Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Upington, South Africa
Tbilisi, Georgia
Upington
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,111
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Upington 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 Upington and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Upington vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Upington $1,111
  • Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Upington vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Upington $1,731
  • Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $2,350 per month in Upington vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Upington $2,350
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Upington is about 12% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Upington and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Upington 18% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.13 R 202
$11.63 ₾30.07
4.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.62 R 594
$37.83 ₾97.8
-5.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 R 97.2
$9.66 ₾24.98
-39.65%
Cappuccino
$1.75 R 29.17
$3.57 ₾9.24
-50.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 17.06
$1.08 ₾2.78
-5.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 R 12.87
$0.56 ₾1.45
37.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 R 28.38
$2.62 ₾6.78
-35.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 R 45.95
$3.04 ₾7.85
-9.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 R 15.45
$2.17 ₾5.60
-57.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.22 R 20.27
$0.80 ₾2.06
52.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 R 26.83
$1.74 ₾4.51
-7.47%
Eggs
$2.22 R 36.95
$2.83 ₾7.31
-21.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.31 R 138
$9.31 ₾24.07
-10.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 R 89.9
$6.52 ₾16.85
-17.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.17 R 136
$12.95 ₾33.50
-36.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.06 R 34.27
$1.68 ₾4.34
22.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.76
$1.85 ₾4.79
-19.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 R 27.37
$1.97 ₾5.10
-16.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.76 R 29.31
$2.42 ₾6.25
-27.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 R 22.33
$0.82 ₾2.11
63.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 23.11
$0.74 ₾1.91
87.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 R 18.43
$1.34 ₾3.47
-17.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 R 20.33
$0.77 ₾2.00
58.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.76 R 46.01
$3.57 ₾9.24
-22.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.73 R 62.1
$7.67 ₾19.83
-51.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 R 25.67
$1.70 ₾4.39
-9.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 R 34.77
$2.40 ₾6.21
-12.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.46 R 24.31
$0.40 ₾1.05
265.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$15.23 ₾39.38
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 R 10.64
$1.14 ₾2.95
-43.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 R 13.16
$0.78 ₾2.02
1.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.30 R 188
$11.83 ₾30.58
-4.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 R 24.20
$1.45 ₾3.75
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K R 671.8K
$24.6K ₾63.6K
64.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K R 579.4K
$22.3K ₾57.8K
55.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 R 2,472
$88.8 ₾230
67.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.28 R 655
$13.12 ₾33.93
199.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.62 R 627
$19.67 ₾50.9
91.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.10 R 468
$64.1 ₾166
-56.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.70 R 195
$19.04 ₾49.24
-38.55%
Cinema Ticket
$8.00 R 133
$7.12 ₾18.42
12.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$103 R 1,709
$375 ₾971
-72.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,540 R 92.3K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
-47.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.8 R 929
$104 ₾268
-46.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.07 R 534
$39.26 ₾102
-18.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 R 1,736
$117 ₾303
-11.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.3 R 1,405
$122 ₾315
-30.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$389 R 6,474
$695 ₾1,798
-44.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$358 R 5,958
$451 ₾1,167
-20.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$613 R 10.2K
$1,355 ₾3,504
-54.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$736 R 12.3K
$906 ₾2,343
-18.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$917 R 15.3K
$2,295 ₾5,934
-60.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$739 R 12.3K
$1,345 ₾3,478
-45.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Upington
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$781 R 13.0K
$664 ₾1,718
17.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.38
12.62
-9.83%

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

Last update for Upington: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Upington
$358
Tbilisi
$451 26.2% $94
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Upington
$225
Tbilisi
$122 46% $104
Groceries & Markets
Upington
$193
Tbilisi
$234 21.3% $41
Eating Out
Upington
$157
Tbilisi
$191 21.6% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Upington
$124
Tbilisi
$172 38.2% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Upington
$44
Tbilisi
$78 77.6% $34
Getting Around
Upington
$10 *
Tbilisi
$22 110% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Upington versus $695 in Tbilisi. 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 18% higher in Upington, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Upington versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $234 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Upington
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
21:58 9:58 PM
23:58 11:58 PM
2 h ahead of Upington
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,834
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Upington Tbilisi 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Upington
  • 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
Upington vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Upington and in Tbilisi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,111 in Upington, $1,269 in Tbilisi – Upington comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Upington compared to Tbilisi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Upington and $1,904 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Upington and Tbilisi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Upington 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 21% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,111 in Upington and $1,269 in Tbilisi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Where should families live: Upington or Tbilisi?
Families tend to lean toward Upington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Upington vs other spots: cost of living compared

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