Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and San Francisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,278 a month against $1,683 in San Francisco, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in San Francisco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $1,683 in San Francisco.

Tbilisi $1,278
San Francisco $1,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $2,673 in San Francisco.

Tbilisi $2,017
San Francisco $2,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $3,662 in San Francisco.

Tbilisi $2,755
San Francisco $3,662

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 24% less than in San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 5% below, San Francisco is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$9.66 ₡4,345

20.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$61.6 ₡27.7K

-37.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$10.85 ₡4,878

-10.23%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$4.48 ₡2,015

-20.54%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$1.36 ₡611

-20.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$1.77 ₡798

-68.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$3.21 ₡1,441

-14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$4.35 ₡1,958

-28.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$2.39 ₡1,077

-10.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$3.08 ₡1,386

-75.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$2.54 ₡1,142

-29.13%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$3.53 ₡1,586

-20.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$10.89 ₡4,898

-13.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$10.32 ₡4,641

-32.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.84

$13.81 ₡6,211

-8.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$5.21 ₡2,344

-68.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.63 ₡735

12.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$4.80 ₡2,159

-58.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$3.95 ₡1,775

-37.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$3.88 ₡1,745

-80.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$3.60 ₡1,621

-81.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.11 ₡500

27.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$3.21 ₡1,444

-77.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.09

$5.78 ₡2,601

-39.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$19.70 ₡8,857

-59.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$2.78 ₡1,251

-38.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$3.71 ₡1,668

-36.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.34 ₡603

-71.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.57

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-76.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$1.71 ₡769

-30.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.78 ₡800

-58.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$8.21 ₡3,693

44.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.56 ₡704

-6.41%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-27.69%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-44.72%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$77.3 ₡34.8K

13.97%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$33.59 ₡15.1K

-62.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$58.2 ₡26.2K

-65.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$67.9 ₡30.6K

-5.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.60

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$7.91 ₡3,556

-15.93%

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

$371 ₾961

$970 ₡436.2K

-61.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$18.8K ₡8.5M

-51.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$72.1 ₡32.4K

41.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$56.6 ₡25.4K

-29.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$65.3 ₡29.4K

80.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$55.3 ₡24.9K

116.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,785

$809 ₡364.0K

-14.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$634 ₡285.0K

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,524

$1,934 ₡869.5K

-29.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$1,263 ₡568.0K

-28.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,892

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,565

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,837

$890 ₡400.0K

-20.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

8.62

45.36%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Francisco: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

San Francisco

$634 37.6% 37.4% $173

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

San Francisco

$402 23.9% 71% $167

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

San Francisco

$201 11.9% 5% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

San Francisco

$112 6.7% 34.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

San Francisco

$169 10.1% 40.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

San Francisco

$84 5% 7.9% $6.2

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

San Francisco

$81 4.8% 275% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $809 in San Francisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Francisco pays 25% 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 $62 in San Francisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $402 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

14:15 2:15 PM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

55,923

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi San Francisco 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
San Francisco

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 San Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in San Francisco. 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 20% 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: $690 in Tbilisi versus $809 in San Francisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 77% less than in San Francisco. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $970 in San Francisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 24% less than in San Francisco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.