Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $982 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Sao Carlos

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $982 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Sao Carlos $982

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,709 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Sao Carlos $1,709

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,436 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Sao Carlos $2,436

Tbilisi costs about 29% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Sao Carlos are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Sao Carlos 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$4.98 R$25.25

131.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$40.05 R$203

-4.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$6.77 R$34.33

44.76%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.12 R$10.74

67.45%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.34 R$6.78

-20.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.79 R$3.98

-21.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.63 R$8.24

69.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.83 R$14.36

6.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.34 R$6.80

61.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.96 R$9.96

-61.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.78 R$9.03

-2.25%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.95 R$14.94

-5.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$12.48 R$63.3

-26.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$5.25 R$26.61

24.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$9.22 R$46.72

38.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.71 R$13.72

-38.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.84 R$9.33

0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.78 R$9.01

11.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.96 R$9.95

28.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.74 R$8.84

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.36 R$6.88

-46.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.01 R$5.14

40.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$1.16 R$5.88

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$3.19 R$16.18

5.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$8.46 R$42.91

-7.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.48 R$7.50

9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.91 R$14.73

-18.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.98 R$4.97

-62.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$23.86 R$121

-34.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.48 R$7.48

-22.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.01 R$5.11

-21.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$3.64 R$18.45

217.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.25 R$6.32

20.00%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$20.2K R$102.2K

22.19%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$31.5K R$159.5K

-28.91%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$62.4 R$316

41.49%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$13.74 R$69.6

-4.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$24.07 R$122

-18.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$34.77 R$176

84.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$48.31 R$245

-60.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.38 R$27.29

29.93%

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

$373 ₾966

$302 R$1,531

23.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$3,032 R$15.4K

252.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$84.7 R$429

21.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$96.7 R$490

-58.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$139 R$705

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$163 R$826

-25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$272 R$1,377

149.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$236 R$1,197

92.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$673 R$3,410

89.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$663 R$3,358

34.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$849 R$4,303

183.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$730 R$3,698

94.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$681 R$3,453

3.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.75

17.40%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Sao Carlos

$236 24% 48% $218

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5% 3.5% $8

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Sao Carlos

$108 11% 43.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 26.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2% 17.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6% 41.7% $33

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 55.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $272 in Sao Carlos. 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 3% 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $40.00 in Sao Carlos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $241 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

7 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

254,857

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Sao Carlos 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Sao Carlos

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 Sao Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 29% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,474 in Sao Carlos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $40.00 in Sao Carlos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Carlos, where all-in costs run around $982, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Sao Carlos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Carlos costs $982 versus $1,270 in Tbilisi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Sao Carlos. 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.