Cost of Living in Tbilisi in 2026 – prices and Real Budget
When I moved to Tbilisi in 2023, most people described it as a very inexpensive city. At the time, I thought so too. A few years later, I see it a little differently.
The cost of living in Tbilisi is still noticeably lower than in many major European cities, but rents have risen, imported goods are often considerably more expensive than local alternatives, and the difference between living modestly and living comfortably has become much more obvious. There is also no single honest answer to the question, “How much money do you need in Tbilisi?”
Someone rents a small apartment, takes the metro, cooks at home and lives perfectly comfortably on a moderate budget. Someone else chooses a modern apartment in Vake, takes taxis everywhere, likes good restaurants and imported cheese, and then wonders why the money has disappeared again. After living here for several years, I have learned one simple thing: averages are useful when you begin planning, but your real budget starts with where you live and how you live.
All figures in this article were checked in summer 2026. They are planning guidelines, not a promise of what you personally will spend every month.
How much money do you need in Tbilisi per month?
If you live alone, rent your own apartment and want to live reasonably comfortably without calculating the cost of every cup of coffee, I would plan for roughly $1,200-1,800 per month including rent. Spending less is entirely possible. It usually means choosing more modest accommodation, cooking at home, using public transport and remembering that taxis are taxis, not a private bus service that happens to collect you at the door.
It is also surprisingly easy to spend more than $2,000 a month. A good apartment in Vake or Vera, imported products, restaurants, private healthcare and regular taxi rides work together remarkably well when it comes to spending your money. Wise estimates average monthly expenses for one person at roughly $1,355 including housing and about $668 without rent. Numbeo gives broadly similar figures for everyday expenses. These numbers are useful as a starting point. But your real budget almost always begins with the apartment.
Rent: usually the biggest expense
Housing tends to have the greatest effect on your monthly spending. A more modest one-bedroom apartment can often be found for roughly $450-650 per month. Good modern housing in popular areas frequently costs $700-1,100 or more. The name of the neighborhood, however, tells you less than you might expect. Two apartments in Saburtalo only a few streets apart can have very different prices. A small apartment in an older building in Vera may cost less than a newer property much farther from the center. And the word “Vake” sometimes seems capable of raising the price before you have even seen the apartment.
Rent depends on much more than location and size. The condition of the building, renovation, furniture, heating, elevator, parking, the exact street and the length of the lease can all matter. Before transferring money, clarify the deposit, whether there is an agent’s commission, how utilities are paid, any building maintenance fee and the rules for ending the lease early. If the rent is quoted in dollars but paid in Georgian lari, agree in advance how the exchange rate will be calculated.
Heating deserves a separate question. I always want to know how the apartment is heated and what the bills looked like last winter. A January bill usually tells you much more about an apartment than a confident, “Oh, heating costs almost nothing here.”
And do not choose a home from photographs alone. A good photographer can make almost any apartment look inviting. Street noise, damp walls and the construction site next door usually remain conveniently outside the frame.
Utilities and internet
For a small or medium-sized apartment, basic utilities often come to roughly $75-100 per month, with internet adding another $15-25. Winter can change those numbers considerably. An apartment with proper gas heating and good windows is one thing. An older building with drafts and electric heaters is another, usually more expensive, story.
This is why an apartment that is $100 cheaper in rent does not necessarily save you $100. The difference can quietly disappear into heating bills, building fees or transport. It is one of the practical realities behind the cost of living in Tbilisi: the cheapest listing is not always the cheapest place to live.
Transport
Public transport remains one of the more affordable parts of life in Tbilisi. A single municipal journey costs 1 lari and includes transfers for 90 minutes. A monthly unlimited pass costs 40 lari. During rush hour, the metro is often faster than driving. Tbilisi traffic has a remarkable ability to turn a short journey into something that feels like a minor expedition.
Taxis are still relatively affordable compared with many European cities, which is exactly why it is so easy to get used to them. One ride feels insignificant. The next one does too. Then the end of the month arrives and all those little trips suddenly introduce themselves together on your bank statement.
Where you live therefore affects more than rent. If you cross the city every day, a cheaper apartment may turn out to be much less economical than it first appeared.
Groceries, cafés and restaurants
For groceries, I would roughly allow $250-400 per month for one person, although this depends heavily on how you shop and eat. If you cook at home and buy local seasonal vegetables, fruit, herbs, bread and everyday products, costs can remain fairly moderate. Imported goods are where things become more interesting. European cheeses, specialist foods, cosmetics, cleaning products and familiar international brands can cost noticeably more than local alternatives.
At first, each difference looks small. Then all those little differences somehow end up together at the checkout. Markets can help keep costs down, particularly in season. Supermarkets are convenient, but they also have an impressive ability to turn a quick trip “for milk and bread” into something that deserves its own budget category.
