Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,266 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,266

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Shantou

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

A single person spends $1,266 per month in Tbilisi vs $692 in Shantou, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,266
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $2,007 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,007
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,749
Shantou $1,516

Tbilisi costs about 83% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Shantou are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Shantou 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 ₾29.35

$2.29 ¥15.33

395.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.05 ₾101

$23.70 ¥158

64.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ₾24.93

$5.17 ¥34.56

86.27%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ₾8.96

$3.38 ¥22.61

2.37%

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

$1.09 ₾2.82

$0.47 ¥3.12

131.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.31 ¥2.05

103.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ₾7.17

$0.88 ¥5.91

214.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₾8.04

$2.13 ¥14.26

45.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₾5.81

$1.60 ¥10.70

40.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.08

$1.45 ¥9.72

-44.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ₾4.55

$0.77 ¥5.17

128.57%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.11

$1.69 ¥11.32

62.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 ₾24.32

$13.63 ¥91.0

-31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₾17.23

$3.43 ¥22.89

94.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ₾33.46

$13.16 ¥87.9

-1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.95 ¥13.02

-14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.65

$1.50 ¥10.05

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ₾4.97

$1.81 ¥12.13

6.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₾6.24

$1.30 ¥8.70

85.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ₾2.23

$0.82 ¥5.48

4.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$1.06 ¥7.10

-34.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$0.59 ¥3.96

137.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₾1.85

$0.43 ¥2.87

65.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$3.69 ¥24.69

-4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₾19.69

$12.00 ¥80.2

-36.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$0.83 ¥5.56

96.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₾5.98

$1.79 ¥11.97

29.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.36 ¥2.41

2.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.67 ₾40.57

$24.27 ¥162

-35.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.53 ¥10.23

-25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.38 ¥2.56

107.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 ₾30.71

$7.31 ¥48.82

62.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₾3.62

$1.23 ¥8.24

13.82%

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

$24.8K ₾64.2K

$19.8K ¥132.3K

25.23%

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

$21.9K ₾56.6K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

21.29%

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

$89.1 ₾231

$56.7 ¥379

57.29%

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

$13.21 ₾34.19

$8.89 ¥59.4

48.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 ₾51.2

$13.86 ¥92.6

42.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ₾168

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.02 ₾49.25

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ₾17.02

$7.54 ¥50.4

-12.86%

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

$377 ₾975

$540 ¥3,610

-30.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ₾28.0K

$24.2K ¥161.9K

-55.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾265

$55.6 ¥372

83.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ₾103

$39.70 ¥265

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$73.1 ¥488

61.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 ₾320

$91.4 ¥611

35.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₾1,724

$298 ¥1,989

123.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 ₾1,163

$151 ¥1,010

197.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 ₾3,325

$602 ¥4,024

113.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,303

$294 ¥1,967

202.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,425 ₾6,277

$2,278 ¥15.2K

6.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ₾3,574

$4,469 ¥29.9K

-69.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$680 ₾1,760

$1,062 ¥7,093

-35.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.35

276.72%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$449 35.5%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 66.3% $298

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.5%

Shantou

$214 31% 8.3% $19

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$188 14.9%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 54.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.6%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 32.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.7%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 35% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 80.7% $63

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.8%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 31% $6.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Tbilisi versus $298 in Shantou. 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 56% higher in Shantou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi versus $24.00 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Shantou 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Shantou

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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,266 in Tbilisi, $692 in Shantou – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,899 per month in Tbilisi and $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Tbilisi, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tbilisi and $24.00 in Shantou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Tbilisi at $1,266. In Shantou 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 $692 in Shantou to $1,266 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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