Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,207 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Shiga

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,207 in Shiga, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Shiga $1,207

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,897 in Shiga, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Shiga $1,897

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,588 in Shiga, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Shiga $2,588

Tbilisi costs about 5% more than Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Shiga are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Shiga 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$6.19 ¥977

87.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$31.73 ¥5,011

19.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$4.96 ¥783

94.76%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$2.95 ¥466

21.02%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.31 ¥206

-17.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.70 ¥110

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$2.76 ¥436

-5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$3.53 ¥558

-13.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.28 ¥203

69.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.24 ¥196

-35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$3.89 ¥614

-55.27%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.04 ¥322

38.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$9.45 ¥1,492

-1.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$9.19 ¥1,452

-29.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$18.48 ¥2,918

-29.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.44 ¥543

-51.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$2.03 ¥320

-8.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.04 ¥323

-3.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$3.97 ¥626

-39.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$1.52 ¥240

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.14 ¥180

-35.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.36 ¥215

-1.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.87 ¥137

-11.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$3.97 ¥627

-10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$9.77 ¥1,543

-21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.90 ¥301

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.13 ¥494

-23.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.16 ¥183

-65.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$56.2 ¥8,877

-72.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.86 ¥610

-70.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$3.20 ¥505

-75.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$21.98 ¥3,472

-46.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.09 ¥173

33.03%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

8.37%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

46.39%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$137 ¥21.7K

-35.23%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$24.58 ¥3,882

-46.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$18.76 ¥2,962

4.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$52.0 ¥8,215

23.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$12.55 ¥1,982

-43.27%

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

$375 ₾972

$697 ¥110.1K

-46.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$13.4K ¥2.1M

-21.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$48.59 ¥7,674

113.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$30.84 ¥4,870

27.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$73.3 ¥11.6K

60.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$90.1 ¥14.2K

35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$551 ¥87.0K

26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$337 ¥53.2K

33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$998 ¥157.6K

35.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$727 ¥114.8K

24.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$4,617 ¥729.1K

-50.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$2,022 ¥319.3K

-33.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$1,210 ¥191.2K

-45.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

2.21

471.04%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Shiga

$337 27.9% 25.4% $114

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Shiga

$294 24.4% 25.7% $60

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Shiga

$129 10.7% 32.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Shiga

$109 9.1% 36.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Shiga

$180 15% 48.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Shiga

$77 6.4% 1.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Shiga

$81 6.7% 269% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $551 in Shiga. 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 82% higher in Shiga, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $32 in Shiga. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $294 in Shiga – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

5 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

23,836

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Shiga 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,207 in Shiga – Shiga comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,811 in Shiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $551 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $697 in Shiga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,207 in Shiga, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Shiga to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.