Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Harbin

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,166 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
Learn more

Harbin Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Harbin

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,166 in Harbin, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Harbin $1,166

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,617 in Harbin, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Harbin $1,617

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,069 in Harbin, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Harbin $2,069

Tbilisi costs about 9% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Harbin are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Harbin 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$2.30 ¥15.36

400.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$22.57 ¥151

69.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$5.51 ¥36.87

77.86%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.94 ¥19.69

20.75%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.47 ¥3.14

125.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.28 ¥1.89

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$0.85 ¥5.68

224.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$1.67 ¥11.18

79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.99 ¥13.32

8.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$2.01 ¥13.41

-62.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.97 ¥6.49

79.38%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.38 ¥9.26

102.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$9.24 ¥61.8

-0.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$2.56 ¥17.13

155.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$11.84 ¥79.2

8.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.62 ¥10.85

3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.33 ¥8.90

39.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.22 ¥8.18

62.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$0.95 ¥6.37

164.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.54 ¥3.62

61.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.52 ¥10.18

-51.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.47 ¥3.15

202.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.79 ¥5.28

-8.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.56 ¥17.14

32.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$17.89 ¥120

-56.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$0.58 ¥3.91

179.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.55 ¥10.35

53.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.31 ¥2.08

19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$11.14 ¥74.5

39.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.33 ¥8.89

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.29 ¥1.94

172.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$3.65 ¥24.43

216.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.29 ¥8.65

16.28%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

27.00%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$15.6K ¥104.2K

43.48%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$75.3 ¥503

17.24%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$14.46 ¥96.7

-9.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$12.39 ¥82.9

57.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$84.0 ¥562

-23.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$29.73 ¥199

-35.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.97 ¥39.90

17.09%

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

$373 ₾966

$300 ¥2,004

24.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$10.4K ¥69.3K

3.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$30.31 ¥203

238.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$30.23 ¥202

33.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$72.2 ¥483

61.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$302 ¥2,020

-59.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$327 ¥2,186

107.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$467 ¥3,121

-2.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$1,337 ¥8,941

-4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$522 ¥3,492

70.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$3,220 ¥21.5K

-25.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,357 ¥9,074

4.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$591 ¥3,949

18.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.92

221.94%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Harbin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Harbin

$467 40.1% 2.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Harbin

$209 17.9% 10.2% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Harbin

$81 6.9% 57.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Harbin

$196 16.8% 14% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Harbin

$102 8.8% 15.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Harbin

$96 8.2% 22.7% $18

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Harbin

$15 1.3% 31.4% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $327 in Harbin. 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 19% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $23.00 in Harbin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $209 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Harbin

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

10,009,854

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Harbin 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Harbin

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 Harbin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi costs about 9% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $1,748 in Harbin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harbin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $23.00 in Harbin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $1,166 in Harbin. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Harbin costs $1,166 versus $1,270 in Tbilisi. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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