Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Zanzibar

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $579 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Zanzibar $579

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $864 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Zanzibar $864

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,148 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Zanzibar $1,148

Tbilisi costs about 119% more than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Zanzibar are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Zanzibar 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

144.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$22.08 TZS 57.8K

73.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$5.59 TZS 14.6K

75.31%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.20 TZS 5,769

61.36%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.58 TZS 1,520

82.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.30 TZS 776

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.86 TZS 4,879

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.58 TZS 6,764

16.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$2.11 TZS 5,521

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.71 TZS 1,859

7.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.79 TZS 2,058

120.25%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.71 TZS 7,092

2.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$7.58 TZS 19.9K

21.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$2.21 TZS 5,776

195.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$5.87 TZS 15.4K

118.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.78 TZS 7,271

-39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.15 TZS 3,001

60.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$0.78 TZS 2,050

153.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$0.55 TZS 1,428

356.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.90 TZS 2,351

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.55 TZS 4,063

-52.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.76 TZS 2,003

86.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.49 TZS 1,274

46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.08 TZS 5,445

62.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$9.55 TZS 25.0K

-17.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.50 TZS 3,921

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.35 TZS 3,536

76.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.31 TZS 825

19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$3.69 TZS 9,672

-69.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.73 TZS 1,920

8.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$2.66 TZS 6,964

334.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.21 TZS 3,180

23.97%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$48.9K TZS 128.1M

-54.28%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$74.3 TZS 194.6K

18.76%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

15.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$48.43 TZS 126.8K

-59.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$28.77 TZS 75.3K

123.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$9.26 TZS 24.3K

-24.51%

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

$373 ₾966

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$13.12 TZS 34.3K

682.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$16.88 TZS 44.2K

139.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$15.05 TZS 39.4K

672.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

834.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$147 TZS 385.1K

360.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$100 TZS 262.1K

353.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$198 TZS 518.2K

545.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$148 TZS 388.8K

499.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$37.8K TZS 99.1M

-93.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-87.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$312 TZS 816.7K

125.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

26.20%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Zanzibar

$100 17.3% 78% $354

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Zanzibar

$164 28.3% 29.5% $69

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Zanzibar

$99 17.1% 48.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 84.8% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Zanzibar

$134 23.2% 10.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Zanzibar

$47 8.2% 39.5% $31

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Zanzibar

$8.6 * 1.5% 61% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $147 in Zanzibar. 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 125% 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $22.00 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $164 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Zanzibar 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Zanzibar

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 Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $579 in Zanzibar – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $869 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zanzibar, 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi and $22.00 in Zanzibar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $579 in Zanzibar. That's a gap of about 119%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi 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 $579 in Zanzibar to $1,270 in Tbilisi. 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 Zanzibar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.