Annual inflation in Batumi rose to 7.4% in July, a third consecutive monthly increase, while Tbilisi moved the other way and eased to 5.3% from 5.8% in June.
Batumi has climbed from 6.8% in May and 7.1% in June. The national rate has meanwhile stayed within a narrow band — 5.7% in May, 5.8% in June and 5.5% in July — so the headline figure describes a stability that neither city fully shares. Tbilisi now sits marginally below the national rate, while Batumi is 1.9 percentage points above it.
The gap between the two cities widened to 2.1 percentage points in July, from 1.3 points in each of the two preceding months. Recent consumer price figures are subject to revision, but a divergence of this size is unlikely to be revised away, and it matters for anyone setting prices or wages on the coast.
Figures in this post
Every number below was checked against the source before publication.
CPI_BATUMI_YOY_MAnnual inflation, Batumi National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat)CPI_TBILISI_YOY_MAnnual inflation, Tbilisi National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat)CPI_YOY_MAnnual inflation National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat)