Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Zărnești

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Zărnești

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $889 in Zărnești, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Zărnești $889

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,383 in Zărnești, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Zărnești $1,383

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,877 in Zărnești, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Zărnești $1,877

Tbilisi costs about 43% more than Zărnești, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Zărnești are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Zărnești 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$9.00 RON 42.60

27.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$42.40 RON 201

-9.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$8.36 RON 39.57

17.22%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.18 RON 10.34

62.84%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.46 RON 6.90

-27.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$1.20 RON 5.66

-48.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.90 RON 9.00

45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.28 RON 10.79

31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.27 RON 6.02

70.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.07 RON 5.06

-28.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.44 RON 6.81

20.83%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.79 RON 13.20

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$7.89 RON 37.33

16.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$4.74 RON 22.42

37.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$10.40 RON 49.21

23.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$0.93 RON 4.41

79.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.33 RON 6.30

39.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.27 RON 6.02

55.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.28 RON 6.06

96.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.78 RON 3.67

11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.52 RON 2.45

40.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.80 RON 3.80

77.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.77 RON 3.63

-6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$5.15 RON 24.37

-34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$7.42 RON 35.09

5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.07 RON 5.08

51.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.29 RON 6.12

84.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.70 RON 3.32

-47.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$21.32 RON 101

-27.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$0.88 RON 4.15

29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.86 RON 4.05

-8.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$7.45 RON 35.26

55.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.51 RON 7.16

-0.66%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$28.5K RON 134.9K

-13.62%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$26.0K RON 122.9K

-13.90%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$99.0 RON 468

-10.81%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$9.28 RON 43.89

40.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$8.00 RON 37.86

144.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$37.82 RON 179

69.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$19.41 RON 91.9

-1.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$6.24 RON 29.55

12.02%

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

$373 ₾966

$429 RON 2,031

-13.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$7,733 RON 36.6K

38.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$44.43 RON 210

131.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$27.26 RON 129

48.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$68.9 RON 326

68.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$76.8 RON 363

58.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$434 RON 2,054

55.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$266 RON 1,258

70.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$576 RON 2,727

121.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$424 RON 2,008

109.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,751 RON 8,283

37.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,329 RON 6,288

6.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$510 RON 2,415

37.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

7.47

68.94%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Zărnești

$266 29.9% 41.5% $188

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Zărnești

$182 20.4% 22% $51

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Zărnești

$148 16.7% 22.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Zărnești

$98 11% 43% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Zărnești

$116 13.1% 3.8% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Zărnești

$50 5.7% 35.6% $28

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Zărnești

$29 3.3% 32.5% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $434 in Zărnești. 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 38% 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 $42.00 in Zărnești. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Tbilisi vs $182 in Zărnești – so Zărnești wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

24,926

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Zărnești 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Zărnești

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 Zărnești: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $889 in Zărnești – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,334 in Zărnești. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zărnești, 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 $42.00 in Zărnești. 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 $889 in Zărnești. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zărnești, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Zărnești 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 $889 in Zărnești 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 Zărnești. 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.