Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and San José, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $918 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $918 in San José.

Tbilisi $1,278
San José $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,456 in San José.

Tbilisi $2,017
San José $1,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,995 in San José.

Tbilisi $2,755
San José $1,995

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 39% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, San José 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.06

$13.30 UYU 535

-12.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.3

$44.40 UYU 1,786

-13.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.18

$13.94 UYU 561

-30.13%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$4.83 UYU 194

-26.29%

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

$1.08 ₾2.79

$2.28 UYU 91.9

-52.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$2.27 UYU 91.3

-75.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$2.96 UYU 119

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.08

$3.61 UYU 145

-13.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.54

$1.00 UYU 40.19

114.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$2.01 UYU 80.8

-62.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.46 UYU 58.6

23.29%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.57 UYU 103

8.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.39

$11.91 UYU 479

-20.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.09

$7.35 UYU 296

-4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.82

$11.68 UYU 470

8.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.21 UYU 48.70

34.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.51 UYU 60.5

21.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$1.23 UYU 49.38

60.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.38

$1.53 UYU 61.4

61.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.97 UYU 39.14

-22.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.23 UYU 49.35

-45.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.56 UYU 62.9

-9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-63.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$10.18 UYU 409

-65.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.39

$8.31 UYU 334

-5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$3.03 UYU 122

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$3.23 UYU 130

-26.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$3.54 UYU 142

-66.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$3.43 UYU 138

-78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.75

$9.87 UYU 397

20.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$2.22 UYU 89.4

-34.23%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$35.4K UYU 1.4M

-29.44%

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

$22.8K ₾59.0K

$39.7K UYU 1.6M

-42.43%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$115 UYU 4,628

-23.41%

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

$12.71 ₾32.85

$23.51 UYU 946

-45.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$47.19 UYU 1,898

-58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.57

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.19

$12.41 UYU 499

-46.41%

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

$371 ₾960

$498 UYU 20.0K

-25.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$6,594 UYU 265.2K

38.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$89.3 UYU 3,591

14.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$37.39 UYU 1,504

6.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$165 UYU 6,631

-28.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$120 UYU 4,821

-0.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,784

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,522

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,320

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,888

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,562

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,836

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

150.60%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for San José: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

San José

$255 27.8% 8.4% $20

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

San José

$246 26.9% 28.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

San José

$185 20.2% 8.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

San José

$186 20.3% 54% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 68% $53

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 4.7% $1

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $44 in San José for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $255 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

07:52 7:52 AM

7 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

36,747

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.17 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi San José 13,330 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
San José

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 José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San José wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San José the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $1,376 in San José to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Tbilisi versus $918 in San José – San José is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San José 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 San José are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.