Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bortala and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $734 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
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Bortala Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bortala and in Tbilisi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bortala and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $734 in Bortala versus $1,278 in Tbilisi.

Bortala $734
Tbilisi $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,169 in Bortala versus $2,017 in Tbilisi.

Bortala $1,169
Tbilisi $2,017

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,605 in Bortala versus $2,755 in Tbilisi.

Bortala $1,605
Tbilisi $2,755

Living in Bortala costs roughly 43% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bortala 46% lower, Tbilisi 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.19

$11.62 ₾30.07

-73.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.36 ¥149

$38.41 ₾99.4

-41.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.37

$9.74 ₾25.20

-50.10%

Cappuccino

$2.71 ¥18.06

$3.56 ₾9.21

-23.88%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.08 ₾2.80

-56.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.56 ₾1.46

-44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$2.73 ₾7.05

-60.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.74

$3.13 ₾8.09

-34.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ¥11.76

$2.14 ₾5.55

-17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$0.75 ₾1.95

113.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.64

$1.80 ₾4.66

-44.44%

Eggs

$1.66 ¥11.06

$2.80 ₾7.25

-40.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 ¥88.2

$9.43 ₾24.41

40.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.03

$7.00 ₾18.10

-50.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 ¥74.4

$12.69 ₾32.84

-11.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.47

$1.63 ₾4.22

14.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$1.84 ₾4.77

-30.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.97 ₾5.09

-22.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$2.47 ₾6.39

-48.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$0.75 ₾1.95

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$0.67 ₾1.74

32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$1.41 ₾3.66

-58.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.72 ₾1.86

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥24.64

$3.51 ₾9.09

5.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ¥74.5

$7.89 ₾20.40

41.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$1.70 ₾4.41

-48.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.44

$2.37 ₾6.12

-33.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.38 ₾0.98

-18.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.68 ¥118

$15.29 ₾39.57

15.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$1.19 ₾3.08

26.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.74 ₾1.91

-55.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.50

$11.89 ₾30.76

-38.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.46 ₾3.77

-13.70%

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

$19.5K ¥130.1K

$25.0K ₾64.6K

-21.83%

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

$17.5K ¥116.4K

$22.8K ₾59.1K

-23.43%

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

$56.1 ¥374

$88.1 ₾228

-36.36%

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

$8.47 ¥56.4

$12.71 ₾32.87

-33.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.17 ¥74.4

$19.79 ₾51.2

-43.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.49 ¥276

$64.3 ₾166

-35.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 ¥101

$19.17 ₾49.60

-20.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ¥43.29

$6.65 ₾17.20

-2.26%

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

$439 ¥2,922

$371 ₾961

18.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.3K

$9,163 ₾23.7K

92.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 ¥289

$102 ₾264

-57.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 ¥218

$39.65 ₾103

-17.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 ¥491

$118 ₾306

-37.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 ¥502

$120 ₾310

-37.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$291 ¥1,939

$690 ₾1,785

-57.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,257

$461 ₾1,193

-59.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 ¥4,013

$1,362 ₾3,524

-55.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,475

$897 ₾2,321

-58.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 ¥21.2K

$2,277 ₾5,892

39.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,960 ¥13.1K

$1,378 ₾3,565

42.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$618 ¥4,116

$710 ₾1,837

-12.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

12.53

-73.18%

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

Last update for Bortala: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bortala

$207 28.3%

Tbilisi

$235 18.4% 13.4% $28

Accommodation & Living

Bortala

$189 25.7%

Tbilisi

$461 36.1% 144% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Bortala

$101 13.8%

Tbilisi

$171 13.4% 68.7% $70

Eating Out

Bortala

$84 11.5%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 128% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bortala

$76 10.3%

Tbilisi

$121 9.4% 59.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Bortala

$54 7.4%

Tbilisi

$78 6.1% 42.4% $23

Getting Around

Bortala

$22 3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 1.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $291 in Bortala and $690 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 15% 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: $22 in Bortala vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $235 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bortala

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

4 h behind Bortala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,706

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bortala Tbilisi 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bortala
Tbilisi

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

Bortala vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Bortala. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $291 in Bortala versus $690 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $734 per month in Bortala versus $1,278 in Tbilisi – Bortala is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 14% less than in Bortala. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bortala wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.