.64%
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
$7.33 R 121
-4.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$91.7 R 1,510
307.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$5,457 R 89.9K
95.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
$54.3 R 895
89.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
$32.82 R 541
23.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
$94.2 R 1,553
23.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
$82.6 R 1,360
47.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
$403 R 6,638
68.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
$324 R 5,336
40.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
$708 R 11.7K
80.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
$841 R 13.8K
5.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
$839 R 13.8K
187.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
$602 R 9,912
135.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Secunda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
$1,466 R 24.2K
-52.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
11.34
11.29%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Secunda
$324 28.7% $130
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Secunda
$191 18% $42
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Secunda
$106 44.4% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Secunda
$119 30.8% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Secunda
$231 91.2% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Secunda
$47 39.5% $31
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Secunda
$9.6 * 56.7% $13

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 $677 in Tbilisi and $403 in Secunda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Secunda pays 109% 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 $31.00 in Secunda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $191 per month, with Secunda cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇿🇦 Secunda
🕒 Local time
16:29 4:29 PM
14:29 2:29 PM
2 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
40,198
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Secunda 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Secunda

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Secunda cheaper than Tbilisi?
Secunda is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Tbilisi or Secunda?
On paper, salaries run 109% lower in Secunda. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Tbilisi and Secunda?
Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Tbilisi versus $403 in Secunda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $91.7 in Secunda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Tbilisi or in Secunda?
Dining out is cheaper in Secunda – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Tbilisi or in Secunda?
At $1,027 in Secunda versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Secunda but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Secunda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Tbilisi or Secunda more family-friendly?
For families, Secunda is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Tbilisi or Secunda?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Secunda 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 easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Secunda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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