Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Kingston, Jamaica
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Kingston
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,677
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Kingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,677 in Kingston.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $2,829 in Kingston.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $3,980 in Kingston.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Kingston $3,980

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 24% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$13.80 JMD 2,180
-15.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$75.1 JMD 11.9K
-49.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$8.31 JMD 1,312
16.25%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$5.36 JMD 847
-33.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$1.19 JMD 188
-9.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.74 JMD 117
-24.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$2.26 JMD 358
15.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$3.23 JMD 511
-5.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$4.23 JMD 668
-48.70%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$3.86 JMD 610
-79.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.64 JMD 259
6.10%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$3.59 JMD 567
-21.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$11.55 JMD 1,824
-19.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$6.23 JMD 985
4.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$10.22 JMD 1,615
26.71%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.33
$6.07 JMD 958
-72.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$3.87 JMD 612
-52.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$7.25 JMD 1,146
-72.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$3.10 JMD 489
-21.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$3.18 JMD 502
-74.21%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$2.68 JMD 423
-72.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$3.10 JMD 489
-56.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$1.43 JMD 227
-46.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$9.33 JMD 1,474
-61.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$11.26 JMD 1,779
-31.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$2.77 JMD 438
-38.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$4.04 JMD 639
-40.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$0.61 JMD 96.5
-34.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$38.10 JMD 6,019
-60.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$1.28 JMD 203
-10.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$3.22 JMD 509
-75.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$6.37 JMD 1,006
85.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.42 JMD 224
2.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$44.0K JMD 6.9M
-44.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$32.8K JMD 5.2M
-31.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$170 JMD 26.8K
-47.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$29.16 JMD 4,608
-55.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$53.8 JMD 8,496
-63.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$61.7 JMD 9,742
3.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$17.76 JMD 2,806
7.21%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$13.46 JMD 2,127
-47.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$363 JMD 57.4K
3.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$8,388 JMD 1.3M
24.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$23.39 JMD 3,695
343.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$31.37 JMD 4,956
25.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$77.3 JMD 12.2K
51.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$102 JMD 16.1K
19.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$958 JMD 151.3K
-27.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$562 JMD 88.8K
-19.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$2,100 JMD 331.9K
-35.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$1,422 JMD 224.7K
-36.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$2,849 JMD 450.1K
-19.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$2,072 JMD 327.4K
-35.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Kingston
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$750 JMD 118.5K
-11.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
9.45
33.54%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Kingston
$562 24.6% $111
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Kingston
$385 64.7% $151
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Kingston
$225 18.1% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Kingston
$105 38.8% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Kingston
$252 108% $131
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Kingston
$89 13.1% $10
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Kingston
$58 165% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $958 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 13% 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 in Tbilisi vs $75 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $385 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇯🇲 Kingston
🕒 Local time
08:09 8:09 AM
23:09 11:09 PM
9 h behind Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
660,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Kingston 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tbilisi or Kingston?
Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Tbilisi or in Kingston?
On paper, salaries run 11% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Tbilisi compared to Kingston?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $958 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Tbilisi and in Kingston?
Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $363 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Tbilisi or in Kingston?
Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Tbilisi or in Kingston?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Tbilisi or Kingston?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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