Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. The total is higher in Tbilisi despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Tbilisi $1,270
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Tbilisi $2,008
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Tbilisi $2,745
Phuket $2,845

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 5% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$4.40 ฿147

161.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

18.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$8.76 ฿293

11.87%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.83 ฿94.5

25.44%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.90 ฿30.14

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.47 ฿15.56

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$2.55 ฿85.2

8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$3.83 ฿128

-21.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.73 ฿57.7

24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.47 ฿49.11

-48.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.51 ฿50.6

15.23%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$2.17 ฿72.7

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$19.70 ฿658

-53.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$3.34 ฿112

95.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$11.16 ฿373

14.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.85 ฿95.1

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.70 ฿56.9

8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$2.19 ฿73.3

-9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$2.05 ฿68.4

22.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$1.45 ฿48.57

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.38 ฿46.16

-47.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.07 ฿35.69

32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.51 ฿16.91

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$4.26 ฿142

-20.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$18.58 ฿621

-57.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.78 ฿59.7

-8.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$2.85 ฿95.2

-16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$2.26 ฿75.6

-83.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$22.10 ฿738

-29.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$3.01 ฿101

-62.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.06 ฿35.34

-25.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$3.86 ฿129

199.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.45 ฿48.45

3.45%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-6.47%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-16.99%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$96.4 ฿3,221

-8.44%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$11.04 ฿369

18.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$17.14 ฿573

13.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$52.2 ฿1,744

23.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$11.16 ฿373

71.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$7.81 ฿261

-10.50%

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

$373 ₾966

$556 ฿18.6K

-32.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-7.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$64.2 ฿2,146

59.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$28.69 ฿959

41.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$95.4 ฿3,187

21.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$88.0 ฿2,940

38.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$737 ฿24.6K

-8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$462 ฿15.5K

-1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-39.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-25.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-30.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-43.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$501 ฿16.7K

40.37%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 1.8% $8.1

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 15.4% $36

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Phuket

$121 10% 36.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 27.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 3.1% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.3% $10

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 78.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Tbilisi and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Tbilisi vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $269, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Phuket 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Tbilisi, 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: $677 in Tbilisi versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tbilisi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.