Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, CA and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $4,547 in San Rafael, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

219

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael, CA
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San Rafael, CA Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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San Rafael, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,547

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,547 in San Rafael, CA versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

San Rafael, CA $4,547
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,255 in San Rafael, CA versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

San Rafael, CA $6,255
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,963 in San Rafael, CA versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

San Rafael, CA $7,963
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in San Rafael, CA is roughly 258% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Rafael, CA is 234% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.37 $25.37

$11.63 ₾30.07

118.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$37.83 ₾97.8

221.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.67 $11.67

$9.66 ₾24.98

20.81%

Cappuccino

$4.80 $4.80

$3.57 ₾9.24

34.45%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.08 ₾2.78

173.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.56 ₾1.45

423.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.62 ₾6.78

115.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.04 ₾7.85

129.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.17 ₾5.60

-30.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.59 $4.59

$0.80 ₾2.06

473.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$1.74 ₾4.51

457.47%

Eggs

$5.44 $5.44

$2.83 ₾7.31

92.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.82 $22.82

$9.31 ₾24.07

145.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.29 $15.29

$6.52 ₾16.85

134.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.54 $18.54

$12.95 ₾33.50

43.17%

Apples (1kg)

$7.29 $7.29

$1.68 ₾4.33

333.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.85 ₾4.79

59.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$1.97 ₾5.10

238.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.36 $8.36

$2.42 ₾6.25

245.45%

Potato (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$0.82 ₾2.11

614.63%

Onion (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$0.74 ₾1.91

663.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.34 ₾3.47

134.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$0.77 ₾2.00

418.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.42 $11.42

$3.57 ₾9.24

219.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 $12.78

$7.67 ₾19.83

66.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.70 ₾4.39

31.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.40 ₾6.21

24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.40 ₾1.05

412.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.37 $40.37

$15.23 ₾39.38

165.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.14 ₾2.95

251.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.39 $4.39

$0.78 ₾2.02

462.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 $29.55

$11.83 ₾30.58

149.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.45 ₾3.75

-3.45%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

19.64%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

17.67%

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

$251 $251

$88.8 ₾230

183.05%

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

$85.1 $85.1

$13.12 ₾33.93

548.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$19.67 ₾50.9

213.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$124 $124

$64.1 ₾166

93.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.91 $29.91

$19.04 ₾49.24

57.09%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 $12.93

$7.12 ₾18.42

81.60%

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

$2,091 $2,091

$375 ₾971

456.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

130.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$104 ₾268

-41.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 $42.54

$39.26 ₾102

8.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 $96.5

$117 ₾303

-17.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$122 ₾315

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,814 $2,814

$695 ₾1,798

304.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,838 $2,838

$451 ₾1,167

529.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,116 $4,116

$1,355 ₾3,504

203.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,993 $3,993

$906 ₾2,343

340.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,383 $8,383

$2,295 ₾5,934

265.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,743 $5,743

$1,345 ₾3,478

327.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,930 $6,930

$664 ₾1,718

943.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

12.62

-47.54%

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

Last update for San Rafael, CA: 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 Rafael, CA

$2.8K 62.4%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 84.1% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael, CA

$577 12.7%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 59.4% $343

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael, CA

$398 8.8%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 69.5% $277

Eating Out

San Rafael, CA

$361 7.9%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 47.2% $171

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael, CA

$150 3.3%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 47.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael, CA

$149 3.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 15.7% $23

Getting Around

San Rafael, CA

$75 1.6%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 70.6% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,814 in San Rafael, CA and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Rafael, CA pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $122 in San Rafael, CA vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $577 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Rafael, CA

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

08:51 8:51 AM

12 h ahead of San Rafael, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,704

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 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 = 0.346 EUR).

GEL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Rafael, CA Tbilisi 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

San Rafael, CA
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 Rafael, CA vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in San Rafael, CA. 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 San Rafael, CA is about 10 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: $2,814 in San Rafael, CA versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $4,547 per month in San Rafael, CA versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – Tbilisi is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 62% less than in San Rafael, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $4,547 in San Rafael, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in San Rafael, CA. 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.

Safety-wise, San Rafael, CA and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in San Rafael, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.