Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,193 in Columbia, SC, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Columbia, SC 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, SC and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,193 in Columbia, SC versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Columbia, SC $2,193
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Columbia, SC versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Columbia, SC $3,366
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,538 in Columbia, SC versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Columbia, SC $4,538
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 73% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Columbia, SC is 61% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$11.63 ₾30.07

70.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$37.83 ₾97.8

61.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$9.66 ₾24.98

23.91%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$3.57 ₾9.24

51.82%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$1.08 ₾2.78

159.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.56 ₾1.45

289.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.62 ₾6.78

107.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$3.04 ₾7.85

110.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$2.17 ₾5.60

-61.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.80 ₾2.06

216.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.74 ₾4.51

159.77%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.83 ₾7.31

42.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$9.31 ₾24.07

12.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$6.52 ₾16.85

70.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.89 $15.89

$12.95 ₾33.50

22.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.68 ₾4.33

213.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.85 ₾4.79

-11.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$1.97 ₾5.10

227.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.42 ₾6.25

154.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$0.82 ₾2.11

278.05%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$0.74 ₾1.91

489.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.34 ₾3.47

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.77 ₾2.00

132.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.40 $8.40

$3.57 ₾9.24

135.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 $15.62

$7.67 ₾19.83

103.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.70 ₾4.39

7.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.40 ₾6.21

11.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.40 ₾1.05

395.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 $40.15

$15.23 ₾39.38

163.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.14 ₾2.95

73.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.78 ₾2.02

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 $17.89

$11.83 ₾30.58

51.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.45 ₾3.75

-37.24%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

9.09%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

12.84%

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

$277 $277

$88.8 ₾230

212.23%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$13.12 ₾33.93

358.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$19.67 ₾50.9

224.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.47 $34.47

$64.1 ₾166

-46.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 $18.22

$19.04 ₾49.24

-4.31%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$7.12 ₾18.42

113.76%

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

$1,117 $1,117

$375 ₾971

197.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

118.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$104 ₾268

-49.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 $39.57

$39.26 ₾102

0.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$117 ₾303

-29.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$122 ₾315

-6.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$695 ₾1,798

105.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$451 ₾1,167

84.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,355 ₾3,504

136.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$906 ₾2,343

84.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$2,295 ₾5,934

0.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,668 $1,668

$1,345 ₾3,478

24.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,240 $3,240

$664 ₾1,718

387.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

12.62

-48.02%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 45.7% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 69.7% $280

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 39.8% $155

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 40.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 32.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$65 3%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 20.6% $13

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 62.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Columbia, SC and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, SC vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

9 h ahead of Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

GEL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, SC Tbilisi 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Tbilisi is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Columbia, SC is about 4.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,430 in Columbia, SC versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Columbia, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $61 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,193 in Columbia, SC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tbilisi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Columbia, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.