Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/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 $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,266
Santa Cruz $1,758

A couple spends around $2,007 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,778 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,007
Santa Cruz $2,778

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,798 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,749
Santa Cruz $3,798

Tbilisi is about 28% cheaper than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tbilisi sits 6% below the global median, while Santa Cruz is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$12.29 ₡5,523

-7.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$62.6 ₡28.1K

-37.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.93

$10.81 ₡4,856

-10.92%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.96

$4.58 ₡2,059

-24.45%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$2.20 ₡989

-50.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$1.90 ₡854

-66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$3.31 ₡1,489

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$4.36 ₡1,958

-28.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$2.38 ₡1,070

-5.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.08

$3.16 ₡1,422

-74.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$2.48 ₡1,113

-29.03%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$3.56 ₡1,599

-22.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$10.50 ₡4,717

-10.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$10.51 ₡4,722

-36.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.46

$14.15 ₡6,359

-8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$5.20 ₡2,336

-67.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.07 ₡482

68.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$4.83 ₡2,170

-60.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$3.91 ₡1,758

-38.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$3.87 ₡1,741

-77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$3.64 ₡1,636

-81.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.13 ₡508

23.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$3.08 ₡1,383

-76.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$5.78 ₡2,596

-39.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$20.18 ₡9,068

-62.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$2.88 ₡1,294

-43.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$3.68 ₡1,654

-37.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.29 ₡581

-71.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.50 ₡1,125

-54.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.56 ₡701

-49.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.71

$8.60 ₡3,864

37.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.56 ₡702

-10.26%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$22.1K ₡9.9M

12.37%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-36.68%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$94.5 ₡42.4K

-5.66%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$35.98 ₡16.2K

-63.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.2

$59.8 ₡26.9K

-66.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$71.7 ₡32.2K

-9.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.25

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$6.75 ₡3,034

-2.67%

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

$377 ₾975

$978 ₡439.3K

-61.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾28.0K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-37.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$72.2 ₡32.4K

41.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$56.1 ₡25.2K

-29.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$129 ₡58.0K

-8.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$132 ₡59.1K

-6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$912 ₡409.8K

-26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$665 ₡298.7K

-32.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,325

$1,689 ₡759.1K

-23.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$1,310 ₡588.5K

-32.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,277

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,574

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

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 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8% 48% $216

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8% 71.1% $166

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9% 21% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Santa Cruz

$175 10% 1.5% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8% 55.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9% 9.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9% 30.5% $6.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Tbilisi versus $912 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi versus $63.0 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $400 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

05:12 5:12 AM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

1,665

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Santa Cruz 12,340 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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi, $1,758 in Santa Cruz – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,899 per month in Tbilisi and $2,637 in Santa Cruz. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,266 in Tbilisi and $1,758 in Santa Cruz. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $377 per month in Tbilisi and $978 in Santa Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tbilisi, where all-in costs run around $1,266, than in Santa Cruz at $1,758. In Tbilisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,266 in Tbilisi to $1,758 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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