Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustavi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustavi: $848 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Rustavi
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Rustavi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rustavi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$848

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rustavi and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $848 per month in Rustavi vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rustavi $848
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,263 per month in Rustavi vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rustavi $1,263
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,679 per month in Rustavi vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rustavi $1,679
Chiang Mai $1,999

Rustavi is about 9% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rustavi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Rustavi 37% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.20 ₾26.38

$2.13 ฿72.0

378.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.57 ₾79.1

$18.62 ฿628

64.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 ₾27.48

$5.60 ฿189

89.64%

Cappuccino

$1.99 ₾5.15

$1.66 ฿56.1

19.88%

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

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.65 ฿21.83

15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₾1.32

$0.30 ฿10.29

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ₾3.20

$2.32 ฿78.4

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$3.67 ฿124

-46.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ₾4.48

$2.02 ฿68.0

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 ₾1.31

$1.41 ฿47.51

-63.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ₾3.15

$1.39 ฿46.96

-12.23%

Eggs

$2.34 ₾6.06

$2.37 ฿79.9

-1.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 ₾15.44

$16.52 ฿557

-63.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ₾12.66

$2.67 ฿90.1

83.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 ₾25.10

$9.02 ฿304

7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 ₾2.54

$2.40 ฿80.9

-59.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₾4.14

$1.04 ฿35.13

53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ₾3.88

$1.66 ฿56.0

-9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ₾2.81

$1.56 ฿52.6

-30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₾1.98

$1.24 ฿41.76

-37.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₾1.70

$1.09 ฿36.66

-39.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ₾3.27

$0.76 ฿25.70

65.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₾1.81

$0.51 ฿17.35

37.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 ₾8.32

$4.12 ฿139

-21.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.78 ₾9.77

$17.93 ฿605

-78.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₾4.10

$1.62 ฿54.8

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₾6.52

$2.82 ฿95.2

-10.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.95

$0.93 ฿31.53

-60.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.35 ₾29.35

$52.9 ฿1,785

-78.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₾1.90

$1.18 ฿39.70

-38.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ₾0.97

$0.17 ฿5.79

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ₾10.13

$1.81 ฿61.1

116.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₾3.28

$1.47 ฿49.69

-13.61%

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

$23.5K ₾60.8K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

11.84%

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

$9,645 ₾25.0K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

-63.62%

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

$77.0 ₾199

$62.6 ฿2,111

23.07%

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

$7.84 ₾20.28

$11.60 ฿392

-32.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.51 ₾29.78

$20.30 ฿685

-43.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.33 ₾70.7

$37.88 ฿1,278

-27.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.31 ₾49.97

$3.70 ฿125

421.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 ₾12.37

$6.51 ฿220

-26.57%

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

$130 ₾337

$727 ฿24.5K

-82.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,684 ₾6,946

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-83.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 ₾148

$53.5 ฿1,807

6.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.57 ₾105

$24.80 ฿837

63.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ₾247

$90.4 ฿3,050

5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ₾222

$72.0 ฿2,428

19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₾712

$481 ฿16.2K

-42.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 ₾646

$310 ฿10.5K

-19.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₾1,197

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-56.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₾796

$659 ฿22.2K

-53.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,037 ₾2,684

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-57.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 ₾2,008

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-51.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 ₾1,156

$595 ฿20.1K

-24.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

133.39%

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

Last update for Rustavi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustavi

$250 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 24.1% $60

Groceries & Markets

Rustavi

$172 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 37.9% $65

Eating Out

Rustavi

$153 18%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 49.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Rustavi

$125 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 13.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustavi

$96 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 1.9% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rustavi

$37 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 38% $14

Getting Around

Rustavi

$15 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 281% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Rustavi versus $481 in Chiang Mai. 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 33% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Rustavi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Rustavi vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Rustavi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Rustavi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

3 h ahead of Rustavi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,333

127,240

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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 = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rustavi Chiang Mai 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustavi
Chiang Mai

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

Rustavi vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Rustavi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,272 per month in Rustavi and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rustavi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $275 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $130 per month in Rustavi and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $848 in Rustavi and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Rustavi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.