Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Van, Turkey
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Van
🇹🇷 Turkey
$956
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Van

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $956 in Van, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Van $956

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,536 in Van, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Van $1,536

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,116 in Van, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Van $2,116

Tbilisi costs about 33% more than Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Van are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Van 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$7.48 ₺373
55.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$34.59 ₺1,724
9.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$7.93 ₺395
21.82%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.57 ₺178
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.14 ₺56.6
-5.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.42 ₺21.18
33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$3.33 ₺166
-21.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$3.10 ₺154
-1.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$0.96 ₺47.68
126.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$1.00 ₺49.81
-20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$2.25 ₺112
-22.67%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$1.48 ₺73.9
91.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$8.99 ₺448
3.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$4.07 ₺203
60.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$22.62 ₺1,127
-42.75%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$1.82 ₺90.9
-7.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.83 ₺91.1
1.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$1.09 ₺54.4
80.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$1.15 ₺57.4
110.43%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$0.52 ₺25.74
57.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$0.35 ₺17.45
111.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$0.74 ₺36.88
81.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.61 ₺30.54
26.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$2.16 ₺108
65.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$10.36 ₺516
-25.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$2.01 ₺100.0
-15.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$2.79 ₺139
-13.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.73 ₺36.60
-45.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$1.30 ₺64.6
-12.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$0.76 ₺37.86
2.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$7.21 ₺359
64.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.28 ₺64.0
13.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$42.2K ₺2.1M
-41.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$38.9K ₺1.9M
-42.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$79.9 ₺3,982
11.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$10.46 ₺522
25.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$13.39 ₺667
46.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$57.0 ₺2,842
12.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$6.49 ₺324
9.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$624 ₺31.1K
-39.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$11.4K ₺566.2K
-7.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$45.86 ₺2,285
125.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$33.35 ₺1,662
17.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$79.7 ₺3,970
47.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$88.8 ₺4,426
37.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$469 ₺23.4K
48.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$278 ₺13.9K
62.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$816 ₺40.7K
66.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$586 ₺29.2K
54.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$1,491 ₺74.3K
53.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$968 ₺48.2K
38.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Van
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
41.33
-69.47%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Van
$278 38.3% $173
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Van
$229 2.2% $5.2
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Van
$156 18.4% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Van
$111 35.2% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Van
$104 14.7% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Van
$70 10.6% $8.3
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Van
$8 * 63.3% $14

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 $469 in Van. 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 $35 in Van. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $229 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇹🇷 Van
🕒 Local time
17:01 5:01 PM
16:01 4:01 PM
1 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
1,141,015
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Van 370 km
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tbilisi and in Van compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $956 in Van – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Van?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,434 in Van. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tbilisi and Van?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tbilisi and Van?
Kindergarten costs $375 per month in Tbilisi and $624 in Van. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Tbilisi or Van?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $956 in Van. That’s a gap of about 33%.
How does quality of life compare between Tbilisi and Van?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Van to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Tbilisi or Van safer for residents?
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.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

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