Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,375 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,375

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Saint Petersburg $1,375
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Saint Petersburg $2,195
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,014 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Saint Petersburg $3,014
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Saint Petersburg is roughly 8% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 ₽1,001

$11.63 ₾30.07

6.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.05 ₽3,553

$37.83 ₾97.8

16.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ₽561

$9.66 ₾24.98

-28.05%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ₽263

$3.57 ₾9.24

-8.68%

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

$1.61 ₽130

$1.08 ₾2.78

49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽62.7

$0.56 ₾1.45

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 ₽227

$2.62 ₾6.78

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₽293

$3.04 ₾7.85

19.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 ₽96.0

$2.17 ₾5.60

-45.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₽76.9

$0.80 ₾2.06

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ₽137

$1.74 ₾4.51

-2.30%

Eggs

$1.67 ₽135

$2.83 ₾7.31

-40.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 ₽999

$9.31 ₾24.07

33.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 ₽536

$6.52 ₾16.85

1.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 ₽1,037

$12.95 ₾33.50

-0.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 ₽142

$1.68 ₾4.34

4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₽132

$1.85 ₾4.79

-11.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ₽145

$1.97 ₾5.10

-9.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₽271

$2.42 ₾6.25

38.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ₽66.9

$0.82 ₾2.11

1.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₽50.6

$0.74 ₾1.91

-14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₽107

$1.34 ₾3.47

-0.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽62.8

$0.77 ₾2.00

1.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ₽255

$3.57 ₾9.24

-11.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.41 ₽759

$7.67 ₾19.83

22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽95.7

$1.70 ₾4.39

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₽159

$2.40 ₾6.21

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₽88.9

$0.40 ₾1.05

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 ₽4,524

$15.23 ₾39.38

268.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 ₽226

$1.14 ₾2.95

145.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₽48.62

$0.78 ₾2.02

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ₽727

$11.83 ₾30.58

-23.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽71.3

$1.45 ₾3.75

-39.31%

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

$43.0K ₽3.5M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

75.11%

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

$37.4K ₽3.0M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

67.26%

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

$156 ₽12.6K

$88.8 ₾230

75.91%

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

$7.85 ₽633

$13.12 ₾33.93

-40.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.71 ₽702

$19.67 ₾50.9

-55.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ₽3,331

$64.1 ₾166

-35.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.82 ₽3,534

$19.04 ₾49.24

130.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₽610

$7.12 ₾18.42

6.32%

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

$663 ₽53.5K

$375 ₾971

76.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₽1.4M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

70.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽7,946

$104 ₾268

-4.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₽4,370

$39.26 ₾102

38.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₽11.3K

$117 ₾303

19.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₽10.3K

$122 ₾315

5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 ₽62.2K

$695 ₾1,798

10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ₽37.6K

$451 ₾1,167

3.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 ₽130.6K

$1,355 ₾3,504

19.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 ₽78.5K

$906 ₾2,343

7.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,632 ₽373.5K

$2,295 ₾5,934

101.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₽232.8K

$1,345 ₾3,478

114.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 ₽99.2K

$664 ₾1,718

85.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.69

12.62

56.02%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: 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

Saint Petersburg

$466 33.9%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 3.3% $15

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$234 17%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$190 13.8%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$189 13.8%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 9.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$173 12.6%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 29.6% $51

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$66 4.8%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 67% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.1%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 38.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $772 in Saint Petersburg and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Saint Petersburg vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $234, with Saint Petersburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

1 h ahead of Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.76 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Petersburg Tbilisi 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Tbilisi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint Petersburg vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Saint Petersburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Saint Petersburg, 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: $772 in Saint Petersburg versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Saint Petersburg 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 $44 in Saint Petersburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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

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