Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puntarenas and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Puntarenas: $1,019 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Puntarenas
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Puntarenas Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Puntarenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,019

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,019 in Puntarenas versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Puntarenas $1,019
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,582 in Puntarenas versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Puntarenas $1,582
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,145 in Puntarenas versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Puntarenas $2,145
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Puntarenas costs roughly 20% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puntarenas 25% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.14 ₡3,671

$11.63 ₾30.07

-30.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.71 ₡17.9K

$37.83 ₾97.8

4.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 ₡4,363

$9.66 ₾24.98

0.10%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,995

$3.57 ₾9.24

23.81%

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

$2.61 ₡1,177

$1.08 ₾2.78

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡841

$0.56 ₾1.45

232.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,464

$2.62 ₾6.78

23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,039

$3.04 ₾7.85

48.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡919

$2.17 ₾5.60

-5.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,435

$0.80 ₾2.06

297.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 ₡872

$1.74 ₾4.51

10.92%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,317

$2.83 ₾7.31

3.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.13 ₡2,767

$9.31 ₾24.07

-34.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 ₡3,376

$6.52 ₾16.85

14.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.50 ₡5,639

$12.95 ₾33.50

-3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,752

$1.68 ₾4.34

130.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₡672

$1.85 ₾4.79

-19.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₡1,064

$1.97 ₾5.10

19.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,099

$2.42 ₾6.25

0.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,102

$0.82 ₾2.11

197.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,084

$0.74 ₾1.91

224.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ₡404

$1.34 ₾3.47

-33.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,246

$0.77 ₾2.00

258.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,227

$3.57 ₾9.24

38.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 ₡3,723

$7.67 ₾19.83

7.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.70 ₾4.39

4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₡1,039

$2.40 ₾6.21

-4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡464

$0.40 ₾1.05

157.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₡998

$1.14 ₾2.95

93.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.78 ₾2.02

44.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 ₡3,832

$11.83 ₾30.58

-28.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡687

$1.45 ₾3.75

4.83%

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

$34.2K ₡15.4M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

39.22%

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

$18.6K ₡8.4M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

-16.51%

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

$54.5 ₡24.6K

$88.8 ₾230

-38.58%

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

$27.98 ₡12.6K

$13.12 ₾33.93

113.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.15 ₡18.6K

$19.67 ₾50.9

109.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.11 ₡11.8K

$64.1 ₾166

-59.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ₡3,489

$7.12 ₾18.42

8.57%

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

$1,002 ₡451.9K

$375 ₾971

166.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.9M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

66.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.17 ₡11.8K

$104 ₾268

-74.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.89 ₡8,074

$39.26 ₾102

-54.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.9K

$117 ₾303

9.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 ₡24.1K

$122 ₾315

-56.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₡161.7K

$695 ₾1,798

-48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ₡115.6K

$451 ₾1,167

-43.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 ₡239.2K

$1,355 ₾3,504

-60.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ₡186.6K

$906 ₾2,343

-54.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$986 ₡445.1K

$2,295 ₾5,934

-57.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$661 ₡298.3K

$1,345 ₾3,478

-50.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$862 ₡389.1K

$664 ₾1,718

29.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.62

-31.70%

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

Last update for Puntarenas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Puntarenas

$294 28.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 20.3% $60

Accommodation & Living

Puntarenas

$256 25.1%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 76.1% $195

Eating Out

Puntarenas

$190 18.7%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puntarenas

$124 12.1%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 1.7% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Puntarenas

$102 10%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 69.2% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Puntarenas

$42 4.1%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 88.3% $37

Getting Around

Puntarenas

$12 * 1.2%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 83.1% $9.9

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 $358 in Puntarenas and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puntarenas pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Puntarenas vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puntarenas

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

03:30 3:30 AM

10 h ahead of Puntarenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Puntarenas Tbilisi 12,310 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Puntarenas
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

Puntarenas vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puntarenas wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Puntarenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Puntarenas, 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: $358 in Puntarenas versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,019 per month in Puntarenas versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – Puntarenas is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Puntarenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.