Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Luang Prabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,393 in Luang Prabang, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Luang Prabang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Luang Prabang

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Luang Prabang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,393 in Luang Prabang.

Tbilisi $1,269
Luang Prabang $1,393

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $2,121 in Luang Prabang.

Tbilisi $2,016
Luang Prabang $2,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,849 in Luang Prabang.

Tbilisi $2,763
Luang Prabang $2,849

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 9% less than in Luang Prabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Luang Prabang is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$1.77 LAK 39.7K

557.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$16.60 LAK 371.9K

127.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.29 LAK 118.6K

82.61%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.49 LAK 33.5K

139.60%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.82 LAK 18.5K

31.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.52 LAK 11.7K

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.25 LAK 27.9K

109.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.13 LAK 25.4K

169.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.63 LAK 36.6K

33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$24.14 LAK 541.0K

-61.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$1.33 LAK 29.9K

26.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.06 LAK 23.7K

26.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.71 LAK 15.9K

8.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$1.19 LAK 26.7K

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$0.66 LAK 14.8K

263.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.59 LAK 13.3K

-32.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$57.4 LAK 1.3M

-73.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.86 LAK 19.2K

32.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.13 LAK 25.4K

-30.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$4.53 LAK 101.4K

161.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.18 LAK 26.4K

22.88%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$27.5K LAK 616.6M

-10.68%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$28.1K LAK 629.9M

-20.55%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$80.6 LAK 1.8M

10.12%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$5.36 LAK 120.1K

144.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$6.71 LAK 150.4K

193.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$82.6 LAK 1.9M

-22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$7.33 LAK 164.2K

159.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$2.46 LAK 55.0K

189.43%

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

$375 ₾971

$249 LAK 5.6M

50.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$8,778 LAK 196.7M

19.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$68.6 LAK 1.5M

51.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$59.0 LAK 1.3M

-33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$72.0 LAK 1.6M

63.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$50.1 LAK 1.1M

143.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$1,107 LAK 24.8M

-37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$857 LAK 19.2M

-47.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,920 LAK 43.0M

-29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$1,725 LAK 38.7M

-47.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$2,539 LAK 56.9M

-9.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$168 LAK 3.8M

702.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$199 LAK 4.5M

234.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

10.12

24.70%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Luang Prabang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Luang Prabang

–

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Luang Prabang

–

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Luang Prabang

–

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Luang Prabang

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Luang Prabang

–

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Luang Prabang

–

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Luang Prabang

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $1,107 in Luang Prabang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 3.3 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 $17 in Luang Prabang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $115 per month, with Luang Prabang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇱🇦 Luang Prabang

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

53,792

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 22,407 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD). 1 EUR = 25,019 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Luang Prabang 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Luang Prabang

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 Luang Prabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Luang Prabang. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Tbilisi is about 3.3 times higher, 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: $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,107 in Luang Prabang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tbilisi runs roughly 73% less than in Luang Prabang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $249 in Luang Prabang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tbilisi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Luang Prabang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.