Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Jelgava

For one person, living is cheaper in Jelgava: $1,079 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Jelgava
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Jelgava Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Jelgava

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Jelgava

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 Jelgava actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,079 in Jelgava, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Jelgava $1,079

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,644 in Jelgava, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Jelgava $1,644

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,209 in Jelgava, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Jelgava $2,209

Tbilisi costs about 18% more than Jelgava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Jelgava are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Jelgava 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$7.74 €6.88

48.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$45.05 €40.07

-15.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$6.58 €5.85

48.94%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$3.32 €2.95

6.93%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.61 €1.43

-34.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$1.19 €1.06

-47.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$4.52 €4.02

-38.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$3.94 €3.51

-23.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.22 €1.09

77.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.92 €0.81

-17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.48 €1.32

17.57%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$3.19 €2.84

-12.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$10.34 €9.20

-11.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$5.39 €4.79

21.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$8.79 €7.82

45.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.64 €1.46

1.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.84 €1.63

0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$2.46 €2.18

-19.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$3.12 €2.78

-19.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.82 €0.73

6.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.95 €0.85

-23.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.70 €1.51

-16.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.91 €0.81

-20.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$6.69 €5.95

-49.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$7.94 €7.06

-1.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.97 €1.75

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.08 €1.85

14.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.94 €0.83

-60.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$28.22 €25.10

-45.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$3.38 €3.00

-66.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.04 €0.92

-24.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$17.93 €15.95

-35.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.90 €1.69

-21.05%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$22.6K €20.1K

8.74%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$29.5K €26.3K

-24.28%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$186 €166

-52.62%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$18.90 €16.81

-30.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$14.88 €13.24

31.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$46.18 €41.08

38.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$32.10 €28.56

-40.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$11.03 €9.81

-36.63%

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

$373 ₾966

$226 €201

65.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$14.2K €12.6K

-24.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$49.55 €44.07

107.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$22.28 €19.81

81.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$55.1 €48.96

111.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$113 €101

7.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$331 €295

104.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$258 €230

75.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$587 €522

117.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$424 €378

109.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,025 €912

135.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$905 €805

56.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$1,597 €1,420

-55.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

215.50%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Jelgava: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Jelgava

$258 23.9% 43.2% $196

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Jelgava

$221 20.5% 5.1% $12

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Jelgava

$163 15.1% 14.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Jelgava

$108 10% 37% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Jelgava

$220 20.4% 82.1% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Jelgava

$68 6.3% 12.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Jelgava

$41 3.8% 83.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $331 in Jelgava. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 127% higher in Jelgava, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $45.00 in Jelgava. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Tbilisi vs $221 in Jelgava – so Jelgava wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇱🇻 Jelgava

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

63,534

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Jelgava 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Jelgava

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 Jelgava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,619 in Jelgava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jelgava, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $45.00 in Jelgava. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $1,079 in Jelgava. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jelgava, where all-in costs run around $1,079, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Jelgava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jelgava – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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