Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Alajuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,004 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
Learn more

Alajuela Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Alajuela

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Alajuela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,004 in Alajuela.

Tbilisi $1,269
Alajuela $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,609 in Alajuela.

Tbilisi $2,016
Alajuela $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,213 in Alajuela.

Tbilisi $2,763
Alajuela $2,213

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 26% more expensive than in Alajuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Alajuela 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$12.15 ₡5,481

-4.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$44.06 ₡19.9K

-14.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$11.00 ₡4,964

-12.18%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.56 ₡2,055

-21.71%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.42 ₡1,093

-55.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.74 ₡787

-67.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.89 ₡1,304

-9.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.84 ₡1,733

-20.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.39 ₡1,081

-9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.13 ₡510

-29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.17 ₡978

-19.82%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.48 ₡1,569

-18.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$10.79 ₡4,869

-13.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$10.46 ₡4,722

-37.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$13.99 ₡6,314

-7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.14 ₡964

-21.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.58 ₡712

17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.16 ₡974

-8.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$3.84 ₡1,735

-36.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.17 ₡978

-62.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.16 ₡973

-65.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.03 ₡463

30.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.01 ₡457

-23.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$5.47 ₡2,470

-34.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$20.08 ₡9,059

-61.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.40 ₡634

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.02 ₡461

135.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.77 ₡347

-48.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$126 ₡56.7K

-87.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.76 ₡793

-35.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.56 ₡705

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.09 ₡3,650

46.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.52 ₡685

-4.61%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$34.0K ₡15.4M

-27.78%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$28.2K ₡12.7M

-20.92%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$79.8 ₡36.0K

11.25%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$30.12 ₡13.6K

-56.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-67.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.72 ₡3,484

-7.77%

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

$375 ₾971

$993 ₡448.2K

-62.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-38.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$70.7 ₡31.9K

46.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$56.0 ₡25.2K

-29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$130 ₡58.8K

-9.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$72.2 ₡32.6K

68.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$760 ₡342.9K

-8.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,426 ₡643.6K

-5.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$2,112 ₡953.2K

-68.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

8.62

46.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Alajuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Alajuela

$309 30.7% 32% $75

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Alajuela

$224 22.3% 17.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Alajuela

$148 14.8% 13.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Alajuela

$170 16.9% 39.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5% 80.3% $63

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Alajuela

$138 13.8% 532% $116

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $760 in Alajuela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays about 3.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $44 in Alajuela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $309 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

08:03 8:03 AM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Alajuela 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Alajuela

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

Tbilisi vs Alajuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and clothing. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $760 in Alajuela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 88% less than in Alajuela. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $993 in Alajuela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Alajuela gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.