Is Tbilisi expensive?

Short answer: no, Tbilisi is not expensive by regional or European standards — but it is meaningfully more expensive than it was, and the increase has landed almost entirely on the things newcomers spend most on.

Against the cities people compare it with

The table above is sortable. Every city in it is one people genuinely weigh Tbilisi against.

The pattern:

• Batumi is slightly cheaper than Tbilisi, with a seasonal rental market that swings hard in summer.
• Yerevan is very close, marginally more expensive on most lines.
• Baku costs somewhat more, particularly for housing.
• Istanbul is clearly more expensive, though it offers far more city for the money.
• Moscow is meaningfully more expensive.
• Dubai is in a different bracket entirely — roughly two and a half times Tbilisi.
• London is roughly four times Tbilisi.

For anyone moving from Western Europe, North America or the Gulf, Tbilisi represents a substantial reduction in cost. For anyone moving from within the region, the difference is modest.

Why it can feel expensive anyway

This is the honest part, and it explains the gap between the statistics and the complaints.

The cost indices that make Tbilisi look cheap are weighted towards what the whole population buys: local produce, public transport, domestic services, utilities. Those genuinely are inexpensive.

Newcomers buy a different basket. A central one-bedroom flat, restaurant meals, imported groceries, taxis, coworking. Those are precisely the categories that have risen fastest since 2022, and in some cases they now approach European prices while local wages have not followed.

So both things are true: Tbilisi is cheap, and your Tbilisi may not be.

What has actually risen

Rent, dramatically. Central rents multiplied after 2022. This is the whole story of Tbilisi's cost increase, and everything else is a footnote.

Restaurants aimed at foreigners. A parallel tier of cafés and restaurants has appeared, priced for visitors and remote workers.

Imported goods, in line with currency movement.

What has not

Public transport remains close to free. Local produce at markets is still cheap. Utilities outside the winter heating spike are modest. Domestic help and services remain inexpensive. Wine, produced domestically in quantity, is excellent and cheap.

The practical conclusion

Whether Tbilisi is expensive for you comes down to one decision: how far from the centre you are willing to live, and how much of your consumption is local rather than imported.

Live in Saburtalo, shop at the market, use the metro, and Tbilisi is genuinely inexpensive. Insist on Vera, shop at the international supermarket and eat out in the places with English menus, and you will find it unremarkable.

Adjust the cost of living calculator to your own habits to see which version you are signing up for.