Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,409 in Cheongju, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cheongju despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Cheongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Tbilisi $1,269
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Tbilisi $2,016
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Tbilisi $2,763
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 10% less than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Cheongju is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$7.47 ₩9,963

55.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$48.95 ₩65.3K

-22.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.88 ₩7,844

64.29%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.66 ₩4,875

-2.46%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.84 ₩2,458

-41.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.40 ₩1,861

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.65 ₩4,872

-28.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$4.33 ₩5,776

-29.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.25 ₩3,005

-3.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$3.25 ₩4,340

-75.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$3.05 ₩4,074

-42.95%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$2.73 ₩3,647

3.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$11.16 ₩14.9K

-16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$10.65 ₩14.2K

-38.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$24.55 ₩32.7K

-47.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$11.40 ₩15.2K

-85.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$3.59 ₩4,786

-48.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-76.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$5.85 ₩7,801

-58.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$5.84 ₩7,788

-85.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$3.43 ₩4,570

-78.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$2.87 ₩3,828

-53.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.33 ₩1,767

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.45 ₩4,595

3.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$18.71 ₩25.0K

-59.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.46 ₩3,280

-30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.40 ₩4,541

-29.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.15 ₩1,527

-65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$3.50 ₩4,669

-67.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.76 ₩1,014

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$16.67 ₩22.2K

-29.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.36 ₩1,811

6.62%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-37.04%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-33.79%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$205 ₩273.1K

-56.64%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$24.30 ₩32.4K

-46.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$27.72 ₩37.0K

-29.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$53.6 ₩71.4K

19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$13.97 ₩18.6K

36.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$11.81 ₩15.7K

-39.71%

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

$375 ₾971

$651 ₩867.5K

-42.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$21.8K ₩29.1M

-52.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$36.84 ₩49.1K

181.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$65.4 ₩87.1K

-39.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$93.9 ₩125.2K

25.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$113 ₩151.0K

7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$342 ₩456.6K

103.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$275 ₩367.1K

63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,197 ₩1.6M

13.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$760 ₩1.0M

19.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$7,228 ₩9.6M

-68.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-76.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-74.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.22

199.05%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 39% $176

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 109% $254

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 15.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 19% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 111% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 1.4% $1.1

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 45.8% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $488 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

5 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

835,669

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Cheongju 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Cheongju. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Tbilisi. 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: $695 in Tbilisi versus $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Cheongju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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