Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Tembisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,105 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Tembisa

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,105 in Tembisa, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Tembisa $1,105

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,734 in Tembisa, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Tembisa $1,734

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,363 in Tembisa, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Tembisa $2,363

Tbilisi costs about 15% more than Tembisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Tembisa are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Tembisa 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$9.69 R 161

20.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$39.77 R 663

-4.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.82 R 97.0

65.98%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.31 R 38.53

54.55%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.10 R 18.29

-1.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.83 R 13.79

-32.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.41 R 40.12

8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.80 R 46.70

8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.17 R 19.53

85.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.10 R 18.37

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.82 R 30.35

-4.40%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.54 R 42.40

11.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$8.39 R 140

10.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.91 R 81.9

32.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$7.19 R 120

80.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.81 R 30.09

-7.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.69 R 28.11

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.73 R 28.76

13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.66 R 27.71

45.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.46 R 24.26

-43.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.45 R 24.12

-48.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.24 R 20.62

8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.16 R 19.41

-33.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.33 R 55.4

7.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$5.03 R 83.8

52.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.39 R 23.20

22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.97 R 32.84

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.56 R 26.03

-74.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.64 R 10.61

78.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.93 R 15.53

-16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$11.73 R 195

0.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.48 R 24.63

-2.03%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$36.3K R 604.7K

-32.27%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$33.3K R 554.9K

-32.92%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$149 R 2,479

-40.31%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$35.37 R 589

-62.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$37.16 R 619

-47.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$32.03 R 534

99.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$10.74 R 179

77.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.37 R 123

-3.39%

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

$375 ₾971

$247 R 4,116

51.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,513 R 91.9K

89.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$54.4 R 906

90.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$33.07 R 551

18.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$101 R 1,687

15.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$89.2 R 1,486

36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$392 R 6,537

77.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$359 R 5,987

25.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$746 R 12.4K

81.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$753 R 12.5K

20.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$877 R 14.6K

161.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$682 R 11.4K

97.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$566 R 9,430

17.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.94

15.36%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Tembisa

$359 32.5% 20.4% $92

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Tembisa

$193 17.5% 17.5% $41

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Tembisa

$148 13.4% 22.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Tembisa

$125 11.3% 27.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Tembisa

$221 20% 82% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Tembisa

$47 4.2% 40.3% $32

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Tembisa

$12 * 1% 47.3% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $392 in Tembisa. 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 17% higher in Tbilisi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $40 in Tembisa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $193 in Tembisa – so Tembisa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

463,109

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Tembisa 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Tembisa

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,105 in Tembisa – Tembisa comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,658 in Tembisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $40 in Tembisa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,105 in Tembisa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tembisa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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