Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $3,554 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,554

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,554 in Salem, MA versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Salem, MA $3,554
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,918 in Salem, MA versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Salem, MA $4,918
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,282 in Salem, MA versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Salem, MA $6,282
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Salem, MA is roughly 180% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Salem, MA is 161% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.21 $25.21

$11.63 ₾30.10

116.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$37.83 ₾97.9

166.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$9.66 ₾25.01

12.73%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.57 ₾9.25

38.66%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.08 ₾2.78

129.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.56 ₾1.45

280.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.62 ₾6.79

201.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 $7.01

$3.04 ₾7.86

130.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.17 ₾5.61

-41.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$0.80 ₾2.06

351.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.74 ₾4.52

154.60%

Eggs

$4.43 $4.43

$2.83 ₾7.32

56.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$9.31 ₾24.10

34.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$6.52 ₾16.87

73.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$12.95 ₾33.54

30.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.68 ₾4.34

180.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.85 ₾4.80

-14.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.97 ₾5.11

123.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.42 ₾6.26

93.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.82 ₾2.12

240.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.74 ₾1.91

295.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.34 ₾3.47

87.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.77 ₾2.01

185.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$3.57 ₾9.25

167.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$7.67 ₾19.86

98.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.70 ₾4.39

30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.40 ₾6.21

39.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.40 ₾1.05

460.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$15.23 ₾39.43

291.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.14 ₾2.95

204.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.78 ₾2.02

128.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.75 $26.75

$11.83 ₾30.62

126.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.45 ₾3.75

-39.31%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-0.33%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

2.44%

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

$193 $193

$88.8 ₾230

117.23%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$13.12 ₾33.98

344.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 $65.7

$19.67 ₾50.9

233.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$64.1 ₾166

-33.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 $14.78

$7.12 ₾18.44

107.58%

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

$1,423 $1,423

$375 ₾972

278.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K $21.9K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

109.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 $85.3

$104 ₾268

-17.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 $57.1

$39.26 ₾102

45.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$117 ₾304

-16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 $98.3

$122 ₾315

-19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,353 $2,353

$695 ₾1,800

238.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$451 ₾1,168

379.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 $3,963

$1,355 ₾3,508

192.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,088 $3,088

$906 ₾2,346

240.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,802 $2,802

$2,295 ₾5,942

22.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 $2,303

$1,345 ₾3,482

71.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,667 $9,667

$664 ₾1,720

1355.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

12.62

-47.94%

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

Last update for Salem, MA: 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

Salem, MA

$2.2K 60.9%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 79.2% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$402 11.3%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 41.8% $168

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$366 10.3%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 47.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$317 8.9%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 61.6% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$152 4.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 12.8% $20

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$81 2.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 72.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$72 2%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 8.8% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,353 in Salem, MA and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Salem, MA vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

9 h ahead of Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 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

Salem, MA Tbilisi 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Salem, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Salem, MA is about 15 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: $2,353 in Salem, MA versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,423 in Salem, MA versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Salem, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $3,554 in Salem, MA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. 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.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.