Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Aruba and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,278 a month against $1,886 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,886

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,886 in Santa Cruz versus $1,278 in Tbilisi.

Santa Cruz $1,886
Tbilisi $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,900 in Santa Cruz versus $2,017 in Tbilisi.

Santa Cruz $2,900
Tbilisi $2,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,914 in Santa Cruz versus $2,755 in Tbilisi.

Santa Cruz $3,914
Tbilisi $2,755

Living in Santa Cruz is roughly 48% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz is 40% above, Tbilisi is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 AWG 3.94

$2.14 ₾5.55

2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 AWG 4.73

$0.75 ₾1.95

252.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 AWG 7.91

$1.80 ₾4.66

145.56%

Eggs

$4.78 AWG 8.55

$2.80 ₾7.25

70.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 AWG 14.58

$9.43 ₾24.41

-13.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 AWG 13.77

$7.00 ₾18.10

9.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 AWG 12.08

$12.69 ₾32.83

-46.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 AWG 8.08

$1.63 ₾4.22

177.30%

Banana (1kg)

$4.57 AWG 8.18

$1.84 ₾4.77

148.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.12 AWG 14.54

$1.97 ₾5.09

312.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.87 AWG 12.29

$2.47 ₾6.39

178.14%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 AWG 11.99

$0.75 ₾1.95

793.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 AWG 3.39

$0.67 ₾1.74

182.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 AWG 5.37

$1.41 ₾3.66

112.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 AWG 8.13

$0.72 ₾1.86

530.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 AWG 18.52

$3.51 ₾9.08

194.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.59 AWG 35.06

$7.89 ₾20.40

148.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 AWG 4.56

$1.70 ₾4.41

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 AWG 5.54

$2.37 ₾6.12

30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 AWG 3.50

$0.38 ₾0.98

415.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 AWG 276

$15.29 ₾39.56

907.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.32 AWG 34.57

$1.19 ₾3.08

1523.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 AWG 35.35

$11.89 ₾30.76

66.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

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

$141 AWG 252

$88.1 ₾228

59.49%

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

$71.3 AWG 128

$12.71 ₾32.87

460.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$207 AWG 371

$19.79 ₾51.2

946.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 AWG 123

$64.3 ₾166

6.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.44 AWG 83.1

$19.17 ₾49.59

142.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 AWG 15.02

$6.65 ₾17.20

26.17%

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

$141 AWG 252

$371 ₾961

-62.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.8 AWG 141

$102 ₾264

-22.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$110 AWG 197

$39.65 ₾103

177.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 251

$118 ₾306

18.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 AWG 245

$120 ₾310

14.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 AWG 2,271

$690 ₾1,784

83.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 AWG 998

$461 ₾1,193

20.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 AWG 2,746

$1,362 ₾3,523

12.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 AWG 2,519

$897 ₾2,321

56.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,891

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,564

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,667 AWG 6,564

$710 ₾1,836

416.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

–

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,268 in Santa Cruz and $690 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

20:18 8:18 PM

8 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Cruz Tbilisi 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,886 in Santa Cruz and $1,278 in Tbilisi, so Tbilisi is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Santa Cruz is about 5.2 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: $1,268 in Santa Cruz versus $690 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $141 in Santa Cruz versus $371 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 90% less than in Santa Cruz. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Santa Cruz and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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