Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $4,405 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $37,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Tbilisi, Georgia
St Thomas
🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands
$4,405
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,405 per month in St Thomas vs $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • St Thomas $4,405
  • Tbilisi $1,269

A couple spends around $7,271 per month in St Thomas vs $2,016 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • St Thomas $7,271
  • Tbilisi $2,016

A family of three spends $10.1K per month in St Thomas vs $2,763 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • St Thomas $10.1K
  • Tbilisi $2,763

St Thomas costs about 247% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St Thomas sits 224% above the global median, while Tbilisi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.53 $22.53
$11.63 ₾30.10
93.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$169 $169
$37.83 ₾97.9
347.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.39 $13.39
$9.66 ₾25.01
38.61%
Cappuccino
$6.00 $6.00
$3.57 ₾9.25
68.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.08 ₾2.78
259.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 $3.43
$0.56 ₾1.45
512.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.62 ₾6.79
89.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.02 $7.02
$3.04 ₾7.86
130.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.17 ₾5.61
27.65%
White Bread (500g)
$6.70 $6.70
$0.80 ₾2.06
737.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$18.56 $18.56
$1.74 ₾4.52
966.67%
Eggs
$8.84 $8.84
$2.83 ₾7.32
212.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 $11.47
$9.31 ₾24.10
23.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$29.17 $29.17
$6.52 ₾16.87
347.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.88 $39.88
$12.95 ₾33.54
207.95%
Apples (1kg)
$12.14 $12.14
$1.68 ₾4.34
622.62%
Banana (1kg)
$10.95 $10.95
$1.85 ₾4.80
491.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$11.95 $11.95
$1.97 ₾5.11
506.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$19.65 $19.65
$2.42 ₾6.26
711.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.82 ₾2.12
140.24%
Onion (1kg)
$8.71 $8.71
$0.74 ₾1.91
1077.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$8.22 $8.22
$1.34 ₾3.47
513.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$5.39 $5.39
$0.77 ₾2.01
600.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$3.57 ₾9.25
-
Wine (Bottle)
$25.08 $25.08
$7.67 ₾19.86
226.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.70 ₾4.39
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.95 $5.95
$2.40 ₾6.21
147.92%
🚌 Getting Around
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.95 $1.95
$0.40 ₾1.05
387.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.0 $61.0
$15.23 ₾39.43
300.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.99 $19.99
$1.14 ₾2.95
1653.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.05 $3.05
$0.78 ₾2.02
291.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$11.83 ₾30.62
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 $1.44
$1.45 ₾3.75
-0.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$54.0K $54.0K
$24.6K ₾63.6K
119.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$48.2K $48.2K
$22.3K ₾57.8K
115.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$462 $462
$88.8 ₾230
420.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$98.9 $98.9
$13.12 ₾33.98
654.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$147 $147
$19.67 ₾50.9
649.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$163 $163
$64.1 ₾166
154.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.04 ₾49.30
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 $10.18
$7.12 ₾18.44
42.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,471 $1,471
$375 ₾972
291.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.1K $22.1K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
110.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 $116
$104 ₾268
11.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$147 $147
$39.26 ₾102
275.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$204 $204
$117 ₾304
73.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 $148
$122 ₾315
21.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 $1,589
$695 ₾1,800
128.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,813 $1,813
$451 ₾1,168
301.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,239 $3,239
$1,355 ₾3,508
139.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,321 $4,321
$906 ₾2,346
376.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,840 $4,840
$2,295 ₾5,942
110.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.0K $11.0K
$1,345 ₾3,482
716.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
St Thomas
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,724 $2,724
$664 ₾1,720
310.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
12.62
-25.12%

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

Last update for St Thomas: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
St Thomas
$1.8K
Tbilisi
$451 75.1% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
St Thomas
$960 *
Tbilisi
$234 75.6% $726
Monthly Utilities & Internet
St Thomas
$708
Tbilisi
$122 82.8% $587
Eating Out
St Thomas
$361
Tbilisi
$191 47.1% $170
Clothing & Footwear
St Thomas
$276
Tbilisi
$172 37.8% $105
Sport & Entertainment
St Thomas
$183
Tbilisi
$78 57.2% $105
Getting Around
St Thomas
$104
Tbilisi
$22 79% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in St Thomas 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 in St Thomas are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $169 in St Thomas versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $960 vs $234 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇮 St Thomas
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
22:01 10:01 PM
06:01 6:01 AM
8 h ahead of St Thomas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,000
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • St Thomas Tbilisi 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • St Thomas
  • 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
St Thomas vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in St Thomas and in Tbilisi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,405 in St Thomas, $1,269 in Tbilisi – Tbilisi comes out roughly 71% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in St Thomas compared to Tbilisi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,608 per month in St Thomas and $1,904 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between St Thomas and Tbilisi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $1,589 in St Thomas.
How do commuting costs compare in St Thomas and in Tbilisi?
Public transport costs about 75% less in Tbilisi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between St Thomas and Tbilisi?
Kindergarten costs $1,471 per month in St Thomas and $375 in Tbilisi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in St Thomas at $4,405. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Thomas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: St Thomas or Tbilisi?
Families tend to lean toward Tbilisi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between St Thomas and Tbilisi?
If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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