Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lhasa and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lhasa 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 Lhasa and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Lhasa versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Lhasa $738
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Lhasa versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Lhasa $1,194
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,649 in Lhasa versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Lhasa $1,649
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Lhasa costs roughly 42% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lhasa 46% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ¥29.06

$11.63 ₾30.07

-62.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.36 ¥202

$37.83 ₾97.8

-19.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 ¥49.11

$9.66 ₾24.98

-23.60%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.67

$3.57 ₾9.24

-21.29%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.08 ₾2.78

-60.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.56 ₾1.45

-44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$2.62 ₾6.78

-43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.84

$3.04 ₾7.85

-31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$2.17 ₾5.60

-17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$0.80 ₾2.06

106.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$1.74 ₾4.51

-41.95%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.54

$2.83 ₾7.31

-44.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 ¥46.59

$9.31 ₾24.07

-24.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.23

$6.52 ₾16.85

-53.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.2

$12.95 ₾33.50

-13.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.16

$1.68 ₾4.34

8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$1.85 ₾4.79

-27.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.41

$1.97 ₾5.10

-20.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$2.42 ₾6.25

-45.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$0.82 ₾2.11

-14.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.34

$0.74 ₾1.91

28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.34 ₾3.47

-55.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.77 ₾2.00

-23.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.58

$3.57 ₾9.24

7.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$7.67 ₾19.83

46.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.62

$1.70 ₾4.39

-50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$2.40 ₾6.21

-32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$0.40 ₾1.05

-22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$15.23 ₾39.38

19.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$1.14 ₾2.95

28.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$0.78 ₾2.02

-58.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.33 ¥48.81

$11.83 ₾30.58

-38.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$1.45 ₾3.75

-9.66%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-21.88%

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

$17.7K ¥117.7K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

-20.84%

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

$56.5 ¥376

$88.8 ₾230

-36.36%

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

$8.54 ¥56.8

$13.12 ₾33.93

-34.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$19.67 ₾50.9

-42.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 ¥282

$64.1 ₾166

-33.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.12 ¥101

$19.04 ₾49.24

-20.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 ¥42.15

$7.12 ₾18.42

-11.10%

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

$434 ¥2,885

$375 ₾971

15.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ¥118.6K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

70.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 ¥284

$104 ₾268

-58.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 ¥222

$39.26 ₾102

-15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥502

$117 ₾303

-35.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 ¥508

$122 ₾315

-37.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$287 ¥1,910

$695 ₾1,798

-58.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,256

$451 ₾1,167

-58.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ¥3,978

$1,355 ₾3,504

-55.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,482

$906 ₾2,343

-58.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,221 ¥21.4K

$2,295 ₾5,934

40.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,933 ¥12.9K

$1,345 ₾3,478

43.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,079 ¥13.8K

$664 ₾1,718

212.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

12.62

-73.38%

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

Last update for Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lhasa

$189 25.6%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 139% $262

Groceries & Markets

Lhasa

$188 25.5%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 24.5% $46

Eating Out

Lhasa

$105 14.3%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 81.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Lhasa

$103 13.9%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 67.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lhasa

$76 10.3%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 59.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lhasa

$55 7.5%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 42.1% $23

Getting Around

Lhasa

$23 3.1%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 3.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $287 in Lhasa and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays about 3.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Lhasa vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $234 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

4 h behind Lhasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

867,891

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lhasa Tbilisi 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lhasa
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

Lhasa vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $738 in Lhasa and $1,269 in Tbilisi, so Lhasa is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lhasa is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $287 in Lhasa versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Lhasa versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa the clear choice for anyone on this 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.