Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, MD and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $3,317 in Columbia, MD, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, MD
Learn more

Columbia, MD Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbia, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Columbia, MD and in Tbilisi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Columbia, MD and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,317 per month in Columbia, MD vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Columbia, MD $3,317
Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $4,625 per month in Columbia, MD vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Columbia, MD $4,625
Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $5,932 per month in Columbia, MD vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Columbia, MD $5,932
Tbilisi $2,763

Columbia, MD costs about 161% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Columbia, MD sits 144% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$11.63 ₾30.07

56.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.5 $97.5

$37.83 ₾97.9

157.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$9.66 ₾24.98

22.88%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$3.57 ₾9.24

51.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.08 ₾2.78

197.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.56 ₾1.45

358.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.37 $7.37

$2.62 ₾6.78

181.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.19 $10.19

$3.04 ₾7.86

235.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.17 ₾5.60

-41.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.99 $3.99

$0.80 ₾2.06

398.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.74 ₾4.51

143.10%

Eggs

$5.31 $5.31

$2.83 ₾7.31

87.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$9.31 ₾24.08

40.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.58 $16.58

$6.52 ₾16.86

154.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$12.95 ₾33.50

44.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$1.68 ₾4.34

321.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.85 ₾4.80

-15.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.97 ₾5.10

187.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.42 ₾6.25

141.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.82 ₾2.11

239.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.74 ₾1.91

406.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.34 ₾3.47

79.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.77 ₾2.00

254.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.70 $13.70

$3.57 ₾9.24

283.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$7.67 ₾19.84

106.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.70 ₾4.39

54.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.40 ₾6.21

62.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.40 ₾1.05

407.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.30 $40.30

$15.23 ₾39.39

164.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.14 ₾2.95

55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 $1.35

$0.78 ₾2.02

73.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 $23.68

$11.83 ₾30.59

100.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.45 ₾3.75

-26.21%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.3K $33.3K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

35.34%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.4K $26.4K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

18.12%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$211 $211

$88.8 ₾230

138.02%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$13.12 ₾33.94

409.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.1 $77.1

$19.67 ₾50.9

291.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 $50.4

$64.1 ₾166

-21.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$19.04 ₾49.25

4.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 $14.92

$7.12 ₾18.42

109.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,007 $2,007

$375 ₾971

434.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

231.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$104 ₾268

-49.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 $62.9

$39.26 ₾102

60.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$117 ₾304

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$122 ₾315

-7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 $2,099

$695 ₾1,798

201.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 $1,874

$451 ₾1,167

315.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,987 $2,987

$1,355 ₾3,505

120.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$906 ₾2,344

192.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,316 $2,316

$2,295 ₾5,936

0.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,340 $2,340

$1,345 ₾3,479

74.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,801 $5,801

$664 ₾1,718

773.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

12.62

-47.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Columbia, MD: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, MD

$1.9K 56.5%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 75.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, MD

$477 14.4%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 50.9% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, MD

$355 10.7%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 65.8% $234

Eating Out

Columbia, MD

$326 9.8%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 41.5% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, MD

$148 4.5%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 16.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, MD

$80 2.4%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 2.4% $2

Getting Around

Columbia, MD

$57 1.7%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 61.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,099 in Columbia, MD versus $695 in Tbilisi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Columbia, MD are about 8.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97 in Columbia, MD versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $234 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, MD

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

18:57 6:57 PM

8 h ahead of Columbia, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

GEL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, MD Tbilisi 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, MD
Tbilisi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Columbia, MD vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbia, MD costs about 161% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,976 per month in Columbia, MD and $1,904 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $2,099 in Columbia, MD.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Columbia, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97 in Columbia, MD and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in Columbia, MD at $3,317. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Columbia, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tbilisi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Columbia, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.