Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riga and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,591 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,591 in Riga versus $1,266 in Tbilisi.

Riga $1,591
Tbilisi $1,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,428 in Riga versus $2,007 in Tbilisi.

Riga $2,428
Tbilisi $2,007

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in Riga versus $2,749 in Tbilisi.

Riga $3,264
Tbilisi $2,749

Living in Riga is roughly 26% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riga is 18% above, Tbilisi is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.17

$11.34 ₾29.35

50.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.6

$39.05 ₾101

68.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 €7.96

$9.63 ₾24.92

-7.17%

Cappuccino

$3.63 €3.23

$3.46 ₾8.95

4.91%

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

$1.62 €1.44

$1.09 ₾2.82

48.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.63 ₾1.62

90.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.83

$2.77 ₾7.17

96.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 €4.41

$3.10 ₾8.04

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.25 ₾5.81

-47.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.80 ₾2.07

86.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.76 ₾4.55

42.05%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.21

$2.75 ₾7.11

31.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.44

$9.39 ₾24.32

12.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 €7.88

$6.66 ₾17.23

33.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 €12.32

$12.92 ₾33.45

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.67 ₾4.31

28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.80 ₾4.65

1.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.92 ₾4.97

27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.41 ₾6.24

28.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.86 ₾2.23

-3.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$0.69 ₾1.80

37.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.40 ₾3.62

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.71 ₾1.85

38.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$3.51 ₾9.08

92.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.81

$7.61 ₾19.69

0.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.63 ₾4.21

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.31 ₾5.98

-10.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.37 ₾0.96

356.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.13 €29.47

$15.67 ₾40.57

111.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.14 ₾2.95

198.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.79 ₾2.05

25.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 €15.91

$11.86 ₾30.70

50.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.40 ₾3.62

43.57%

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

$27.0K €24.0K

$24.8K ₾64.2K

8.87%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$21.9K ₾56.6K

43.77%

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

$369 €328

$89.1 ₾231

313.98%

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

$19.45 €17.30

$13.21 ₾34.19

47.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 €17.64

$19.76 ₾51.1

0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.28

$64.9 ₾168

-21.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.88 €31.91

$19.02 ₾49.24

88.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$6.57 ₾17.02

68.19%

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

$690 €614

$377 ₾975

83.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K €15.7K

$10.8K ₾27.9K

63.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 €61.6

$102 ₾265

-32.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 €44.88

$39.70 ₾103

27.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.3

$118 ₾305

-27.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$123 ₾320

13.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €498

$666 ₾1,724

-15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 €341

$449 ₾1,163

-14.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,284 ₾3,324

-10.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 €657

$890 ₾2,303

-16.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,993 €2,662

$2,425 ₾6,276

23.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,050 €1,824

$1,380 ₾3,573

48.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,478 €1,315

$680 ₾1,760

117.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

12.62

-62.20%

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

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riga

$408 25.7%

Tbilisi

$122 9.7% 70.1% $286

Accommodation & Living

Riga

$383 24.1%

Tbilisi

$449 35.5% 17.2% $66

Groceries & Markets

Riga

$268 16.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.5% 12.8% $34

Eating Out

Riga

$255 16%

Tbilisi

$188 14.9% 26.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Riga

$155 9.8%

Tbilisi

$172 13.6% 11% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Riga

$73 4.6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 6.9% $5

Getting Around

Riga

$48 3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.8% 53.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $560 in Riga and $666 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riga pays 117% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Riga vs $39.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Riga

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

1 h ahead of Riga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,187 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Riga Tbilisi 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Riga
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

Riga vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riga and Tbilisi differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,591 vs $1,266 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Riga, 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: $560 in Riga versus $666 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Riga versus $377 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Riga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,591 in Riga, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Riga. 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, Riga and Tbilisi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Riga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.