Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,105 in San Jose, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
San Jose $2,105

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,074 in San Jose, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
San Jose $3,074

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $4,043 in San Jose, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
San Jose $4,043

Tbilisi is about 40% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while San Jose is 55% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$12.43 ₡5,612

-6.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$60.9 ₡27.5K

-37.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$11.72 ₡5,291

-17.58%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.47 ₡2,020

-20.13%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.75 ₡1,242

-60.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.92 ₡867

-70.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.26 ₡1,471

-19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$4.45 ₡2,009

-31.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.36 ₡1,063

-8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$3.09 ₡1,393

-74.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.40 ₡1,084

-27.50%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$3.44 ₡1,554

-17.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$10.73 ₡4,843

-13.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$10.36 ₡4,676

-37.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$13.84 ₡6,246

-6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$5.15 ₡2,324

-67.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.65 ₡746

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$4.67 ₡2,110

-57.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$3.98 ₡1,799

-39.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$3.90 ₡1,762

-78.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$3.65 ₡1,648

-79.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.08 ₡488

24.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$3.10 ₡1,399

-75.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$6.08 ₡2,746

-41.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$20.05 ₡9,051

-61.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.77 ₡1,252

-38.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.69 ₡1,667

-34.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.12 ₡503

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$66.7 ₡30.1K

-77.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.49 ₡1,123

-54.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.63 ₡736

-52.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$8.47 ₡3,823

39.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.57 ₡708

-7.64%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-28.91%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-47.24%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$93.2 ₡42.1K

-4.67%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-63.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-66.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$69.0 ₡31.2K

-7.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$24.80 ₡11.2K

-23.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$7.85 ₡3,544

-9.30%

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

$375 ₾971

$996 ₡449.6K

-62.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-38.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$70.1 ₡31.7K

47.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-28.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$130 ₡58.6K

-9.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$131 ₡59.2K

-7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$1,164 ₡525.5K

-40.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$945 ₡426.6K

-52.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,993 ₡899.8K

-32.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$1,404 ₡633.7K

-35.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,727 ₡1.2M

-15.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$2,040 ₡921.2K

-34.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,011 ₡456.3K

-34.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

8.62

46.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 109% $494

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

San Jose

$399 19% 70.7% $165

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

San Jose

$232 11% 21.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 1.1% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

San Jose

$188 9% 54.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

San Jose

$85 4% 8.2% $6.4

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 274% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,164 in San Jose. 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 52% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $61 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $399 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

02:54 2:54 AM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Tbilisi
San Jose

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 Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $3,158 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $1,164 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $61 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $2,105 in San Jose. That makes Tbilisi about 40% cheaper.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in San Jose at $2,105. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tbilisi costs $1,269 versus $2,105 in San Jose. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.