Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thika, Kenya
Tbilisi, Georgia
Thika
🇰🇪 Kenya
$516
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thika and in Tbilisi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Thika and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $516 per month in Thika vs $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Thika $516
  • Tbilisi $1,278

A couple spends around $880 per month in Thika vs $2,017 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Thika $880
  • Tbilisi $2,017

A family of three spends $1,245 per month in Thika vs $2,755 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Thika $1,245
  • Tbilisi $2,755

Thika is about 60% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Thika and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Thika 62% lower, Tbilisi 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.42 KES 444
$11.62 ₾30.10
-70.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.96 KES 4,412
$38.41 ₾99.5
-11.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.26 KES 813
$9.74 ₾25.22
-35.73%
Cappuccino
$1.93 KES 251
$3.56 ₾9.22
-45.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 KES 38.67
$1.08 ₾2.80
-72.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 KES 81.6
$0.56 ₾1.46
12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 KES 255
$2.73 ₾7.06
-28.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 KES 280
$3.13 ₾8.09
-31.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 KES 95.3
$2.14 ₾5.55
-65.89%
White Bread (500g)
$0.44 KES 57.6
$0.75 ₾1.95
-41.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 KES 155
$1.80 ₾4.66
-33.33%
Eggs
$1.41 KES 183
$2.80 ₾7.26
-49.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.96 KES 1,423
$9.43 ₾24.43
16.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.73 KES 874
$7.00 ₾18.12
-3.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.94 KES 511
$12.69 ₾32.86
-68.95%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 KES 206
$1.63 ₾4.22
-3.07%
Banana (1kg)
$0.61 KES 79.2
$1.84 ₾4.78
-66.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 KES 96.7
$1.97 ₾5.09
-62.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 KES 149
$2.47 ₾6.39
-53.44%
Potato (1kg)
$0.37 KES 47.85
$0.75 ₾1.95
-50.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 KES 58.5
$0.67 ₾1.74
-32.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 KES 89.4
$1.41 ₾3.66
-51.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 KES 50.8
$0.72 ₾1.86
-45.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.79 KES 363
$3.51 ₾9.09
-20.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.72 KES 743
$7.89 ₾20.42
-27.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 KES 231
$1.70 ₾4.41
4.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 KES 256
$2.37 ₾6.13
-16.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.38 ₾0.98
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$15.29 ₾39.60
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 KES 198
$1.19 ₾3.08
27.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 KES 125
$0.74 ₾1.91
29.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.93 KES 381
$11.89 ₾30.79
-75.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 KES 184
$1.46 ₾3.78
-3.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K KES 2.5M
$25.0K ₾64.7K
-22.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K KES 2.8M
$22.8K ₾59.1K
-5.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.90 KES 4,533
$88.1 ₾228
-60.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.86 KES 1,931
$12.71 ₾32.90
16.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.82 KES 4,523
$19.79 ₾51.2
75.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.48 KES 5,908
$64.3 ₾166
-29.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.17 ₾49.63
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 KES 971
$6.65 ₾17.21
12.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$54.0 KES 7,008
$371 ₾961
-85.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,528 KES 458.3K
$9,163 ₾23.7K
-61.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.24 KES 3,668
$102 ₾265
-72.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.33 KES 3,809
$39.65 ₾103
-26.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.2 KES 8,994
$118 ₾306
-41.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$19.51 KES 2,534
$120 ₾310
-83.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$99.5 KES 12.9K
$690 ₾1,786
-85.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$56.8 KES 7,383
$461 ₾1,194
-87.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$270 KES 35.0K
$1,362 ₾3,526
-80.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$178 KES 23.2K
$897 ₾2,323
-80.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$611 KES 79.4K
$2,277 ₾5,896
-73.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,378 ₾3,567
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thika
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$710 ₾1,838
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.71
12.53
17.40%

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

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Thika
$154
Tbilisi
$235 52.2% $81
Eating Out
Thika
$87
Tbilisi
$191 120% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thika
$85
Tbilisi
$121 42.6% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Thika
$66
Tbilisi
$171 160% $105
Sport & Entertainment
Thika
$60
Tbilisi
$78 28.4% $17
Accommodation & Living
Thika
$57
Tbilisi
$461 711% $404
Getting Around
Thika
$6.3 *
Tbilisi
$22 243% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $100 in Thika versus $690 in Tbilisi. 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 $34 in Thika versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $235 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇪 Thika
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
16:47 4:47 PM
17:47 5:47 PM
1 h ahead of Thika
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
83,000
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thika Tbilisi 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thika
  • Tbilisi

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
Thika vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Thika and in Tbilisi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $516 in Thika, $1,278 in Tbilisi – Thika comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Thika compared to Tbilisi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $773 per month in Thika and $1,918 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Thika and Tbilisi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $100 there versus $690 in Tbilisi.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Thika and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 52% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $516, than in Tbilisi at $1,278. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Thika or Tbilisi?
Families tend to lean toward Thika – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Thika vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?