Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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 Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $738 in Lhasa.

Tbilisi $1,269
Lhasa $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,194 in Lhasa.

Tbilisi $2,016
Lhasa $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $1,649 in Lhasa.

Tbilisi $2,763
Lhasa $1,649

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 72% more expensive than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Lhasa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$4.37 ¥29.06

166.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$30.36 ¥202

24.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$7.38 ¥49.11

30.89%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.81 ¥18.67

27.05%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.43 ¥2.88

151.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.31 ¥2.05

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.48 ¥9.85

77.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.08 ¥13.84

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.80 ¥11.96

20.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.65 ¥11.00

-51.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.01 ¥6.73

72.28%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.58 ¥10.54

79.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.00 ¥46.59

33.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.04 ¥20.23

114.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$11.15 ¥74.2

16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$1.83 ¥12.16

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.34 ¥8.90

38.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.56 ¥10.41

26.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.33 ¥8.86

81.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.70 ¥4.65

17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.95 ¥6.34

-22.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.59 ¥3.93

127.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.59 ¥3.96

30.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.84 ¥25.58

-7.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$11.23 ¥74.7

-31.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.84 ¥5.62

102.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.61 ¥10.71

49.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.31 ¥2.06

29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$18.27 ¥122

-16.64%

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

$7.33 ¥48.81

61.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.31 ¥8.71

10.69%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

28.01%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$17.7K ¥117.7K

26.33%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$56.5 ¥376

57.14%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.54 ¥56.8

53.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$11.23 ¥74.7

75.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$42.42 ¥282

50.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$15.12 ¥101

25.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$6.33 ¥42.15

12.48%

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

$375 ₾971

$434 ¥2,885

-13.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

-41.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$42.74 ¥284

142.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$33.30 ¥222

17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$75.4 ¥502

55.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$76.4 ¥508

59.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$287 ¥1,910

142.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$189 ¥1,256

139.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$598 ¥3,978

126.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$373 ¥2,482

142.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$3,221 ¥21.4K

-28.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$1,933 ¥12.9K

-30.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$2,079 ¥13.8K

-68.05%

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 Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Lhasa

$189 25.6% 58.2% $262

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Lhasa

$188 25.5% 19.6% $46

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Lhasa

$105 14.3% 44.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Lhasa

$103 13.9% 40.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Lhasa

$76 10.3% 37.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 29.6% $23

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Lhasa

$23 3.1% 3.2% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $287 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays about 3.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $30 in Lhasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $188 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

867,891

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Tbilisi Lhasa 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Lhasa

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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $738 in Lhasa, so Lhasa is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $287 in Lhasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Lhasa versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa 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.