Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,221 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Koh Samui, Thailand
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Koh Samui
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,221
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Koh Samui

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,221 in Koh Samui, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Koh Samui $1,221

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,093 in Koh Samui, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Koh Samui $2,093

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,965 in Koh Samui, rent included.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Koh Samui $2,965

Tbilisi costs about 4% more than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Koh Samui are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Koh Samui 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$4.31 ฿146
169.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$32.28 ฿1,090
17.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$8.55 ฿289
12.98%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$2.75 ฿92.7
29.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$0.89 ฿30.03
21.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$0.49 ฿16.57
14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$2.56 ฿86.4
2.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$3.61 ฿122
-15.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$1.66 ฿56.0
30.72%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$1.46 ฿49.34
-45.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.58 ฿53.4
10.13%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$2.16 ฿73.0
31.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$19.29 ฿651
-51.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$3.34 ฿113
95.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$10.86 ฿367
19.24%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$2.94 ฿99.3
-42.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$1.60 ฿54.2
15.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$2.29 ฿77.2
-13.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$2.05 ฿69.2
18.05%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$1.45 ฿48.83
-43.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.37 ฿46.17
-45.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$1.12 ฿37.70
19.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$0.55 ฿18.64
40.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$4.26 ฿144
-16.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$18.41 ฿622
-58.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$1.82 ฿61.4
-6.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$2.85 ฿96.3
-15.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$1.53 ฿51.7
-73.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$58.1 ฿1,961
-73.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$3.15 ฿106
-63.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$1.07 ฿36.16
-27.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$4.08 ฿138
189.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.53 ฿51.7
-5.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$27.5K ฿929.7K
-10.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$27.7K ฿936.9K
-19.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$104 ฿3,496
-14.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$11.49 ฿388
14.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$18.05 ฿610
8.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$69.9 ฿2,360
-8.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$11.34 ฿383
67.90%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$8.14 ฿275
-12.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$509 ฿17.2K
-26.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$12.4K ฿417.2K
-15.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$62.9 ฿2,122
64.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$29.10 ฿983
34.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$95.8 ฿3,234
22.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$87.2 ฿2,945
39.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$607 ฿20.5K
14.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$420 ฿14.2K
7.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$1,653 ฿55.8K
-18.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$1,221 ฿41.2K
-25.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$3,583 ฿121.0K
-35.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$2,588 ฿87.4K
-48.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Koh Samui
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$405 ฿13.7K
63.97%
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 27, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Koh Samui
$420 6.9% $31
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Koh Samui
$267 14% $33
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Koh Samui
$119 37.8% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Koh Samui
$124 28% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Koh Samui
$133 9.4% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Koh Samui
$86 10% $7.9
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Koh Samui
$73 232% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $607 in Koh Samui. 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 64% higher in Tbilisi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $32 in Koh Samui. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Tbilisi vs $267 in Koh Samui – so Tbilisi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
🕒 Local time
00:32 12:32 AM
03:32 3:32 AM
3 h ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
62,110
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Koh Samui 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Tbilisi and in Koh Samui compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,221 in Koh Samui – Koh Samui comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Tbilisi compared to Koh Samui?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $1,832 in Koh Samui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Tbilisi and Koh Samui?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Samui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Tbilisi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $32 in Koh Samui. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Tbilisi compared to Koh Samui?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,221 in Koh Samui, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should digital nomads live: Tbilisi or Koh Samui?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Koh Samui costs $1,221 versus $1,269 in Tbilisi. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Is Tbilisi or Koh Samui safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Tbilisi and Koh Samui?
If budget matters most, go with Koh Samui. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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