Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,266 a month against $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Tecla outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla.

Tbilisi $1,266
Santa Tecla $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $2,006 in Santa Tecla.

Tbilisi $2,007
Santa Tecla $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $2,657 in Santa Tecla.

Tbilisi $2,749
Santa Tecla $2,657

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 7% less than in Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 6% below, Santa Tecla is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$6.56 $6.56

72.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$44.20 $44.20

-11.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$6.82 $6.82

41.20%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$3.50 $3.50

-1.14%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$1.15 $1.15

-5.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.86 $0.86

-26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$1.98 $1.98

39.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$3.63 $3.63

-14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.75 $1.75

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$2.14 $2.14

-62.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.43 $1.43

23.08%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$2.30 $2.30

19.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$7.52 $7.52

24.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$5.55 $5.55

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$10.23 $10.23

26.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$3.27 $3.27

-48.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.37 $1.37

31.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$2.64 $2.64

-27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$3.54 $3.54

-31.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$2.98 $2.98

-71.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$3.35 $3.35

-79.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.96 $0.96

45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.98 $0.98

-27.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.94 $3.94

-10.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$12.06 $12.06

-36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$2.20 $2.20

-25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$2.95 $2.95

-21.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$6.16 $6.16

-81.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$3.06 $3.06

-74.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$20.27 $20.27

-41.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.24 $1.24

12.90%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$25.4K $25.4K

-2.53%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$27.0K $27.0K

-18.99%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$132 $132

-32.41%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$20.92 $20.92

-36.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$42.31 $42.31

-53.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$24.72 $24.72

162.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$5.03 $5.03

30.62%

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

$377 ₾975

$160 $160

135.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$4,809 $4,809

124.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$67.0 $67.0

52.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$46.85 $46.85

-15.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$116 $116

1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$115 $115

7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$765 $765

-12.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$548 $548

-18.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$1,200 $1,200

6.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$887 $887

0.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$406 $406

67.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

8.5

48.47%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 22% $99

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 11.2% $26

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 25.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 9.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 59.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 55.5% $43

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 3.5% $0.8

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 $666 in Tbilisi and $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $44.00 in Santa Tecla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $260 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

138,695

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Santa Tecla 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Santa Tecla

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 Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Santa Tecla. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Tbilisi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Tbilisi versus $765 in Santa Tecla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Santa Tecla. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,266 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Santa Tecla. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tbilisi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,266 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tbilisi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Santa Tecla are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Santa Tecla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.