Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Veles

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $766 in Veles, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Veles $766

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,137 in Veles, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Veles $1,137

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,507 in Veles, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Veles $1,507

Tbilisi costs about 66% more than Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Veles are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Veles 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$8.78 MKD 483

32.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$18.09 MKD 995

109.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.43 MKD 299

77.90%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.56 MKD 85.7

128.85%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.33 MKD 73.3

-18.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.82 MKD 45.00

-31.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.47 MKD 81.1

78.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.11 MKD 171

-2.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.03 MKD 56.6

110.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$0.53 MKD 29.29

50.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.51 MKD 83.3

15.23%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.48 MKD 136

14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$2.97 MKD 163

213.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.93 MKD 216

65.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$15.02 MKD 826

-13.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.44 MKD 79.1

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.46 MKD 80.4

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.34 MKD 73.7

47.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.89 MKD 104

28.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.90 MKD 49.68

-8.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.83 MKD 45.91

-10.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.59 MKD 32.73

127.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.60 MKD 32.90

28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.23 MKD 178

10.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$6.22 MKD 342

23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.02 MKD 56.2

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.44 MKD 79.3

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.80 MKD 43.93

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$23.73 MKD 1,306

-35.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.10 MKD 60.7

3.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.58 MKD 31.70

34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.67 MKD 422

54.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.40 MKD 76.8

3.57%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

-7.27%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

-9.90%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$108 MKD 5,963

-18.07%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$16.80 MKD 924

-21.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$12.21 MKD 672

61.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$25.03 MKD 1,377

155.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$17.81 MKD 980

6.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.37 MKD 185

111.28%

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

$375 ₾971

$214 MKD 11.8K

75.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

84.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$21.40 MKD 1,177

384.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$18.01 MKD 991

117.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$73.6 MKD 4,047

59.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$109 MKD 5,977

12.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$223 MKD 12.2K

212.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$169 MKD 9,289

167.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$290 MKD 15.9K

367.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$232 MKD 12.8K

290.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

94.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$940 MKD 51.7K

43.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$586 MKD 32.2K

13.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.23

198.35%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Veles

$169 22% 62.6% $282

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Veles

$170 22.2% 27.2% $64

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Veles

$127 16.6% 33.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Veles

$100 13% 42% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Veles

$137 17.9% 13% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Veles

$32 4.1% 59.4% $47

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Veles

$31 4% 41.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $223 in Veles. 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 13% higher in Tbilisi, 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 $38 in Tbilisi versus $18 in Veles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $170 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

43,716

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Veles 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Veles

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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $766 in Veles – Veles comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,150 in Veles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $18 in Veles. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $766 in Veles. That makes Veles about 40% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Veles – 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 Veles. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.