Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Seri Iskandar

For one person, living is cheaper in Seri Iskandar: $708 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Seri Iskandar
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Seri Iskandar Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Seri Iskandar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Seri Iskandar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $708 in Seri Iskandar.

Tbilisi $1,269
Seri Iskandar $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $917 in Seri Iskandar.

Tbilisi $2,016
Seri Iskandar $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,126 in Seri Iskandar.

Tbilisi $2,763
Seri Iskandar $1,126

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 79% more expensive than in Seri Iskandar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Seri Iskandar 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.74 MYR 11.18

324.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$29.75 MYR 121

27.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.72 MYR 19.24

104.66%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.02 MYR 4.15

250.00%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.52 MYR 2.13

107.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.26 MYR 1.06

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.99 MYR 12.19

-12.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.62 MYR 14.73

-16.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.58 MYR 6.43

37.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.95 MYR 3.88

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.51 MYR 2.09

241.18%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.03 MYR 8.25

39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$5.31 MYR 21.65

75.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$1.94 MYR 7.89

236.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$4.47 MYR 18.21

189.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.16 MYR 8.80

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.69 MYR 6.88

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.98 MYR 8.06

-0.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.03 MYR 4.19

134.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.63 MYR 2.56

30.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.95 MYR 3.89

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.02 MYR 4.15

31.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.63 MYR 2.56

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.39 MYR 17.87

-18.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$7.42 MYR 30.21

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.44 MYR 9.93

-30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.72 MYR 15.15

-35.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$12.26 MYR 49.96

24.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.02 MYR 4.17

11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.24 MYR 5.03

-37.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$4.87 MYR 19.83

142.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.61 MYR 2.50

137.70%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$19.4K MYR 78.9K

26.87%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$19.6K MYR 79.8K

14.01%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$62.8 MYR 256

41.47%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.98 MYR 36.60

46.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$16.79 MYR 68.4

17.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$13.48 MYR 54.9

375.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$6.76 MYR 27.55

181.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.73 MYR 15.21

90.88%

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

$375 ₾971

$237 MYR 965

58.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$13.1K MYR 53.4K

-20.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$16.83 MYR 68.6

515.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$8.68 MYR 35.36

352.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$60.4 MYR 246

94.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$37.27 MYR 152

226.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$419 MYR 1,707

65.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$287 MYR 1,169

57.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$779 MYR 3,175

73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$162 MYR 659

460.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,030 MYR 8,271

13.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,168 MYR 4,758

15.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$366 MYR 1,489

81.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

531.00%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Seri Iskandar: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Seri Iskandar

$287 40.6% 36.4% $164

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Seri Iskandar

$158 22.4% 32.3% $76

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Seri Iskandar

$74 10.4% 61.4% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Seri Iskandar

$55 7.8% 67.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Seri Iskandar

$89 12.5% 27.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Seri Iskandar

$21 3% 73.2% $57

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Seri Iskandar

$24 3.4% 8.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $419 in Seri Iskandar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 82% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $30 in Seri Iskandar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $158 per month, with Seri Iskandar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Seri Iskandar

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

14,827

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Seri Iskandar 6,920 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Seri Iskandar

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 Seri Iskandar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Seri Iskandar differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,269 vs $708 including rent). Seri Iskandar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 82% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $419 in Seri Iskandar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Seri Iskandar – a meal for two runs $30 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $708 in Seri Iskandar – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $708 in Seri Iskandar versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Seri Iskandar but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Seri Iskandar 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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Seri Iskandar 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 Seri Iskandar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.