Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $913 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Shumen

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $913 in Shumen, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Shumen $913

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,422 in Shumen, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Shumen $1,422

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,931 in Shumen, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Shumen $1,931

Tbilisi costs about 39% more than Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Shumen are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Shumen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$9.14 BGN 15.99

27.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$34.66 BGN 60.7

9.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$9.14 BGN 15.99

5.69%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.69 BGN 2.96

111.24%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.43 BGN 2.50

-24.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.07 BGN 1.87

-47.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.95 BGN 5.15

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.89 BGN 5.06

5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.84 BGN 3.23

17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.08 BGN 1.89

-25.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.57 BGN 4.49

-32.30%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.85 BGN 4.98

-0.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$9.11 BGN 15.94

2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$5.11 BGN 8.95

27.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$8.86 BGN 15.51

46.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.52 BGN 2.66

10.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-9.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.17 BGN 3.80

-9.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.30 BGN 4.02

5.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.25 BGN 2.20

-40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.88 BGN 1.53

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.77 BGN 1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.67 BGN 6.41

-2.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$7.00 BGN 12.25

9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.97 BGN 1.69

75.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.47 BGN 2.57

63.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$26.12 BGN 45.72

-41.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-35.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.53 BGN 0.93

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.59 BGN 2.78

-8.81%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

-20.50%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

0.01%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$133 BGN 232

-33.07%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$17.68 BGN 30.94

-25.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$16.94 BGN 29.64

16.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$38.15 BGN 66.8

67.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$11.41 BGN 19.97

66.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.04 BGN 12.32

1.14%

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

$375 ₾971

$561 BGN 982

-33.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

-0.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$47.91 BGN 83.8

116.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$51.6 BGN 90.4

-23.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$94.2 BGN 165

24.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$60.6 BGN 106

100.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$263 BGN 460

164.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$180 BGN 315

150.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$427 BGN 748

217.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$334 BGN 584

171.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,231 BGN 2,154

86.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$997 BGN 1,744

34.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,024 BGN 1,792

-35.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.25

288.31%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Shumen

$180 19.7% 60.2% $271

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Shumen

$214 23.4% 8.7% $20

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Shumen

$151 16.6% 20.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 33.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Shumen

$167 18.3% 37.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Shumen

$52 5.7% 33.3% $26

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 55.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $263 in Shumen. 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 54% higher in Shumen, 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 $35 in Shumen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $214 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

85,504

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Shumen 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $913 in Shumen – Shumen comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,369 in Shumen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $913 in Shumen. That makes Shumen about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in Shumen 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.