Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Des Moines, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,270 a month against $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Des Moines, IA

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 Des Moines, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA.

Tbilisi $1,270
Des Moines, IA $2,171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $3,236 in Des Moines, IA.

Tbilisi $2,008
Des Moines, IA $3,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $4,301 in Des Moines, IA.

Tbilisi $2,745
Des Moines, IA $4,301

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 41% less than in Des Moines, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 6% below, Des Moines, IA is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$19.69 $19.69

-41.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$80.8 $80.8

-52.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$12.22 $12.22

-19.80%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$6.16 $6.16

-42.37%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$2.93 $2.93

-63.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$2.56 $2.56

-75.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$4.99 $4.99

-44.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$5.89 $5.89

-49.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$0.91 $0.91

137.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$3.03 $3.03

-74.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$3.38 $3.38

-48.52%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$4.00 $4.00

-30.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$9.69 $9.69

-5.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$9.91 $9.91

-34.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$13.68 $13.68

-6.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$4.33 $4.33

-61.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.51 $1.51

22.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$4.54 $4.54

-56.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$3.68 $3.68

-31.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$3.07 $3.07

-71.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$2.14 $2.14

-65.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$2.38 $2.38

-40.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$2.19 $2.19

-67.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$7.85 $7.85

-56.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$14.79 $14.79

-46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.70 $1.70

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$3.09 $3.09

-22.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.73 $1.73

-78.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$58.1 $58.1

-73.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.97 $1.97

-42.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.23 $1.23

-35.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$19.70 $19.70

-41.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$0.93 $0.93

61.29%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$27.2K $27.2K

-9.38%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$25.1K $25.1K

-11.06%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$185 $185

-52.19%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$53.6 $53.6

-75.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$70.2 $70.2

-72.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$63.8 $63.8

0.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$20.14 $20.14

-4.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$9.99 $9.99

-30.03%

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

$373 ₾966

$1,187 $1,187

-68.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$12.0K $12.0K

-10.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$59.5 $59.5

72.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$42.98 $42.98

-5.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$101 $101

15.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$145 $145

-15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$1,177 $1,177

-42.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$872 $872

-47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$1,738 $1,738

-26.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$1,394 $1,394

-36.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$2,320 $2,320

3.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$2,325 $2,325

-39.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$3,647 $3,647

-80.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

6.56

92.38%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2% 92.1% $418

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1% 50.1% $117

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1% 71.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2% 8.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2% 155% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9% 7.1% $5.6

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4% 231% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $1,177 in Des Moines, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays 419% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $81.0 in Des Moines, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $349 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

03:10 3:10 AM

9 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

214,133

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Des Moines, IA 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Des Moines, IA

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 Des Moines, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Des Moines, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 419% lower in Des Moines, IA. 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $1,177 in Des Moines, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $81.0 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,270 per month in Tbilisi versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Des Moines, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tbilisi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,270 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tbilisi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Des Moines, IA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.