Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,102 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Stilbaai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $1,102 in Stilbaai.

Tbilisi $1,278
Stilbaai $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,838 in Stilbaai.

Tbilisi $2,017
Stilbaai $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $2,574 in Stilbaai.

Tbilisi $2,755
Stilbaai $2,574

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 16% more expensive than in Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Stilbaai 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.06

$11.99 R 196

-3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.3

$43.94 R 720

-12.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.18

$6.14 R 101

58.63%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$2.41 R 39.44

47.72%

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

$1.08 ₾2.79

$1.32 R 21.56

-18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.99 R 16.28

-43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$3.09 R 50.6

-11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.08

$3.59 R 58.8

-12.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.54

$1.36 R 22.29

57.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.25 R 20.49

-40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$2.13 R 34.93

-15.49%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$3.08 R 50.5

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.39

$8.83 R 145

6.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.09

$6.75 R 111

3.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.82

$9.73 R 159

30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.83 R 30.00

-10.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.88 R 30.72

-2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.69 R 27.61

16.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.38

$2.14 R 35.12

15.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.50 R 24.53

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.54 R 25.20

-56.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.29 R 21.15

9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$1.18 R 19.38

-38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.58 R 58.7

-1.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.39

$5.95 R 97.4

32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$1.38 R 22.61

23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$2.19 R 35.94

8.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.64 R 26.81

-76.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$0.94 R 15.48

26.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.84 R 13.79

-11.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.75

$5.09 R 83.4

133.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.56 R 25.49

-6.41%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$34.3K R 562.4K

-27.22%

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

$22.8K ₾59.0K

$34.2K R 559.9K

-33.20%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$118 R 1,929

-25.13%

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

$12.71 ₾32.85

$25.60 R 420

-50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$40.19 R 659

-50.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$33.77 R 553

90.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.57

$10.44 R 171

83.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.19

$8.93 R 146

-25.53%

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

$371 ₾960

$301 R 4,930

23.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$8,205 R 134.4K

11.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$56.4 R 923

81.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$32.06 R 525

23.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$120 R 1,974

-1.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$104 R 1,702

15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

$390 R 6,390

76.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$315 R 5,160

46.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,522

$778 R 12.8K

74.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,320

$813 R 13.3K

10.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,888

$850 R 13.9K

167.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,562

$750 R 12.3K

83.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

10.89

15.06%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Stilbaai

$315 28.6% 31.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Stilbaai

$224 20.4% 4.6% $11

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Stilbaai

$175 15.9% 8.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Stilbaai

$141 12.8% 17.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Stilbaai

$184 16.7% 52.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Stilbaai

$52 4.7% 33.5% $26

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Stilbaai

$12 * 1.1% 46% $10

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 $690 in Tbilisi and $390 in Stilbaai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $44 in Stilbaai. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $224, with Stilbaai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Stilbaai 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Tbilisi and $1,102 in Stilbaai, so Stilbaai is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $1,653 in Stilbaai 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 $390 in Stilbaai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $301 in Stilbaai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $44 in Stilbaai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.