
In January 2018, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri dropped to 3.71 GEL, which is 2.9% lower month-on-month (compared to December 2017), and 1.3% higher year-on-year (compared to January 2017).

At the end of January, ISET’s Retail Food Price Index increased by 5.2% y/y (compared to January 2017). On a monthly basis (compared to December 2017), food prices in Tbilisi’s major supermarkets decreased slightly by 0.3%. According to data from the last two weeks of January, prices dropped the most for buckwheat (-6%), rice (-6%), and bananas (-2%).

Since January 2018, electricity tariffs have increased in Georgia. The new tariffs were determined by the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) on December 27 2017 based on a review of applications submitted by the country’s distribution companies (JSI Telasi and Energo-Pro Georgia). In Tbilisi, the tariff has increased by 1.56 tetri per kWh and in regions by 1.28 Tetri per kWh.

ISET-PI likes to keep tradition and cook up a New Year’s Supra Index for our readers. The Index shows the cost of a standard festive supra meal for a family of five to six people in each region of Georgia. Traditional dishes included in our calculations are: mtsvadi, satsivi (chicken in walnut sauce), khachapuri, trout, tabaka (fried) chicken, olivie salad, pkhali, cucumber&tomato salad, and for desert, fruit and gozinaki (caramelized walnuts fried in honey).

In the middle of December, food prices maintained an upward trend, as ISET’s Retail Food Price Index increased by 2.2%, compared to mid-November 2017. It turns out that the holidays will cost more in 2017, compared to December 2016, as we recorded a significant 10.9% y/y increase in food prices.