Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Rivas

For one person, living is cheaper in Rivas: $895 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Rivas
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Rivas Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Rivas

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Rivas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $895 in Rivas.

Tbilisi $1,269
Rivas $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,658 in Rivas.

Tbilisi $2,016
Rivas $1,658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,421 in Rivas.

Tbilisi $2,763
Rivas $2,421

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 42% more expensive than in Rivas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Rivas 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$3.89 NIO 143

198.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$28.15 NIO 1,031

34.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$7.81 NIO 286

23.69%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$1.22 NIO 44.61

192.62%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.86 NIO 31.37

25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.69 NIO 25.30

-18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$1.52 NIO 55.5

72.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$2.20 NIO 80.6

38.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.22 NIO 44.53

77.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.36 NIO 86.4

-66.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$1.82 NIO 66.8

-4.40%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$2.40 NIO 87.8

17.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$11.49 NIO 421

-18.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$6.25 NIO 229

4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$7.72 NIO 283

67.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$4.09 NIO 150

-58.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$0.58 NIO 21.23

218.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$1.75 NIO 64.1

12.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$2.53 NIO 92.6

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$3.96 NIO 145

-79.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.24 NIO 81.9

-66.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.04 NIO 38.27

28.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$1.02 NIO 37.19

-24.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$2.71 NIO 99.4

31.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$14.52 NIO 532

-47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.47 NIO 53.8

15.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.16 NIO 79.1

11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.61 NIO 59.1

-29.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.65 NIO 60.5

-52.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$6.71 NIO 246

76.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.32 NIO 48.19

9.85%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$23.2K NIO 848.3K

6.11%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$26.2K NIO 960.8K

-14.85%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$149 NIO 5,453

-40.35%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$19.68 NIO 721

-33.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$32.29 NIO 1,183

-39.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$20.32 NIO 744

215.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

$7.14 NIO 261

166.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$9.25 NIO 339

-23.03%

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

$375 ₾972

$240 NIO 8,792

56.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$6,066 NIO 222.2K

72.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$60.2 NIO 2,206

72.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$64.5 NIO 2,361

-39.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$122 NIO 4,476

-3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$143 NIO 5,250

-15.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$150 NIO 5,508

362.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$124 NIO 4,539

264.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$744 NIO 27.2K

82.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$811 NIO 29.7K

11.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$497 NIO 18.2K

33.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

11.92

5.87%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rivas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Rivas

$124 13.9% 72.5% $327

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Rivas

$259 28.9% 10.5% $25

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Rivas

$87 9.8% 54.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Rivas

$176 19.6% 2.2% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Rivas

$201 22.4% 65.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Rivas

$39 4.3% 50.4% $39

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Rivas

$9.9 * 1.1% 54.9% $12

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 $150 in Rivas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 34% 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 $28 in Rivas. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $259, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇳🇮 Rivas

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

20:55 8:55 PM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

53,208

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.05 NIO (100 NIO = 2.44 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Rivas 12,250 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Rivas

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 Rivas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rivas wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rivas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $150 in Rivas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 10% 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 $895 in Rivas – Rivas is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Rivas 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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Rivas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rivas wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.