Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $773 a month against $1,242 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
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Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,242

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Sulaymaniyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,242 in Tbilisi versus $773 in Sulaymaniyah.

Tbilisi $1,242
Sulaymaniyah $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,962 in Tbilisi versus $1,194 in Sulaymaniyah.

Tbilisi $1,962
Sulaymaniyah $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,682 in Tbilisi versus $1,615 in Sulaymaniyah.

Tbilisi $2,682
Sulaymaniyah $1,615

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 61% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Sulaymaniyah 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ₾28.47

$5.07 IQD 7,655

116.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.21 ₾99.0

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

66.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 ₾24.84

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

36.08%

Cappuccino

$3.59 ₾9.31

$2.88 IQD 4,341

24.65%

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

$1.03 ₾2.66

$0.50 IQD 759

106.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.64

$0.25 IQD 378

152.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ₾7.10

$3.93 IQD 5,939

-30.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₾8.22

$2.27 IQD 3,424

39.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ₾5.53

$1.28 IQD 1,934

66.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.01 IQD 1,518

-26.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 ₾4.46

$1.86 IQD 2,810

-7.53%

Eggs

$2.78 ₾7.21

$1.77 IQD 2,670

57.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.48 ₾24.56

$4.96 IQD 7,485

91.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 ₾16.71

$4.22 IQD 6,377

52.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ₾33.76

$15.30 IQD 23.1K

-14.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ₾4.37

$1.28 IQD 1,934

32.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.76

$1.28 IQD 1,936

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ₾4.90

$1.15 IQD 1,736

64.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 ₾6.22

$0.68 IQD 1,025

252.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₾2.17

$0.56 IQD 847

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₾1.75

$0.73 IQD 1,095

-6.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.68

$0.73 IQD 1,100

94.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$0.50 IQD 751

54.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 ₾9.22

$2.28 IQD 3,442

56.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ₾19.39

$11.23 IQD 17.0K

-33.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₾4.44

$1.95 IQD 2,947

-12.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₾5.94

$1.42 IQD 2,140

61.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.04

$0.60 IQD 901

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.15 ₾39.27

$22.68 IQD 34.2K

-33.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$2.22 IQD 3,358

-46.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.03

$2.34 IQD 3,528

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 ₾30.51

$5.50 IQD 8,300

114.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₾3.65

$0.69 IQD 1,044

104.35%

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

$24.3K ₾62.9K

$20.9K IQD 31.5M

16.19%

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

$21.7K ₾56.4K

$18.9K IQD 28.6M

14.78%

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

$87.6 ₾227

$100 IQD 151.6K

-12.70%

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

$13.33 ₾34.56

$11.49 IQD 17.4K

16.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.51 ₾50.6

$28.04 IQD 42.3K

-30.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.7 ₾168

$39.70 IQD 59.9K

62.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.85 ₾48.87

$20.09 IQD 30.3K

-6.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 ₾16.97

$7.58 IQD 11.4K

-13.59%

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

$377 ₾978

$173 IQD 260.8K

118.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₾27.5K

$2,946 IQD 4.4M

260.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$18.91 IQD 28.6K

440.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.36 ₾105

$25.19 IQD 38.0K

60.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾302

$43.24 IQD 65.3K

169.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₾314

$38.64 IQD 58.3K

213.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 ₾1,749

$215 IQD 324.5K

213.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,170

$175 IQD 264.0K

158.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₾3,305

$492 IQD 743.4K

159.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 ₾2,288

$363 IQD 548.4K

143.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,415 ₾6,259

$786 IQD 1.2M

207.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ₾3,640

$630 IQD 951.7K

122.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$706 ₾1,830

$584 IQD 881.5K

20.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.77

118.72%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$175 22.5% 61.3% $277

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$232 18.4%

Sulaymaniyah

$188 24.2% 18.9% $44

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$186 14.8%

Sulaymaniyah

$123 15.9% 33.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$57 7.3% 66.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$120 9.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$140 18% 16.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$55 7.1% 29.5% $23

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$39 5% 78.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $675 in Tbilisi and $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $23.00 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $188 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

823,199

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,692 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.91 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Sulaymaniyah 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $675 in Tbilisi versus $215 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,242 per month in Tbilisi versus $773 in Sulaymaniyah – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $773 in Sulaymaniyah versus $1,242 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sulaymaniyah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.