Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Riga

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,591 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Riga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,591 in Riga.

Tbilisi $1,266
Riga $1,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $2,428 in Riga.

Tbilisi $2,007
Riga $2,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $3,264 in Riga.

Tbilisi $2,749
Riga $3,264

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 20% less than in Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 6% below, Riga is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$17.05 €15.17

-33.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$65.9 €58.6

-40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$8.94 €7.96

7.72%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$3.63 €3.23

-4.68%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.62 €1.44

-32.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$1.20 €1.07

-47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$5.43 €4.83

-48.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$4.96 €4.41

-37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.19 €1.06

89.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$1.49 €1.33

-46.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$2.50 €2.22

-29.60%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$3.61 €3.21

-23.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$10.61 €9.44

-11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$8.86 €7.88

-24.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$13.85 €12.32

-6.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.15 €1.91

-22.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.82 €1.62

-1.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$2.45 €2.18

-21.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$3.09 €2.75

-22.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.83 €0.74

3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.95 €0.84

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.70 €1.51

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.98 €0.87

-27.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$6.75 €6.01

-48.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$7.66 €6.81

-0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.96 €1.75

-16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$2.07 €1.84

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.69 €1.51

-78.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$33.13 €29.47

-52.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.40 €3.02

-66.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.99 €0.88

-20.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$17.89 €15.91

-33.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$2.01 €1.79

-30.35%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$27.0K €24.0K

-8.15%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$31.4K €28.0K

-30.45%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$369 €328

-75.84%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$19.45 €17.30

-32.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$19.83 €17.64

-0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$50.9 €45.28

27.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$35.88 €31.91

-46.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$11.05 €9.83

-40.54%

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

$377 ₾975

$690 €614

-45.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$17.7K €15.7K

-38.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$69.3 €61.6

47.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$50.5 €44.88

-21.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$85.7 €76.3

37.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$140 €124

-11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$560 €498

18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$383 €341

17.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$1,148 €1,021

11.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$739 €657

20.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$2,993 €2,662

-18.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$2,050 €1,824

-32.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$1,478 €1,315

-54.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.77

164.57%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Riga

$383 24.1% 14.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Riga

$268 16.8% 14.7% $34

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Riga

$255 16% 35.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Riga

$155 9.8% 9.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Riga

$408 25.7% 234% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Riga

$73 4.6% 6.5% $5

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Riga

$48 3% 117% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Tbilisi and $560 in Riga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riga pays 117% 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: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $66.0 in Riga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $268 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

660,187 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GEL in detail →

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Between locations

Tbilisi Riga 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Riga

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 Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Riga differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $1,591 including rent). Tbilisi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Riga. 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: $666 in Tbilisi versus $560 in Riga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $377 in Tbilisi versus $690 in Riga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Riga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,591 in Riga, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Riga. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Riga 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 26% less than in Riga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.