Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $808 in Shymkent.

Tbilisi $1,270
Shymkent $808

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,390 in Shymkent.

Tbilisi $2,008
Shymkent $1,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $1,971 in Shymkent.

Tbilisi $2,745
Shymkent $1,971

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 57% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Shymkent 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$11.25 ₸5,086

2.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$33.35 ₸15.1K

14.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$6.50 ₸2,938

50.77%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.54 ₸1,147

39.76%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.03 ₸467

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.54 ₸246

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.09 ₸492

153.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$1.35 ₸609

122.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.46 ₸661

47.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.41 ₸184

85.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.79 ₸811

-2.79%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.73 ₸783

61.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$10.04 ₸4,538

-8.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$5.26 ₸2,376

24.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$8.98 ₸4,059

42.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.19 ₸538

40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.12 ₸957

-12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$2.58 ₸1,166

-23.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.35 ₸610

85.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.55 ₸250

58.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.41 ₸184

78.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.88 ₸397

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.83 ₸376

-13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.46 ₸1,114

37.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$4.55 ₸2,057

72.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.03 ₸466

57.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.51 ₸683

57.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.14 ₸64.0

164.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$0.87 ₸395

31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.34 ₸156

132.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$10.02 ₸4,532

15.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$0.64 ₸291

134.38%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-9.39%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$29.0K ₸13.1M

-23.01%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$47.29 ₸21.4K

86.61%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$9.60 ₸4,338

36.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$14.79 ₸6,685

32.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$38.82 ₸17.5K

65.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$8.82 ₸3,986

117.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.68 ₸2,567

23.06%

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

$373 ₾966

$57.8 ₸26.1K

545.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$37.55 ₸17.0K

173.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$33.85 ₸15.3K

19.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$187 ₸84.4K

-37.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$52.9 ₸23.9K

130.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$338 ₸153.0K

100.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$203 ₸92.0K

123.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$698 ₸315.6K

82.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$545 ₸246.2K

63.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,104 ₸499.1K

118.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$986 ₸445.6K

43.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$442 ₸199.6K

59.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

18.25

-30.85%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Shymkent

$203 25.2% 55.2% $251

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Shymkent

$185 22.9% 20.5% $48

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Shymkent

$154 19.1% 19% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Shymkent

$140 17.3% 18.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Shymkent

$72 8.9% 40.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Shymkent

$50 6.2% 35.8% $28

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4% 85.7% $19

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 $338 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $33.00 in Shymkent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $185 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

2 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Shymkent 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Shymkent differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,270 vs $808 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $338 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $57.8 in Shymkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $808 in Shymkent versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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 Shymkent 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 Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.