Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Karamay

For one person, living is cheaper in Karamay: $731 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Karamay
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Karamay Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Karamay

🇨🇳 China

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Karamay

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $731 in Karamay, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Karamay $731

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,172 in Karamay, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Karamay $1,172

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,612 in Karamay, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Karamay $1,612

Tbilisi costs about 74% more than Karamay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Karamay are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Karamay 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$3.04 ¥20.20

282.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$22.13 ¥147

70.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.97 ¥33.05

94.37%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.84 ¥18.92

25.70%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.47 ¥3.14

129.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.31 ¥2.09

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.06 ¥7.06

147.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.13 ¥14.15

42.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.86 ¥12.35

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.60 ¥10.65

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.01 ¥6.74

72.28%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.60 ¥10.63

76.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$13.16 ¥87.6

-29.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.35 ¥22.32

94.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$11.42 ¥76.0

13.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.83 ¥12.17

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.36 ¥9.02

36.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.58 ¥10.49

24.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.26 ¥8.38

92.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.75 ¥5.01

9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.97 ¥6.48

-23.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.63 ¥4.18

112.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.60 ¥3.98

28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.77 ¥25.06

-5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$11.33 ¥75.4

-32.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.88 ¥5.85

93.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.59 ¥10.61

50.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.33 ¥2.17

21.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$19.01 ¥127

-19.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.47 ¥9.81

-22.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.32 ¥2.16

143.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.42 ¥49.40

59.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.26 ¥8.38

15.08%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$18.7K ¥124.4K

31.49%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$15.3K ¥102.0K

45.70%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$50.0 ¥333

77.49%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.61 ¥57.3

52.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$10.96 ¥72.9

79.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$42.43 ¥282

50.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$16.34 ¥109

16.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.40 ¥42.60

11.25%

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

$375 ₾971

$431 ¥2,869

-12.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$17.4K ¥115.5K

-39.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$43.82 ¥292

136.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$33.60 ¥224

16.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$74.6 ¥497

57.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$75.4 ¥502

61.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$285 ¥1,896

144.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$185 ¥1,229

144.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$596 ¥3,964

127.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$369 ¥2,455

145.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$3,114 ¥20.7K

-26.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,975 ¥13.1K

-31.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$604 ¥4,018

10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.36

275.60%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Karamay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Karamay

$185 25.3% 59.1% $266

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Karamay

$210 28.7% 10.4% $24

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Karamay

$86 11.8% 54.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Karamay

$102 14% 40.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Karamay

$70 9.5% 42.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Karamay

$55 7.6% 29.5% $23

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Karamay

$23 3.2% 6.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $285 in Karamay. 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 10% 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 in Tbilisi versus $22 in Karamay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $210 – making Karamay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Karamay

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

490,348

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Karamay 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Karamay

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 Karamay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tbilisi is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,096 in Karamay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karamay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Tbilisi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $22 in Karamay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karamay, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Karamay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $731 in Karamay to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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