Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Iowa City, IA versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Iowa City, IA $2,251
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Iowa City, IA $3,264
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,276 in Iowa City, IA versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Iowa City, IA $4,276
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Iowa City, IA is roughly 77% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iowa City, IA is 65% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$11.63 ₾30.07

30.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 $67.3

$37.83 ₾97.8

77.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$9.66 ₾24.98

-6.52%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$3.57 ₾9.24

55.18%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$1.08 ₾2.78

156.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.56 ₾1.45

298.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.62 ₾6.78

85.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.04 ₾7.85

134.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.17 ₾5.60

-57.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.80 ₾2.06

248.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.74 ₾4.51

16.09%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.83 ₾7.31

31.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 $9.43

$9.31 ₾24.07

1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 $10.64

$6.52 ₾16.85

63.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.95 $19.95

$12.95 ₾33.50

54.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.68 ₾4.33

100.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.85 ₾4.79

-34.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.97 ₾5.10

34.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.42 ₾6.25

101.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.82 ₾2.11

141.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.74 ₾1.91

218.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.34 ₾3.47

27.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.77 ₾2.00

209.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 $10.13

$3.57 ₾9.24

183.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$7.67 ₾19.83

78.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.70 ₾4.39

1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.40 ₾6.21

89.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.14 ₾2.95

242.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.78 ₾2.02

152.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.67 $43.67

$11.83 ₾30.58

269.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.45 ₾3.75

-31.72%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

10.59%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

15.41%

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

$271 $271

$88.8 ₾230

205.69%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$13.12 ₾33.93

292.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 $81.6

$19.67 ₾50.9

314.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.80 $29.80

$64.1 ₾166

-53.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 $19.65

$19.04 ₾49.24

3.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 $13.86

$7.12 ₾18.42

94.66%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$375 ₾971

244.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

126.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$104 ₾268

-37.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 $49.68

$39.26 ₾102

26.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 $98.6

$117 ₾303

-16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$122 ₾315

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 $1,242

$695 ₾1,798

78.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$451 ₾1,167

122.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$1,355 ₾3,504

42.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$906 ₾2,343

80.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,514 $3,514

$2,295 ₾5,934

53.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,345 ₾3,478

34.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,822 $3,822

$664 ₾1,718

475.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

12.62

-48.89%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: 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

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.6%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 55% $552

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$404 18%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 69.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$352 15.6%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 33.5% $118

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$273 12.1%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 30.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 16.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$58 2.6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 36.1% $21

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 59.2% $8.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,242 in Iowa City, IA and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Iowa City, IA vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

10 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 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 = 0.892 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

GEL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iowa City, IA Tbilisi 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Iowa City, IA is about 5.8 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: $1,242 in Iowa City, IA versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,292 in Iowa City, IA versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $67 in Iowa City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,251 in Iowa City, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Iowa City, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Iowa City, IA and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tbilisi wins on affordability, Iowa City, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.