Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $932 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
Learn more

Tawau Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Tawau

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $932 in Tawau, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Tawau $932

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,391 in Tawau, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Tawau $1,391

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,851 in Tawau, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Tawau $1,851

Tbilisi costs about 36% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Tawau are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Tawau 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.24 MYR 13.22

258.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$19.61 MYR 79.9

92.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.20 MYR 17.13

130.00%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.06 MYR 12.46

16.67%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.94 MYR 3.81

14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.36 MYR 1.45

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.71 MYR 11.04

-3.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$4.58 MYR 18.68

-33.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.79 MYR 7.28

21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.03 MYR 4.20

-22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.43 MYR 5.82

21.68%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.24 MYR 9.15

26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$11.71 MYR 47.71

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.38 MYR 17.86

48.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$9.45 MYR 38.50

37.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.10 MYR 12.63

-45.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.53 MYR 6.25

20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.54 MYR 10.36

-22.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.36 MYR 5.53

77.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.41 MYR 5.75

-41.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.46 MYR 5.93

-49.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.13 MYR 4.60

18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.52 MYR 2.10

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.44 MYR 18.09

-19.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$19.05 MYR 77.6

-59.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.03 MYR 12.33

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$4.60 MYR 18.73

-47.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.69 MYR 2.83

-42.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$11.10 MYR 45.21

37.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.54 MYR 2.19

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.62 MYR 31.05

55.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.78 MYR 3.17

85.90%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$51.4K MYR 209.3K

-52.16%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$34.9K MYR 142.0K

-35.92%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$50.5 MYR 206

75.81%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$10.55 MYR 42.97

24.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$28.09 MYR 114

-29.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$43.09 MYR 176

48.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$6.77 MYR 27.60

181.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.71 MYR 15.12

91.91%

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

$375 ₾971

$240 MYR 979

56.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$7,864 MYR 32.0K

33.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$55.7 MYR 227

86.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$35.86 MYR 146

9.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$75.4 MYR 307

55.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$68.2 MYR 278

78.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$460 MYR 1,875

51.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$315 MYR 1,284

43.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$780 MYR 3,178

73.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$519 MYR 2,115

74.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,240 MYR 9,125

2.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,307 MYR 5,325

2.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$424 MYR 1,727

56.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.06

210.84%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tawau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Tawau

$315 33.8% 30.1% $136

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Tawau

$250 26.9% 6.9% $16

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Tawau

$103 11.1% 45.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Tawau

$106 11.4% 38.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Tawau

$89 9.6% 26.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Tawau

$51 5.4% 35.5% $28

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Tawau

$18 1.9% 18.9% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $460 in Tawau. 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 57% higher in Tbilisi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $20 in Tawau. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $250 in Tawau – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

420,806

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Tawau 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Tawau

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 Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 36% more than Tawau, 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 $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,398 in Tawau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tawau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $460 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $20 in Tawau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,269 in Tbilisi and $932 in Tawau. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tawau – 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.

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