Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,174 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Tbilisi despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Stellenbosch

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,174 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Stellenbosch $1,174

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,947 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Stellenbosch $1,947

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,721 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Stellenbosch $2,721

Tbilisi costs about 8% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Stellenbosch are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Stellenbosch 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$7.50 R 124

53.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$36.96 R 609

3.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$4.97 R 81.9

97.18%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.13 R 35.16

66.67%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.00 R 16.45

6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.73 R 12.06

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$2.66 R 43.84

3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$3.17 R 52.2

-5.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.35 R 22.30

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.15 R 19.00

-33.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.80 R 29.63

-3.33%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.85 R 47.01

-2.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$8.75 R 144

5.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$5.94 R 97.9

9.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$7.50 R 124

70.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.75 R 28.90

-4.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.48 R 24.42

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.73 R 28.56

14.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.54 R 25.45

62.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.08 R 17.86

-19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.56 R 25.77

-53.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.36 R 22.37

4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$1.19 R 19.54

-39.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$3.75 R 61.8

-9.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$6.13 R 101

27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.35 R 22.30

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.16 R 35.56

10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$0.60 R 9.87

90.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.49 R 24.55

-46.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$5.12 R 84.4

125.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.38 R 22.79

8.70%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$35.5K R 585.4K

-30.69%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$34.0K R 560.3K

-34.23%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$103 R 1,701

-14.52%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$29.34 R 483

-55.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$34.40 R 567

-43.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$29.41 R 485

118.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$17.07 R 281

12.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$8.74 R 144

-20.02%

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

$373 ₾966

$266 R 4,381

40.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$2,413 R 39.8K

342.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$52.4 R 864

95.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$28.86 R 476

40.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$120 R 1,982

-3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$89.6 R 1,476

36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$677 R 11.2K

0.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$490 R 8,078

-7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$1,475 R 24.3K

-13.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$1,196 R 19.7K

-25.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$2,583 R 42.6K

-72.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.7

17.94%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8% 7.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4% 12.5% $29

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8% 33.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2% 23.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2% 38.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 40% $31

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7% 63.6% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $677 in Stellenbosch. 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 268% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $37.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $204 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

19,068

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Stellenbosch 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 8% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,761 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $37.00 in Stellenbosch. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Tbilisi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,174, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Stellenbosch costs $1,174 versus $1,270 in Tbilisi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Stellenbosch. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.