Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Cha-am

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
Learn more

Cha-am Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Cha-am

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 Cha-am actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $871 in Cha-am.

Tbilisi $1,269
Cha-am $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,405 in Cha-am.

Tbilisi $2,016
Cha-am $1,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,940 in Cha-am.

Tbilisi $2,763
Cha-am $1,940

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 46% more expensive than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Cha-am 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.98 ฿101

290.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$22.18 ฿749

70.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.35 ฿248

31.43%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.01 ฿68.0

77.61%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.69 ฿23.34

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.35 ฿11.69

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.44 ฿82.4

7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.93 ฿99.0

3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.74 ฿58.6

24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.47 ฿49.76

-45.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.33 ฿44.94

30.83%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.87 ฿63.2

51.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$12.37 ฿418

-24.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$2.53 ฿85.3

157.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$9.97 ฿337

29.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$3.37 ฿114

-50.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.21 ฿41.01

52.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.90 ฿64.0

3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.81 ฿61.2

33.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.74 ฿58.8

-52.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.08 ฿36.62

-31.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.20 ฿40.53

11.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.44 ฿14.81

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$4.26 ฿144

-16.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$17.95 ฿606

-57.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.67 ฿56.5

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.86 ฿96.6

-16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.91 ฿30.62

-56.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$22.60 ฿763

-32.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.34 ฿45.29

-14.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.08 ฿36.49

-27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$3.61 ฿122

227.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.37 ฿46.41

5.84%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$16.3K ฿551.6K

50.47%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$26.5K ฿893.4K

-15.57%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$80.9 ฿2,732

9.75%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$11.74 ฿397

11.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$23.19 ฿783

-15.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$23.97 ฿810

167.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$5.88 ฿199

223.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.70 ฿226

6.27%

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

$375 ₾971

$615 ฿20.8K

-38.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$10.6K ฿358.8K

-1.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$51.0 ฿1,722

103.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$28.67 ฿968

36.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$72.2 ฿2,438

62.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$53.1 ฿1,791

129.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$368 ฿12.4K

89.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$267 ฿9,020

68.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$752 ฿25.4K

80.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$651 ฿22.0K

39.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$362 ฿12.2K

83.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.96

111.74%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Cha-am

$267 30.7% 40.8% $184

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Cha-am

$233 26.7% 0.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 51.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 46.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Cha-am

$116 13.3% 4.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Cha-am

$37 4.3% 52.3% $41

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Cha-am

$33 3.8% 50.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $368 in Cha-am. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $22 in Cha-am for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $233 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

31,354

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Cha-am 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Cha-am

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 Cha-am: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $871 in Cha-am, so Cha-am is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% 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: $695 in Tbilisi versus $368 in Cha-am. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $615 in Cha-am. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cha-am – a meal for two runs $22 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am 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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Cha-am are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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