Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Puntarenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Puntarenas: $1,019 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Puntarenas
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Puntarenas Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Puntarenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Puntarenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,019 in Puntarenas.

Tbilisi $1,269
Puntarenas $1,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,582 in Puntarenas.

Tbilisi $2,016
Puntarenas $1,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,145 in Puntarenas.

Tbilisi $2,763
Puntarenas $2,145

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 25% more expensive than in Puntarenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Puntarenas 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$8.14 ₡3,671

42.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$39.71 ₡17.9K

-4.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$9.67 ₡4,363

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.42 ₡1,995

-19.23%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.61 ₡1,177

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.86 ₡841

-69.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.24 ₡1,464

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$4.52 ₡2,039

-32.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.04 ₡919

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$3.18 ₡1,435

-74.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.93 ₡872

-9.84%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.92 ₡1,317

-3.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$6.13 ₡2,767

51.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$7.48 ₡3,376

-12.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$12.50 ₡5,639

3.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.88 ₡1,752

-56.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.49 ₡672

24.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.36 ₡1,064

-16.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$2.44 ₡1,099

-0.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.44 ₡1,102

-66.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.40 ₡1,084

-69.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.89 ₡404

50.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$2.76 ₡1,246

-72.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.94 ₡2,227

-27.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$8.25 ₡3,723

-7.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.77 ₡798

-3.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.30 ₡1,039

4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.03 ₡464

-61.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.21 ₡998

-48.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.13 ₡508

-30.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.49 ₡3,832

39.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.52 ₡687

-4.61%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$34.2K ₡15.4M

-28.17%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$18.6K ₡8.4M

19.77%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$54.5 ₡24.6K

62.82%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$27.98 ₡12.6K

-53.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$41.15 ₡18.6K

-52.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$26.11 ₡11.8K

145.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.73 ₡3,489

-7.89%

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

$375 ₾971

$1,002 ₡451.9K

-62.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$17.4K ₡7.9M

-39.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$26.17 ₡11.8K

296.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$17.89 ₡8,074

119.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$128 ₡57.9K

-8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$53.3 ₡24.1K

128.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$358 ₡161.7K

93.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$256 ₡115.6K

76.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$530 ₡239.2K

155.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$414 ₡186.6K

119.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$986 ₡445.1K

132.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$661 ₡298.3K

103.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$862 ₡389.1K

-22.96%

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 Puntarenas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Puntarenas

$256 25.1% 43.2% $195

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Puntarenas

$294 28.8% 25.5% $60

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Puntarenas

$190 18.7% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Puntarenas

$102 10% 40.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Puntarenas

$124 12.1% 1.7% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Puntarenas

$42 4.1% 46.9% $37

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Puntarenas

$12 * 1.2% 45.4% $9.9

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 $358 in Puntarenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puntarenas pays 30% 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 $40 in Puntarenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $294 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 Puntarenas

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

17:30 5:30 PM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

70,000

💱 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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Between locations

Tbilisi Puntarenas 12,310 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Puntarenas

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 Puntarenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puntarenas wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Puntarenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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 $358 in Puntarenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,019 in Puntarenas – Puntarenas is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Puntarenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.