Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Upala

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,278 a month against $1,431 in Upala, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Upala
Learn more

Upala Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Upala

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,431 in Upala, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,278
Upala $1,431

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,262 in Upala, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,017
Upala $2,262

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,092 in Upala, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,755
Upala $3,092

Tbilisi is about 11% cheaper than Upala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Tbilisi sits 5% below the global median, while Upala is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.07

$12.11 ₡5,444

-4.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.4

$54.7 ₡24.6K

-29.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.20

$11.83 ₡5,319

-17.67%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$3.65 ₡1,641

-2.47%

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

$1.08 ₾2.80

$1.81 ₡813

-40.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$1.74 ₡784

-67.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$3.34 ₡1,502

-18.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.09

$4.46 ₡2,005

-29.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.55

$2.15 ₡967

-0.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.70 ₡762

-55.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$2.48 ₡1,114

-27.42%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$2.67 ₡1,199

4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.41

$3.33 ₡1,496

183.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.10

$6.76 ₡3,041

3.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.84

$8.75 ₡3,934

45.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$1.81 ₡815

-9.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$0.65 ₡291

183.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.09

$2.87 ₡1,292

-31.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.39

$2.71 ₡1,221

-8.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$3.83 ₡1,724

-80.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$2.72 ₡1,222

-75.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$1.12 ₡505

25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$2.69 ₡1,210

-73.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.09

$5.86 ₡2,637

-40.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.40

$8.89 ₡3,999

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$2.57 ₡1,156

-33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$3.70 ₡1,662

-35.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.98

$1.30 ₡585

-70.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.57

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$2.42 ₡1,087

-50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.63 ₡733

-54.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.76

$6.64 ₡2,984

79.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$1.36 ₡612

7.35%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$34.1K ₡15.4M

-26.83%

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

$22.8K ₾59.1K

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-45.91%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$56.5 ₡25.4K

55.87%

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

$12.71 ₾32.87

$36.32 ₡16.3K

-65.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$21.90 ₡9,847

-9.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$69.0 ₡31.0K

-6.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.60

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.20

$7.67 ₡3,447

-13.30%

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

$371 ₾961

$981 ₡441.3K

-62.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-46.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$33.10 ₡14.9K

208.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$22.18 ₡9,975

78.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾306

$129 ₡57.9K

-8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$32.58 ₡14.6K

267.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,785

$796 ₡357.8K

-13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,193

$644 ₡289.4K

-28.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,524

$1,869 ₡840.6K

-27.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,321

$1,238 ₡556.8K

-27.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,892

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,565

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,837

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

8.62

45.36%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Upala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Upala

$644 45% 39.5% $182

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Upala

$259 18.1% 10.1% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Upala

$216 15.1% 12.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Upala

$97 6.8% 43% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Upala

$115 8% 4.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Upala

$84 5.9% 8.7% $6.7

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Upala

$16 * 1.1% 27.2% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Tbilisi versus $796 in Upala. 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 $38 in Tbilisi versus $55 in Upala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $259 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇷 Upala

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

15:22 3:22 PM

10 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

15,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Upala 12,240 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Upala

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 Upala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi, $1,431 in Upala – Tbilisi comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,918 per month in Tbilisi and $2,146 in Upala. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $690 there versus $796 in Upala.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $55 in Upala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Upala, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Tbilisi and $1,431 in Upala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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