Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Umhlanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,370 in Umhlanga, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Umhlanga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Umhlanga
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Umhlanga Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Umhlanga

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Umhlanga

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

A single person spends $1,266 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,370 in Umhlanga, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,266
Umhlanga $1,370

A couple spends around $2,007 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,018 in Umhlanga, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,007
Umhlanga $2,018

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,666 in Umhlanga, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,749
Umhlanga $2,666

Tbilisi is about 8% cheaper than Umhlanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Tbilisi sits 6% below the global median, while Umhlanga is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$12.08 R 199

-6.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$29.71 R 489

31.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$5.48 R 90.3

75.73%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$2.60 R 42.77

33.08%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.45 R 23.89

-24.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$1.14 R 18.76

-44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$3.05 R 50.3

-9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$4.58 R 75.4

-32.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.11 R 18.21

102.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$0.95 R 15.72

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.85 R 30.48

-4.86%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$2.26 R 37.31

21.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$10.78 R 178

-12.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$4.74 R 78.1

40.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$9.81 R 162

31.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.23 R 20.28

35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.54 R 25.30

16.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.50 R 24.71

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$1.20 R 19.76

100.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$1.12 R 18.40

-23.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$1.54 R 25.35

-55.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.22 R 20.10

14.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.89 R 14.61

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.24 R 53.3

8.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$6.12 R 101

24.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$2.31 R 38.06

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$3.58 R 58.9

-35.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.58 R 9.56

-36.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.52 R 25.11

-7.89%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$39.3K R 646.9K

-36.87%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$35.9K R 591.1K

-39.08%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$133 R 2,194

-33.07%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$36.76 R 606

-64.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$41.54 R 684

-52.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$29.99 R 494

116.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$15.28 R 252

24.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$7.60 R 125

-13.55%

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

$377 ₾975

$276 R 4,544

36.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$7,869 R 129.6K

37.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$64.4 R 1,060

58.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$44.97 R 741

-11.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$120 R 1,969

-1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$91.5 R 1,507

34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$603 R 9,930

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$586 R 9,647

-23.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$1,205 R 19.9K

6.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$1,009 R 16.6K

-11.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$2,300 R 37.9K

5.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$1,571 R 25.9K

-12.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$1,614 R 26.6K

-57.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

13.33

-5.33%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Umhlanga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Umhlanga

$586 42.7% 30.4% $136

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Umhlanga

$203 14.8% 13.2% $31

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Umhlanga

$179 13.1% 4.8% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Umhlanga

$144 10.5% 16.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Umhlanga

$211 15.4% 73.2% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Umhlanga

$45 3.3% 42.1% $33

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Umhlanga

$2.3 * 0.2% 89.6% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Tbilisi versus $603 in Umhlanga. 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 138% higher in Umhlanga, 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 $39.00 in Tbilisi versus $30.00 in Umhlanga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $203 – making Umhlanga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇿🇦 Umhlanga

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

2 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Umhlanga 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Umhlanga

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 Umhlanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi, $1,370 in Umhlanga – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,899 per month in Tbilisi and $2,056 in Umhlanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi and $30.00 in Umhlanga. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Umhlanga – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,266, than in Umhlanga at $1,370. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Umhlanga 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 $1,266 in Tbilisi to $1,370 in Umhlanga. 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 Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Umhlanga makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.