Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Salem, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $3,554 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Salem, MA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $3,554 in Salem, MA.

Tbilisi $1,269
Salem, MA $3,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $4,918 in Salem, MA.

Tbilisi $2,016
Salem, MA $4,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $6,282 in Salem, MA.

Tbilisi $2,763
Salem, MA $6,282

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 64% less than in Salem, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Salem, MA is 161% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.10

$25.21 $25.21

-53.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.9

$101 $101

-62.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾25.01

$10.89 $10.89

-11.29%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.25

$4.95 $4.95

-27.88%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.48 $2.48

-56.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$2.13 $2.13

-73.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.79

$7.90 $7.90

-66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.86

$7.01 $7.01

-56.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.61

$1.26 $1.26

72.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$3.61 $3.61

-77.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.52

$4.43 $4.43

-60.72%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.32

$4.43 $4.43

-36.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$12.51 $12.51

-25.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.87

$11.34 $11.34

-42.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.54

$16.95 $16.95

-23.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$4.71 $4.71

-64.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

$1.58 $1.58

17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$4.40 $4.40

-55.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.26

$4.68 $4.68

-48.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.12

$2.79 $2.79

-70.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$2.93 $2.93

-74.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$2.51 $2.51

-46.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.01

$2.20 $2.20

-65.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.25

$9.56 $9.56

-62.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.86

$15.25 $15.25

-49.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.22 $2.22

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.35 $3.35

-28.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$2.24 $2.24

-82.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.43

$59.6 $59.6

-74.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.47 $3.47

-67.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.78 $1.78

-56.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.62

$26.75 $26.75

-55.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.88 $0.88

64.77%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$24.5K $24.5K

0.33%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$22.9K $22.9K

-2.38%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$193 $193

-53.97%

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

$13.12 ₾33.98

$58.4 $58.4

-77.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$65.7 $65.7

-70.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$42.42 $42.42

50.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.30

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.44

$14.78 $14.78

-51.83%

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

$375 ₾972

$1,423 $1,423

-73.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$21.9K $21.9K

-52.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$85.3 $85.3

21.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$57.1 $57.1

-31.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

$97.7 $97.7

20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$98.3 $98.3

23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,800

$2,353 $2,353

-70.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,168

$2,164 $2,164

-79.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,508

$3,963 $3,963

-65.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,346

$3,088 $3,088

-70.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,942

$2,802 $2,802

-18.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,482

$2,303 $2,303

-41.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,720

$9,667 $9,667

-93.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

6.57

92.09%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Salem, MA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Salem, MA

$2.2K 60.9% 380% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Salem, MA

$402 11.3% 71.9% $168

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Salem, MA

$366 10.3% 91.9% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Salem, MA

$152 4.3% 11.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Salem, MA

$317 8.9% 161% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Salem, MA

$72 2% 8.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Salem, MA

$81 2.3% 270% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $2,353 in Salem, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $101 in Salem, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $402 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

9 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

155,469

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Salem, MA 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Salem, MA

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 Salem, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Salem, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 93% 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 $2,353 in Salem, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $1,423 in Salem, MA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Salem, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $3,554 in Salem, MA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. 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.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.