Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Thika, Kenya
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,278
/mo nomad
Thika
🇰🇪 Kenya
$516
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Thika

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Tbilisi vs $516 in Thika, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,278
  • Thika $516

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Tbilisi vs $880 in Thika, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,017
  • Thika $880

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,245 in Thika, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,755
  • Thika $1,245

Tbilisi costs about 148% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Thika are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 5% lower, Thika 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.62 ₾30.07
$3.42 KES 444
239.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.41 ₾99.4
$33.96 KES 4,410
13.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 ₾25.20
$6.26 KES 813
55.59%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ₾9.21
$1.93 KES 251
84.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.80
$0.30 KES 38.66
260.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.46
$0.63 KES 81.6
-11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.73 ₾7.05
$1.96 KES 255
39.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 ₾8.09
$2.15 KES 279
45.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ₾5.55
$0.73 KES 95.3
193.15%
White Bread (500g)
$0.75 ₾1.95
$0.44 KES 57.6
70.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 ₾4.66
$1.20 KES 155
50.00%
Eggs
$2.80 ₾7.25
$1.41 KES 183
98.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.43 ₾24.41
$10.96 KES 1,423
-13.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.00 ₾18.10
$6.73 KES 873
4.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 ₾32.83
$3.94 KES 511
222.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.63 ₾4.22
$1.58 KES 206
3.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 ₾4.77
$0.61 KES 79.2
201.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.09
$0.74 KES 96.6
166.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.47 ₾6.39
$1.15 KES 149
114.78%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₾1.95
$0.37 KES 47.84
102.70%
Onion (1kg)
$0.67 ₾1.74
$0.45 KES 58.4
48.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 ₾3.66
$0.69 KES 89.4
104.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.86
$0.39 KES 50.8
84.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.51 ₾9.08
$2.79 KES 363
25.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.89 ₾20.40
$5.72 KES 742
37.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.41
$1.78 KES 231
-4.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 ₾6.12
$1.97 KES 256
20.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 ₾0.98
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.29 ₾39.56
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ₾3.08
$1.52 KES 198
-21.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$0.96 KES 125
-22.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.89 ₾30.76
$2.93 KES 380
305.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 ₾3.77
$1.41 KES 184
3.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.0K ₾64.6K
$19.3K KES 2.5M
29.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K ₾59.1K
$21.5K KES 2.8M
6.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.1 ₾228
$34.90 KES 4,532
152.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.71 ₾32.87
$14.86 KES 1,930
-14.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.79 ₾51.2
$34.82 KES 4,521
-43.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.3 ₾166
$45.48 KES 5,906
41.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.17 ₾49.59
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.65 ₾17.20
$7.47 KES 970
-10.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$371 ₾961
$54.0 KES 7,005
588.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,163 ₾23.7K
$3,528 KES 458.2K
159.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 ₾264
$28.24 KES 3,666
261.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.65 ₾103
$29.33 KES 3,808
35.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₾306
$69.2 KES 8,991
70.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 ₾310
$19.51 KES 2,533
513.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$690 ₾1,784
$99.5 KES 12.9K
593.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ₾1,193
$56.8 KES 7,380
711.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,362 ₾3,523
$270 KES 35.0K
404.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$897 ₾2,321
$178 KES 23.1K
403.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,277 ₾5,891
$611 KES 79.3K
272.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,378 ₾3,564
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Thika
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$710 ₾1,836
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.53
14.71
-14.82%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$461
Thika
$57 87.7% $404
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$235
Thika
$154 34.3% $81
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Thika
$87 54.5% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$171
Thika
$66 61.5% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Thika
$85 29.9% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Thika
$60 22.1% $17
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Thika
$6.3 * 70.8% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Tbilisi versus $100 in Thika. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $34 in Thika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $155 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇰🇪 Thika
🕒 Local time
17:49 5:49 PM
16:49 4:49 PM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
83,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Thika 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tbilisi and in Thika compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi, $516 in Thika – Thika comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Thika?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,918 per month in Tbilisi and $773 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tbilisi and Thika?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $100 there versus $690 in Tbilisi.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $34 in Thika. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 52% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $516, than in Tbilisi at $1,278. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Tbilisi or Thika?
Families tend to lean toward Thika – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

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