Restaurants depend entirely on habit. Simple local cafés can still be reasonably priced, while popular places in Vake, Vera and the center have not looked particularly cheap for quite some time. Eating out a couple of times a week is one scenario. If your kitchen mainly exists to store mugs, the budget will look rather different.
Healthcare and personal expenses
Healthcare is difficult to reduce to one useful average. Costs depend on the clinic, doctor, tests, insurance and the kind of care you need. Rather than invent a universal monthly figure, I would simply keep a separate reserve.
The same applies to medicines, dentistry, mobile service, sports, clothing and entertainment. When you are moving, these costs are joined by document translations, notarization, government fees and expenses connected with residence permits.
Individually, most of them do not look alarming. Together, they create the part of the budget that somehow never appeared in the original neat calculation.
Realistic monthly budgets in Tbilisi
One person, modest lifestyle – $900-1,200
This can work if you choose reasonably priced accommodation, use public transport, cook at home and keep an eye on everyday spending. Rent is the deciding factor. If housing takes too much of the budget, saving on everything else becomes considerably harder.
One person, comfortable lifestyle – $1,200-1,800
This is a more relaxed range for someone who rents a good apartment, occasionally takes taxis, goes to cafés and restaurants, uses private healthcare and wants some room for unexpected expenses. For many people planning to move alone, this is the range I would use as a realistic starting point.
A couple – $1,700-2,500
Rent is shared between two people, which helps. Groceries, healthcare, transport and entertainment are far less willing to cooperate. A couple will usually spend less than two people living separately, but noticeably more than one person’s budget.
A family – from $2,500
This is where the range becomes much wider. A larger apartment, car, private school, nanny or regular private healthcare can easily push monthly spending beyond $3,000. Family budgets are best calculated individually. School alone can completely change the picture.
What people forget to include before moving
The move itself almost always costs more than it appears to before you make it. Beyond flights, there may be temporary accommodation, a deposit, the first month’s rent, an agent’s commission, document translations, notarization and an entire collection of household items that somehow seemed to exist by themselves in your previous home.
Before moving, nobody thinks to put a rubbish bin into a financial plan. Then you arrive and discover that you simultaneously need a bin, a kettle, towels, an extension lead, a drying rack and roughly forty other objects without which you apparently cannot continue civilization.
There may also be extra transport, pet relocation costs, bank fees, currency conversion and unexpected medical expenses. That is why I would always keep a separate first-month buffer on top of the regular budget. The exact amount depends on the family and the property, but treating the first month as an ordinary month is usually optimistic.
Is Tbilisi still an inexpensive city?
That depends heavily on where your income comes from. For someone earning a local salary, rent and imported goods can be a significant burden. For people earning abroad, Tbilisi can still be noticeably more affordable than major cities in Western Europe or North America. You can live quite modestly here: choose an apartment away from the most expensive streets, use the metro, buy local products and avoid eating out every evening.
Or you can build a completely different lifestyle around a new apartment in the center, a car, imported products, private clinics and regular restaurant meals. Both people live in the same Tbilisi. And both can sincerely describe it to their friends as two completely different cities – one inexpensive and the other definitely not.
What affects the cost of living in Tbilisi most?
Housing usually comes first. The neighborhood, size and condition of your apartment can change your monthly budget by hundreds of dollars. Lifestyle comes next. Taxis, restaurants, imported food, a car and private healthcare can quietly add up to an amount equal to the difference between two apartments. For families, education is another major factor.
That is why asking, “What is the average cost of living in Tbilisi?” is useful only at the beginning. The more important question is:
How exactly do you want to live here?
Once you know that, the numbers become much easier to understand.
Frequently asked questions
Can you live in Tbilisi on $1,000 a month?
For one person, yes, it can be possible if you find reasonably priced housing, cook at home and use public transport. But if rent takes a large share of the budget, there will not be much room left for everything else.
Is $1,500 a month enough for two people?
It can be, particularly with modest rent and controlled everyday spending. For a more relaxed lifestyle, I would still prefer to have some extra room in the budget.
Which currency should I use when planning my budget?
Most everyday expenses are paid in Georgian lari, while rent is often discussed in US dollars. When budgeting, allow for exchange-rate changes and make sure the lease clearly explains how the rent will be converted if payment is made in lari.
How much does a family need?
I would start the calculation at around $2,500 per month and then add major expenses such as private school, a car, a nanny or other regular costs if they apply.
Where is it easiest to save money?
Usually on housing, transport and eating out. But choosing the cheapest apartment can be false economy. Saving $100 on rent is not especially impressive if the same $100 comes back as heating bills and taxi fares.
Planning your move budget?
An internet average is a useful place to start. But it knows nothing about your life. It does not know whether you need three bedrooms, take taxis every day, or consider Sunday breakfast at your favorite café essential to your general emotional stability.
If you are calculating your moving budget now, tell me a little about your situation: how many people are moving, what kind of housing you need and what “comfortable” means to you.
I can help you break down the main costs and work out what budget makes sense for your particular situation.
Discuss Your Move