Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riyadh and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,738 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tbilisi, Georgia
Riyadh
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,738
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,738 in Riyadh versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Riyadh $1,738
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,587 in Riyadh versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Riyadh $2,587
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,437 in Riyadh versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Riyadh $3,437
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Riyadh is roughly 37% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Riyadh is 28% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 SAR 30.37
$11.63 ₾30.07
-30.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.3 SAR 245
$37.83 ₾97.8
72.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.18 SAR 30.68
$9.66 ₾24.98
-15.32%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 SAR 8.12
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 SAR 11.16
-
-
Cappuccino
$4.30 SAR 16.13
$3.57 ₾9.24
20.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 SAR 3.18
$1.08 ₾2.78
-21.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 SAR 1.12
$0.56 ₾1.45
-46.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.62 ₾6.78
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.04 ₾7.85
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 SAR 6.85
$2.17 ₾5.60
-15.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 SAR 4.93
$0.80 ₾2.06
63.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 SAR 8.88
$1.74 ₾4.51
36.21%
Eggs
$3.04 SAR 11.41
$2.83 ₾7.31
7.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.77 SAR 40.40
$9.31 ₾24.07
15.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.38 SAR 35.17
$6.52 ₾16.85
43.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.98 SAR 56.2
$12.95 ₾33.50
15.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 SAR 10.70
$1.68 ₾4.34
69.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 SAR 7.13
$1.85 ₾4.79
2.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.47 SAR 9.25
$1.97 ₾5.10
25.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 SAR 6.43
$2.42 ₾6.25
-29.34%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 SAR 4.43
$0.82 ₾2.11
43.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 SAR 4.82
$0.74 ₾1.91
72.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 SAR 6.69
$1.34 ₾3.47
32.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 SAR 2.16
$0.77 ₾2.00
-24.68%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$8.15 SAR 30.58
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 SAR 6.83
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 SAR 9.28
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.85 SAR 29.45
$3.57 ₾9.24
119.89%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.67 ₾19.83
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.70 ₾4.39
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.40 ₾6.21
-
🚌 Getting Around
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
$0.40 ₾1.05
160.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.07 SAR 143
$15.23 ₾39.38
149.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.13 SAR 11.74
$1.14 ₾2.95
174.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 SAR 7.16
$0.78 ₾2.02
144.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.31 SAR 49.91
$11.83 ₾30.58
12.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.60 SAR 2.26
$1.45 ₾3.75
-58.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.2K SAR 98.2K
$24.6K ₾63.6K
6.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K SAR 83.4K
$22.3K ₾57.8K
-0.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$108 SAR 403
$88.8 ₾230
21.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.62 SAR 111
$13.12 ₾33.93
125.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$71.0 SAR 266
$19.67 ₾50.9
260.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$83.0 SAR 311
$64.1 ₾166
29.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$57.3 SAR 215
$19.04 ₾49.24
200.79%
Cinema Ticket
$13.31 SAR 49.94
$7.12 ₾18.42
86.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$554 SAR 2,077
$375 ₾971
47.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K SAR 37.8K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
-3.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.7 SAR 216
$104 ₾268
-44.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.4 SAR 204
$39.26 ₾102
38.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 SAR 391
$117 ₾303
-11.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 SAR 393
$122 ₾315
-13.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,149 SAR 4,310
$695 ₾1,798
65.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$833 SAR 3,127
$451 ₾1,167
84.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,166 SAR 8,125
$1,355 ₾3,504
59.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,276 SAR 4,786
$906 ₾2,343
40.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,779 SAR 10.4K
$2,295 ₾5,934
21.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,718 SAR 6,443
$1,345 ₾3,478
27.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Riyadh
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,052 SAR 7,699
$664 ₾1,718
208.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
12.62
-56.10%

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

Last update for Riyadh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Riyadh
$833
Tbilisi
$451 45.9% $382
Groceries & Markets
Riyadh
$241
Tbilisi
$234 3.1% $7.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Riyadh
$208
Tbilisi
$122 41.6% $87
Eating Out
Riyadh
$145
Tbilisi
$191 31% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Riyadh
$144
Tbilisi
$172 19% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Riyadh
$110
Tbilisi
$78 28.6% $31
Getting Around
Riyadh
$55
Tbilisi
$22 60.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,149 in Riyadh and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Riyadh vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Riyadh
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
08:25 8:25 AM
09:25 9:25 AM
1 h ahead of Riyadh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,188,286 Capital
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Riyadh Tbilisi 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Riyadh
  • 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
Riyadh vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Riyadh and in Tbilisi?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,738 in Riyadh and $1,269 in Tbilisi, so Tbilisi is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Riyadh or Tbilisi?
Average pay in Riyadh is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Riyadh and in Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,149 in Riyadh versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Riyadh or Tbilisi?
All in, you’ll spend $1,738 per month in Riyadh versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – Tbilisi is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Riyadh and in Tbilisi?
A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 60% less than in Riyadh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How far does $2,000 go in Riyadh compared to Tbilisi?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Riyadh and Tbilisi?
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.
Is Riyadh or Tbilisi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Riyadh and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Riyadh or Tbilisi?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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