Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and San Juan, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,278 a month against $1,723 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $1,723 in San Juan.

Tbilisi $1,278
San Juan $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $2,746 in San Juan.

Tbilisi $2,017
San Juan $2,746

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $3,770 in San Juan.

Tbilisi $2,755
San Juan $3,770

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 26% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 5% below, San Juan is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$12.46 ₡5,602

-6.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-36.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$11.85 ₡5,331

-17.81%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$4.35 ₡1,956

-18.16%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$2.75 ₡1,238

-60.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$1.90 ₡855

-70.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$3.34 ₡1,502

-18.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$4.52 ₡2,035

-30.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$2.33 ₡1,047

-8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$3.11 ₡1,400

-75.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$2.44 ₡1,096

-26.23%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$3.48 ₡1,565

-19.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$10.66 ₡4,794

-11.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$10.52 ₡4,731

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.84

$13.99 ₡6,291

-9.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$5.03 ₡2,264

-67.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.59 ₡715

15.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$4.78 ₡2,149

-58.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$3.81 ₡1,713

-35.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$3.89 ₡1,748

-80.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$3.76 ₡1,690

-82.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.12 ₡504

25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$3.10 ₡1,393

-76.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.09

$5.86 ₡2,635

-40.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$19.61 ₡8,820

-59.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$2.86 ₡1,287

-40.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$3.59 ₡1,613

-33.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.35 ₡605

-71.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$2.42 ₡1,087

-50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.56 ₡699

-52.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$8.62 ₡3,877

37.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.58 ₡711

-7.59%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-27.38%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-44.73%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$95.5 ₡43.0K

-7.76%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$35.02 ₡15.7K

-63.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$60.1 ₡27.0K

-67.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$67.0 ₡30.1K

-4.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.60

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$7.71 ₡3,469

-13.75%

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

$371 ₾961

$980 ₡440.7K

-62.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-46.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$72.1 ₡32.4K

41.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$56.2 ₡25.3K

-29.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$129 ₡58.2K

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$134 ₡60.1K

-10.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,785

$798 ₡358.8K

-13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$627 ₡282.1K

-26.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,524

$1,922 ₡864.2K

-29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$1,287 ₡578.7K

-30.29%

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

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 Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

San Juan

$627 36.4% 36% $166

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

San Juan

$399 23.2% 69.7% $164

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

San Juan

$232 13.5% 21.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

San Juan

$176 10.2% 3.1% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

San Juan

$191 11.1% 58.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

San Juan

$82 4.8% 6.3% $4.9

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 28.1% $6.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $798 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $61 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $399 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

18:42 6:42 PM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

27,000

💱 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 4, 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 4, 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 Juan 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Tbilisi and $1,723 in San Juan, so Tbilisi is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,918 in Tbilisi and $2,584 in San Juan 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Tbilisi versus $798 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $371 in Tbilisi versus $980 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $61 in San Juan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and San Juan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.