- Hotels
- Guesthouse 60-100 GEL/night
- Food
- Khinkali 1-2.50 GEL each
- Transport
- Metro 1 GEL, Bolt 4-7 GEL
- Comfortable
- 400-600 GEL/day for two
- Rate
- 1 GEL ≈ Rs 33-34
Tbilisi is one of those rare cities where the good stuff is cheap and only the tourist traps cost. Every price below is in lari (GEL), from 2026 city guides; the lari trades at roughly 2.6-2.7 per US dollar (both figures quoted in October 2026 sources), which puts 1 GEL at about Rs 33-34.
Hotels
A private guesthouse room runs 60-100 GEL (Rs 2,000-3,400) a night - the couple's budget pick, and often family-run with breakfast. A 3-star hotel costs 120-200 GEL (Rs 4,000-6,800), higher in July and August. Boutique and luxury properties in the old town run 250 GEL and up. Three mid-range nights: roughly Rs 12,000-20,000.
Food: where Tbilisi stays cheap
Khinkali (the soup dumplings) cost 1-2.50 GEL a piece; an Imeretian khachapuri is 5-10 GEL and the egg-topped Adjarian boat 10-18 GEL. A market lunch for two comes to 15-20 GEL, and most sit-down restaurants land at 20-40 GEL a head with wine. Budget Rs 2,000-4,000 a day for two eating very well; bakery-hatch khachapuri at 3 GEL handles the cheap lunches.
Transport and activities
Getting around costs almost nothing: 1 GEL a ride on the metro and buses with a Metromoney card, and 4-7 GEL for a Bolt across the centre. Sights are similarly kind - Narikala fortress is free (cable car 2.50 GEL one way), Sameba is free, and the sulfur baths' private rooms start around 80-150 GEL an hour for two. The notable exception: the Georgian National Museum charges foreigners 40 GEL against 15 GEL for citizens - check dual pricing before queueing anywhere.
The daily and 3-day totals
Per the 2026 budget guides: a backpacker gets by on about 80 GEL a day, mid-range travel runs about 200 GEL, and 400 GEL buys comfort. A couple wanting a proper hotel, sit-down dinners with wine and a sulfur-bath hour should plan 400-600 GEL a day between them. That makes a comfortable 3-day Tbilisi trip about Rs 40,000-61,000 for two, excluding flights; a lean version lands at Rs 20,000-27,000. Arrival costs are in our airport guide, and the days themselves in the 3-day itinerary.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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