Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Side

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,144 in Side.

Tbilisi $1,269
Side $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,790 in Side.

Tbilisi $2,016
Side $1,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,435 in Side.

Tbilisi $2,763
Side $2,435

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 11% more expensive than in Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Side 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$10.26 ₺511

13.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$29.76 ₺1,483

27.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$9.45 ₺471

2.22%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.44 ₺171

3.78%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.19 ₺109

-50.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.39 ₺19.48

43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$4.01 ₺200

-34.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$6.07 ₺303

-49.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.07 ₺53.1

102.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.97 ₺48.33

-17.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.61 ₺130

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.29 ₺114

23.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$13.70 ₺683

-32.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$6.16 ₺307

5.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$26.79 ₺1,335

-51.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.57 ₺78.2

7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.46 ₺123

-24.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.39 ₺69.1

41.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.27 ₺63.5

90.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.79 ₺39.51

3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.71 ₺35.38

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.74 ₺87.0

-22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.76 ₺37.63

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.78 ₺139

28.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$13.85 ₺690

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.69 ₺84.1

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.13 ₺156

-23.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.69 ₺34.55

-42.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.24 ₺61.7

-8.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.00 ₺49.64

-22.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$6.69 ₺333

76.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.51 ₺75.2

-3.97%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$42.1K ₺2.1M

-41.61%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$38.2K ₺1.9M

-41.60%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$76.7 ₺3,824

15.75%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$10.57 ₺527

24.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$23.12 ₺1,152

-14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$52.8 ₺2,632

21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$8.06 ₺402

-11.66%

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

$375 ₾971

$507 ₺25.3K

-25.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$10.9K ₺544.1K

-4.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$46.20 ₺2,302

124.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$58.9 ₺2,937

-33.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$157 ₺7,812

-25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$117 ₺5,842

3.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$420 ₺20.9K

65.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$302 ₺15.1K

49.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$761 ₺37.9K

78.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$573 ₺28.5K

58.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,431 ₺71.3K

60.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,018 ₺50.7K

32.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

38.25

-67.01%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Side

$302 26.4% 33% $149

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Side

$289 25.3% 23.5% $55

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Side

$194 17% 1.9% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Side

$171 14.9% 0.8% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Side

$110 9.7% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Side

$69 6% 12% $9.4

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Side

$9 * 0.8% 58.9% $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 $695 in Tbilisi and $420 in Side. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $30 in Side. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $289, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

12,500

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Side 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Side is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,904 in Tbilisi and $1,717 in Side to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $420 in Side. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $507 in Side. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Side gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Side are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.