Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $908 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Stara Zagora

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $908 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Stara Zagora $908

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,415 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Stara Zagora $1,415

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,921 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Stara Zagora $1,921

Tbilisi costs about 40% more than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$10.38 BGN 18.16

12.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$51.7 BGN 90.5

-26.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$9.15 BGN 16.02

5.57%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.34 BGN 4.09

52.56%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.50 BGN 2.62

-28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.21 BGN 3.87

18.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.03 BGN 3.56

49.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.73 BGN 3.02

25.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-6.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.45 BGN 2.54

20.00%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.36 BGN 4.12

19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$9.38 BGN 16.42

-0.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$6.39 BGN 11.18

2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$8.59 BGN 15.03

50.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.25 BGN 2.19

34.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.70 BGN 2.98

8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.76 BGN 3.08

11.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.93 BGN 3.38

25.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.00 BGN 1.74

-18.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.72 BGN 1.26

2.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.55 BGN 0.97

143.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.63 BGN 1.10

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.64 BGN 6.38

-1.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$5.25 BGN 9.18

46.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.09 BGN 1.91

55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.73 BGN 3.03

38.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$20.45 BGN 35.79

-25.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-11.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.64 BGN 1.13

21.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$11.40 BGN 19.95

3.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.57 BGN 2.75

-7.64%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

-17.33%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$23.5K BGN 41.1K

-4.85%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$91.4 BGN 160

-2.80%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$14.59 BGN 25.53

-10.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$12.26 BGN 21.46

60.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$33.21 BGN 58.1

92.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$21.06 BGN 36.86

-9.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$8.89 BGN 15.55

-19.91%

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

$375 ₾971

$227 BGN 398

65.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$2,270 BGN 3,972

361.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$30.35 BGN 53.1

241.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$19.39 BGN 33.93

102.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$64.0 BGN 112

83.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$51.9 BGN 90.8

134.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$330 BGN 577

111.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$279 BGN 489

61.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$498 BGN 871

172.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$399 BGN 699

127.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,506 BGN 2,635

52.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,109 BGN 1,941

21.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,067 BGN 1,867

-37.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

2.99

322.07%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Stara Zagora

$279 30.8% 38.1% $172

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Stara Zagora

$194 21.3% 17.2% $40

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Stara Zagora

$163 18% 14.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2% 56.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Stara Zagora

$118 13% 2.8% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6% 34.9% $27

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Stara Zagora

$28 3.1% 29.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $330 in Stara Zagora. 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 61% higher in Stara Zagora, 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 $52 in Stara Zagora. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $194 in Stara Zagora – so Stara Zagora wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

149,266

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Stara Zagora 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Stara Zagora

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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $908 in Stara Zagora – Stara Zagora 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 $1,362 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stara Zagora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $52 in Stara Zagora. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $908, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Stara Zagora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stara Zagora – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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