Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/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.

A single person spends $1,758 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,758
Tbilisi $1,266

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,007 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,778
Tbilisi $2,007

A family of three spends $3,798 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,749 in Tbilisi, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,798
Tbilisi $2,749

Santa Cruz costs about 39% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Cruz sits 30% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,523

$11.34 ₾29.35

8.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$39.05 ₾101

60.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 ₡4,856

$9.63 ₾24.93

12.25%

Cappuccino

$4.58 ₡2,059

$3.46 ₾8.96

32.37%

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

$2.20 ₡989

$1.09 ₾2.82

101.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡854

$0.63 ₾1.62

201.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,489

$2.77 ₾7.17

19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,958

$3.10 ₾8.04

40.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,070

$2.25 ₾5.81

5.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,422

$0.80 ₾2.08

295.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ₡1,113

$1.76 ₾4.55

40.91%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,599

$2.75 ₾7.11

29.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,717

$9.39 ₾24.32

11.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,722

$6.66 ₾17.23

57.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 ₡6,359

$12.92 ₾33.46

9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,336

$1.67 ₾4.31

211.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₡482

$1.80 ₾4.65

-40.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 ₡2,170

$1.92 ₾4.97

151.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,758

$2.41 ₾6.24

62.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$0.86 ₾2.23

350.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 ₡1,636

$0.69 ₾1.80

427.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.40 ₾3.62

-19.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,383

$0.71 ₾1.85

333.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,596

$3.51 ₾9.08

64.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 ₡9,068

$7.61 ₾19.69

165.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,294

$1.63 ₾4.21

76.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ₡1,654

$2.31 ₾5.98

59.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡581

$0.37 ₾0.96

248.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$1.14 ₾2.95

119.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.79 ₾2.05

97.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.60 ₡3,864

$11.86 ₾30.71

-27.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.40 ₾3.62

11.43%

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

$22.1K ₡9.9M

$24.8K ₾64.2K

-11.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.9K ₾56.6K

57.92%

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

$94.5 ₡42.4K

$89.1 ₾231

6.00%

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

$35.98 ₡16.2K

$13.21 ₾34.19

172.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 ₡26.9K

$19.76 ₾51.2

202.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 ₡32.2K

$64.9 ₾168

10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.25

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 ₡3,034

$6.57 ₾17.02

2.74%

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

$978 ₡439.3K

$377 ₾975

159.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$10.8K ₾28.0K

59.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ₡32.4K

$102 ₾265

-29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$39.70 ₾103

41.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$118 ₾305

9.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.1K

$123 ₾320

6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 ₡409.8K

$666 ₾1,724

36.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 ₡298.7K

$449 ₾1,163

47.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 ₡759.1K

$1,284 ₾3,325

31.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 ₡588.5K

$890 ₾2,303

47.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,277

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,574

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

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 Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8%

Tbilisi

$449 35.5% 32.4% $216

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8%

Tbilisi

$234 18.5% 41.6% $166

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9%

Tbilisi

$188 14.9% 17.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8%

Tbilisi

$122 9.7% 35.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$175 10%

Tbilisi

$172 13.6% 1.5% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 8.4% $7.1

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9%

Tbilisi

$22 1.8% 43.9% $6.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $912 in Santa Cruz versus $666 in Tbilisi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Santa Cruz versus $39.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $234 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

14:24 2:24 PM

10 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 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 October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Tbilisi 12,340 km ≈ 16 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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,758 in Santa Cruz, $1,266 in Tbilisi – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,637 per month in Santa Cruz and $1,899 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,758 in Santa Cruz and $1,266 in Tbilisi. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $978 per month in Santa Cruz and $377 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,266, than in Santa Cruz at $1,758. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Santa Cruz has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,266 in Tbilisi to $1,758 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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