Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
Learn more

Santa Cruz Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Santa Cruz

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

A single person spends $1,266 per month in Tbilisi vs $639 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,266
Santa Cruz $639

A couple spends around $2,007 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,172 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,007
Santa Cruz $1,172

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,704 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,749
Santa Cruz $1,704

Tbilisi costs about 98% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Santa Cruz are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Santa Cruz 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$2.00 BOB 23.19

467.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$16.80 BOB 195

132.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$5.10 BOB 59.2

88.82%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$1.77 BOB 20.52

95.48%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$0.49 BOB 5.72

122.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.43 BOB 4.97

46.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$0.86 BOB 9.97

222.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$1.24 BOB 14.35

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$0.71 BOB 8.23

216.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$0.94 BOB 10.88

-14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.03 BOB 11.93

70.87%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.06 BOB 12.27

159.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$3.15 BOB 36.56

198.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$2.58 BOB 29.92

158.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$4.98 BOB 57.8

159.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.82 BOB 21.12

-8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$0.62 BOB 7.24

190.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$0.76 BOB 8.81

152.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$0.73 BOB 8.48

230.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.74 BOB 8.55

16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.67 BOB 7.75

2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.57 BOB 6.66

145.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.63 BOB 7.36

12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$1.92 BOB 22.25

82.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$4.32 BOB 50.2

76.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.02 BOB 11.86

59.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$1.64 BOB 19.01

40.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.24 BOB 2.78

54.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$22.48 BOB 261

-30.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.64 BOB 19.05

-30.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.91 BOB 10.58

-13.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$6.31 BOB 73.3

87.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.57 BOB 6.59

145.61%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

76.24%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

13.46%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$34.84 BOB 405

155.80%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$19.67 BOB 228

-32.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$17.53 BOB 204

12.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$19.56 BOB 227

231.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$12.84 BOB 149

48.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$5.86 BOB 68.1

12.12%

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

$377 ₾975

$112 BOB 1,303

235.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

266.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$27.21 BOB 316

275.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$35.79 BOB 416

10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$66.3 BOB 769

77.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$58.3 BOB 677

111.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$267 BOB 3,105

149.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$247 BOB 2,869

81.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$909 BOB 10.6K

41.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$830 BOB 9,630

7.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

86.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$737 BOB 8,551

87.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$276 BOB 3,204

146.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

6.17

104.54%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6% 45% $202

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5% 52% $122

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8% 66.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2% 51% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3% 41% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9% 59.9% $47

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6% 33.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Tbilisi versus $267 in Santa Cruz. 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 146% higher in Tbilisi, 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 $39.00 in Tbilisi versus $17.00 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $112 – making Santa Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

8 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,800,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Santa Cruz 12,790 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 98%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,899 per month in Tbilisi and $959 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 109% more in Tbilisi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi and $17.00 in Santa Cruz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Tbilisi at $1,266. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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