Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,105 per month in San Jose vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

San Jose $2,105
Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $3,074 per month in San Jose vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

San Jose $3,074
Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $4,043 per month in San Jose vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

San Jose $4,043
Tbilisi $2,763

San Jose costs about 66% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 55% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,612

$11.63 ₾30.07

6.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$37.83 ₾97.8

60.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,291

$9.66 ₾24.98

21.33%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,020

$3.57 ₾9.24

25.21%

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

$2.75 ₡1,242

$1.08 ₾2.78

154.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$0.56 ₾1.45

242.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$2.62 ₾6.78

24.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$3.04 ₾7.85

46.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$2.17 ₾5.60

8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$0.80 ₾2.06

286.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,084

$1.74 ₾4.51

37.93%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,554

$2.83 ₾7.31

21.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,843

$9.31 ₾24.07

15.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,676

$6.52 ₾16.85

58.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,246

$12.95 ₾33.50

6.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,324

$1.68 ₾4.33

206.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.85 ₾4.79

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,110

$1.97 ₾5.10

137.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,799

$2.42 ₾6.25

64.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,762

$0.82 ₾2.11

375.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,648

$0.74 ₾1.91

393.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.34 ₾3.47

-19.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,399

$0.77 ₾2.00

302.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,746

$3.57 ₾9.24

70.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,051

$7.67 ₾19.83

161.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$1.70 ₾4.39

62.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,667

$2.40 ₾6.21

53.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.40 ₾1.05

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$15.23 ₾39.38

338.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$1.14 ₾2.95

118.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡736

$0.78 ₾2.02

108.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,823

$11.83 ₾30.58

-28.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.45 ₾3.75

8.28%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

40.67%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

89.54%

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

$93.2 ₡42.1K

$88.8 ₾230

4.90%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$13.12 ₾33.93

174.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$19.67 ₾50.9

200.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.2K

$64.1 ₾166

7.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

$19.04 ₾49.24

30.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,544

$7.12 ₾18.42

10.25%

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

$996 ₡449.6K

$375 ₾971

165.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

62.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.7K

$104 ₾268

-32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$39.26 ₾102

40.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$117 ₾303

10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$122 ₾315

7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.5K

$695 ₾1,798

67.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.6K

$451 ₾1,167

109.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.8K

$1,355 ₾3,504

47.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.7K

$906 ₾2,343

54.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$2,295 ₾5,934

18.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡921.2K

$1,345 ₾3,478

51.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.3K

$664 ₾1,718

52.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.62

-31.70%

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

Last update for San Jose: 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

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 52.3% $494

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 41.4% $165

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 17.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 35.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 1.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 7.6% $6.4

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 73.2% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in San Jose versus $695 in Tbilisi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 52% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $234 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

10 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Tbilisi 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,158 per month in San Jose and $1,904 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $1,164 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,105 in San Jose and $1,269 in Tbilisi. That makes Tbilisi about 40% cheaper.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in San Jose at $2,105. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,269 versus $2,105 in San Jose. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.