Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
Learn more

San José Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index

Jump to prices

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in San José versus $1,270 in Tbilisi.

San José $913
Tbilisi $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in San José versus $2,008 in Tbilisi.

San José $1,449
Tbilisi $2,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,985 in San José versus $2,745 in Tbilisi.

San José $1,985
Tbilisi $2,745

Living in San José costs roughly 28% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: San José 33% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$11.51 ₾29.79

12.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$38.27 ₾99.1

14.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$9.80 ₾25.36

41.02%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$3.55 ₾9.19

37.46%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$1.06 ₾2.74

124.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$0.62 ₾1.60

253.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$2.76 ₾7.16

5.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$3.00 ₾7.77

16.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$2.16 ₾5.59

-54.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$0.76 ₾1.96

164.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$1.74 ₾4.51

-15.52%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$2.79 ₾7.21

-6.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$9.20 ₾23.83

30.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$6.53 ₾16.89

11.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$12.81 ₾33.17

-5.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$1.67 ₾4.31

-26.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$1.85 ₾4.79

-16.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$1.98 ₾5.13

-38.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$2.51 ₾6.49

-38.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$0.87 ₾2.26

12.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$0.73 ₾1.89

75.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$1.42 ₾3.67

4.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$0.72 ₾1.88

176.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$3.38 ₾8.74

190.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$7.84 ₾20.31

4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$1.62 ₾4.19

88.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$2.38 ₾6.15

40.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$1.14 ₾2.94

207.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$0.79 ₾2.05

336.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$11.57 ₾29.96

-14.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$1.50 ₾3.87

43.33%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$24.6K ₾63.7K

47.85%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$22.4K ₾57.9K

79.07%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$88.3 ₾228

28.39%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$13.08 ₾33.86

81.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$19.53 ₾50.6

141.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$6.99 ₾18.10

76.68%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$373 ₾966

32.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$10.7K ₾27.7K

-37.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$103 ₾266

-14.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$40.48 ₾105

-7.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$116 ₾301

41.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$122 ₾316

-3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

-60.38%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

Tbilisi

$233 18.3% 9.2% $24

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 21.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Tbilisi

$121 9.5% 34.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 6.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 216% $53

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 6.5% $1.3

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $44.00 in San José vs $38.00 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $233 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

18:20 6:20 PM

7 h ahead of San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San José Tbilisi 13,330 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

San José
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

San José vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San José wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San José the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,369 in San José and $1,906 in Tbilisi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $913 per month in San José versus $1,270 in Tbilisi – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $913 in San José versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes San José the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San José delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $913 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San José hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.