Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Sao Tome

For one person, living costs are similar in Tbilisi and in Sao Tome: $1,270 and $1,219 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,219 in Sao Tome.

Tbilisi $1,270
Sao Tome $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,924 in Sao Tome.

Tbilisi $2,008
Sao Tome $1,924

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $2,629 in Sao Tome.

Tbilisi $2,745
Sao Tome $2,629

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 4% more expensive than in Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Sao Tome 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$9.18 STN 200

25.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$45.02 STN 981

-14.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$7.99 STN 174

22.65%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.33 STN 50.8

52.36%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.81 STN 39.49

-41.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$1.27 STN 27.64

-51.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.66 STN 36.20

66.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$1.88 STN 40.98

59.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.52 STN 33.18

42.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.01 STN 22.12

-24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$2.13 STN 46.40

-18.31%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$4.96 STN 108

-43.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$19.41 STN 423

-52.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$19.50 STN 425

-66.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$24.70 STN 538

-48.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$3.82 STN 83.3

-56.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.78 STN 38.75

3.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$3.59 STN 78.2

-44.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$3.48 STN 75.9

-27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$2.83 STN 61.6

-69.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$2.31 STN 50.4

-68.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.54 STN 11.76

162.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$2.06 STN 45.01

-65.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.33 STN 50.8

45.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$7.96 STN 174

-1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.56 STN 34.09

3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.65 STN 36.01

44.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.34 STN 29.17

-72.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.66 STN 36.13

-31.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$2.55 STN 55.6

-69.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$13.93 STN 304

-16.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.69 STN 36.95

-11.24%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$24.3K STN 529.0K

1.48%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$31.6K STN 689.7K

-29.31%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$233 STN 5,083

-62.15%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$30.60 STN 667

-57.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$65.9 STN 1,436

-70.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$33.92 STN 739

89.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$25.32 STN 552

-24.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$19.86 STN 433

-64.80%

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

$373 ₾966

$226 STN 4,925

65.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$2,179 STN 47.5K

390.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$75.1 STN 1,638

-46.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$18.53 STN 404

558.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$283 STN 6,161

139.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$192 STN 4,184

136.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$929 STN 20.3K

37.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$452 STN 9,846

97.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,850 STN 40.3K

30.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,160 STN 25.3K

22.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$257 STN 5,595

173.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

7.38

71.00%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sao Tome: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Sao Tome

$192 15.7% 57.7% $262

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Sao Tome

$412 33.8% 77% $179

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Sao Tome

$150 12.3% 21.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Sao Tome

$42 * 3.5% 75.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 173% $209

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Sao Tome

$74 6% 5.8% $4.5

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 10.6% $2.4

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 $677 in Tbilisi and $283 in Sao Tome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 174% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $45.00 in Sao Tome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $412 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

10:36 10:36 AM

4 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.51 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Sao Tome 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Sao Tome

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 Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Tome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 174% 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $283 in Sao Tome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $226 in Sao Tome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Tome – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $38.00 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Tome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Tome delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,219 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Tome hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Sao Tome 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 Sao Tome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.