Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Chiang Rai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $710 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Chiang Rai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi versus $710 in Chiang Rai.

Tbilisi $1,266
Chiang Rai $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,007 in Tbilisi versus $1,133 in Chiang Rai.

Tbilisi $2,007
Chiang Rai $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Tbilisi versus $1,556 in Chiang Rai.

Tbilisi $2,749
Chiang Rai $1,556

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 78% more expensive than in Chiang Rai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Chiang Rai 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$2.19 ฿73.1

417.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$15.08 ฿504

158.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.92

$5.47 ฿183

76.05%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.95

$1.32 ฿44.11

162.12%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$0.64 ฿21.44

70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.27 ฿8.97

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$1.60 ฿53.5

73.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$3.65 ฿122

-15.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.99 ฿66.4

13.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.07

$1.45 ฿48.49

-44.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$1.16 ฿38.71

51.72%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.91 ฿63.7

43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$16.63 ฿556

-43.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$2.79 ฿93.3

138.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.45

$9.06 ฿303

42.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.40 ฿80.1

-30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$0.86 ฿28.60

109.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.57 ฿52.4

22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$0.93 ฿31.22

159.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$1.22 ฿40.89

-29.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$1.06 ฿35.52

-34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.77 ฿25.83

81.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.52 ฿17.44

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.77 ฿126

-6.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$18.03 ฿603

-57.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$1.58 ฿52.7

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$2.75 ฿92.0

-16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.84 ฿28.01

-55.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$22.09 ฿738

-29.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.22 ฿40.68

-6.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.53 ฿17.76

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.70

$2.42 ฿80.8

390.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.34 ฿44.94

4.48%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$21.0K ฿702.0K

18.01%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-18.45%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$61.2 ฿2,046

45.55%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$12.51 ฿418

5.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.1

$13.60 ฿455

45.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

$35.64 ฿1,191

82.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.24

$5.85 ฿196

225.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$2.95 ฿98.5

122.71%

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

$377 ₾975

$783 ฿26.2K

-51.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾27.9K

$14.7K ฿492.1K

-26.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$55.3 ฿1,849

84.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$24.42 ฿816

62.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$75.7 ฿2,530

55.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$71.6 ฿2,393

72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$228 ฿7,613

192.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$151 ฿5,047

197.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,324

$509 ฿17.0K

152.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$359 ฿12.0K

148.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,276

$1,911 ฿63.9K

26.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,573

$967 ฿32.3K

42.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$583 ฿19.5K

16.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.57

126.57%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Chiang Rai

$151 21.3% 66.4% $298

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Chiang Rai

$230 32.4% 1.4% $3.4

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Chiang Rai

$69 9.7% 63.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4% 40.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Chiang Rai

$87 12.3% 28.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Chiang Rai

$42 5.9% 46.8% $37

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1% 31.7% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Tbilisi and $228 in Chiang Rai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 17% 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: $39.00 in Tbilisi vs $15.00 in Chiang Rai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $230 per month, with Chiang Rai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

77,672

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Chiang Rai 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Chiang Rai

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 Chiang Rai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Chiang Rai differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $710 including rent). Chiang Rai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $666 in Tbilisi versus $228 in Chiang Rai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $377 in Tbilisi versus $783 in Chiang Rai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $710 in Chiang Rai versus $1,266 in Tbilisi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Rai but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Rai 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 Chiang Rai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Rai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.