Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Saitama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,007
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Saitama

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,007 in Saitama, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,270
  • Saitama $1,007

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,330 in Saitama, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,008
  • Saitama $1,330

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,653 in Saitama, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,745
  • Saitama $1,653

Tbilisi costs about 26% more than Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tbilisi and Saitama are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Saitama 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₾29.79
$5.55 ¥876
107.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.27 ₾99.1
$31.14 ¥4,920
22.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.80 ₾25.36
$4.86 ¥768
101.65%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₾9.19
$3.07 ¥486
15.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₾2.74
$0.72 ¥114
47.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₾1.60
$0.65 ¥103
-4.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.76 ₾7.16
$2.46 ¥389
12.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₾7.77
$3.18 ¥503
-5.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₾5.59
$1.45 ¥229
48.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₾1.96
$1.64 ¥260
-53.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$2.68 ¥423
-35.07%
Eggs
$2.79 ₾7.21
$2.00 ¥316
39.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.20 ₾23.83
$10.14 ¥1,601
-9.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.53 ₾16.89
$5.45 ¥861
19.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 ₾33.17
$14.44 ¥2,281
-11.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 ₾4.31
$5.58 ¥882
-70.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$2.25 ¥355
-17.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 ₾5.13
$2.84 ¥449
-30.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 ₾6.49
$4.19 ¥662
-40.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.87 ₾2.26
$2.61 ¥412
-66.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₾1.89
$1.56 ¥247
-53.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 ₾3.67
$1.25 ¥197
13.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₾1.88
$0.80 ¥126
-10.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₾8.74
$3.70 ¥585
-8.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₾20.31
$6.32 ¥999
24.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ₾4.19
$1.74 ¥274
-6.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₾6.15
$2.11 ¥333
12.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₾0.96
$3.45 ¥545
-89.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.52 ₾40.16
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.94
$3.11 ¥492
-63.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ₾2.05
$2.70 ¥427
-70.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.57 ₾29.96
$20.19 ¥3,190
-42.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ₾3.87
$1.10 ¥174
36.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.7K
$21.9K ¥3.5M
12.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K ₾57.9K
$14.4K ¥2.3M
55.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.3 ₾228
$131 ¥20.7K
-32.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 ₾33.86
$17.62 ¥2,784
-25.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.53 ₾50.6
$31.87 ¥5,036
-38.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.2 ₾166
$61.5 ¥9,721
4.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 ₾49.66
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.99 ₾18.10
$11.12 ¥1,757
-37.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₾966
$620 ¥97.9K
-39.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K ₾27.7K
$14.8K ¥2.3M
-27.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 ₾266
$34.90 ¥5,514
194.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.48 ₾105
$25.61 ¥4,047
58.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ₾301
$55.5 ¥8,772
109.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾316
$61.9 ¥9,773
97.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$677 ₾1,753
$414 ¥65.3K
63.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$454 ₾1,176
$237 ¥37.4K
91.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 ₾3,305
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$890 ₾2,304
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 ₾6,238
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,418 ₾3,670
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Saitama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ₾1,819
$1,505 ¥237.7K
-53.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
2.06
512.62%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$454
Saitama
$237 47.9% $218
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$233
Saitama
$275 18.2% $42
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Saitama
$120 37% $71
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Saitama
$80 53.4% $92
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$121
Saitama
$181 49.4% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Saitama
$84 7.2% $5.6
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Saitama
$30 * 37.6% $8.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $414 in Saitama. 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 114% higher in Saitama, 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 $31.00 in Saitama. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Tbilisi vs $275 in Saitama – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇯🇵 Saitama
🕒 Local time
15:37 3:37 PM
20:37 8:37 PM
5 h ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
1,182,115
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Saitama 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Saitama

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 Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saitama cheaper than Tbilisi?
Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,510 in Saitama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Saitama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Tbilisi and in Saitama?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $1,007 in Saitama. That's a gap of about 26%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Tbilisi and $620 in Saitama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Tbilisi or in Saitama?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,007, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Tbilisi or Saitama more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Saitama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Tbilisi or Saitama?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Saitama. 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.

Tbilisi vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?