Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Smolyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $723 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Smolyan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $723 in Smolyan.

Tbilisi $1,278
Smolyan $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,156 in Smolyan.

Tbilisi $2,017
Smolyan $1,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,589 in Smolyan.

Tbilisi $2,755
Smolyan $1,589

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 77% more expensive than in Smolyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Smolyan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$6.38 BGN 11.17

82.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$37.37 BGN 65.4

2.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$5.79 BGN 10.14

68.22%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$1.32 BGN 2.32

169.70%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$1.07 BGN 1.87

0.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.78 BGN 1.36

-28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$1.72 BGN 3.02

58.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$2.18 BGN 3.81

43.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$1.75 BGN 3.06

22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.93 BGN 1.63

-19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.73 BGN 3.03

4.05%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$3.37 BGN 5.89

-16.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$10.22 BGN 17.89

-7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$5.73 BGN 10.03

22.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.83

$8.63 BGN 15.11

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.13 BGN 1.98

44.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.73 BGN 3.02

6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.15 BGN 2.01

71.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$2.31 BGN 4.05

6.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.17 BGN 2.05

-35.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-55.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.93 BGN 1.63

51.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.60 BGN 1.05

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.40 BGN 5.94

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$5.55 BGN 9.72

42.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$0.60 BGN 1.04

183.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.67 BGN 2.92

41.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-56.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.56

$32.36 BGN 56.6

-52.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$1.30 BGN 2.28

-8.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.59 BGN 1.04

25.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$12.19 BGN 21.33

-2.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.54 BGN 2.69

-5.19%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

8.21%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$23.4K BGN 40.9K

-2.41%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$100 BGN 175

-11.91%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$14.39 BGN 25.18

-11.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$9.26 BGN 16.21

113.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$21.86 BGN 38.26

194.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.59

$16.71 BGN 29.25

14.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$7.64 BGN 13.38

-12.96%

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

$371 ₾961

$230 BGN 402

61.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$5,915 BGN 10.4K

54.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$28.19 BGN 49.33

262.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$21.01 BGN 36.77

88.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$58.9 BGN 103

100.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$62.8 BGN 110

90.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$202 BGN 353

241.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$141 BGN 247

226.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,523

$290 BGN 507

370.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$238 BGN 417

276.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

$1,302 BGN 2,279

74.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

$1,091 BGN 1,910

26.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

$694 BGN 1,215

2.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

3.25

285.54%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Smolyan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Smolyan

$141 19.5% 69.4% $320

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Smolyan

$199 27.6% 15.2% $36

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Smolyan

$105 14.5% 45.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Smolyan

$77 10.6% 55% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Smolyan

$124 17.1% 2.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Smolyan

$37 5.1% 52.1% $40

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Smolyan

$40 5.6% 85.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $202 in Smolyan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $37 in Smolyan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $199 per month, with Smolyan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

30,507

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Smolyan 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Smolyan

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 Smolyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Smolyan is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $1,085 in Smolyan 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: $690 in Tbilisi versus $202 in Smolyan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $230 in Smolyan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $723 in Smolyan versus $1,278 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Smolyan but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Smolyan 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 Smolyan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.