Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
Learn more

Surabaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Surabaya

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $674 in Surabaya, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Surabaya $674

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,173 in Surabaya, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Surabaya $1,173

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,672 in Surabaya, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Surabaya $1,672

Tbilisi costs about 89% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

606.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

239.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

212.10%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

127.56%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.55 Rp 9,867

92.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.26 Rp 4,619

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-27.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

72.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

-40.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

109.64%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

136.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

18.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

112.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

65.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

-17.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

43.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

4.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

68.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

-36.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

-61.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

59.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.39 Rp 7,029

84.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

70.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-68.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

-15.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.35 Rp 6,237

5.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$0.46 Rp 8,282

147.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.42 Rp 7,542

88.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

348.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

70.45%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

0.03%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

-30.70%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

1.07%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

186.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

258.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

187.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

164.77%

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

$373 ₾966

$277 Rp 5.0M

34.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

14.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

44.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

4.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

44.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

62.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$282 Rp 5.1M

139.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$144 Rp 2.6M

214.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$601 Rp 10.8M

48.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

11.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

32.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$271 Rp 4.9M

159.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

7.5

68.27%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 68.2% $310

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Surabaya

$209 31% 10.4% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 66.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 30.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 8.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 70.3% $55

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 82.2% $18

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 $282 in Surabaya. 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 160% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $209 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Surabaya 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $674 in Surabaya – roughly 89% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,011 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $674 in Surabaya. That's a gap of about 89%.

Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $277 in Surabaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $674 in Surabaya to $1,270 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Surabaya. 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.