Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $522 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Thimphu

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $522 in Thimphu, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Thimphu $522

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $811 in Thimphu, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Thimphu $811

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,100 in Thimphu, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Thimphu $1,100

Tbilisi costs about 143% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Thimphu are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Thimphu 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.65 BTN 252

338.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$14.45 BTN 1,373

161.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$4.94 BTN 469

95.55%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$1.27 BTN 121

181.10%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.53 BTN 50.3

103.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.17 BTN 16.04

229.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$2.68 BTN 255

-2.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$1.55 BTN 148

96.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$0.77 BTN 73.4

181.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.12 BTN 106

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.03 BTN 97.5

68.93%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.95 BTN 185

45.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$3.74 BTN 355

148.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$3.96 BTN 377

64.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$3.89 BTN 370

232.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.52 BTN 240

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.51 BTN 143

22.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.64 BTN 156

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$0.76 BTN 72.7

218.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.57 BTN 54.0

43.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.71 BTN 67.5

4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.38 BTN 35.86

252.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.31 BTN 29.89

148.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.97 BTN 377

-10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$2.80 BTN 266

173.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.62 BTN 59.0

174.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.41 BTN 134

70.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.80 BTN 76.2

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$5.27 BTN 501

188.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$0.77 BTN 73.6

48.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.56 BTN 148

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$0.14 BTN 13.64

8350.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$0.78 BTN 74.4

85.90%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

46.63%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$15.5K BTN 1.5M

44.33%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$34.15 BTN 3,246

160.03%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$35.64 BTN 3,387

-63.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$24.15 BTN 2,296

-18.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$48.23 BTN 4,584

32.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$7.53 BTN 716

152.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$3.13 BTN 298

127.48%

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

$375 ₾971

$45.45 BTN 4,320

726.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$579 BTN 55.1K

1707.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$50.1 BTN 4,760

106.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$25.28 BTN 2,403

55.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$68.2 BTN 6,480

72.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$14.25 BTN 1,355

754.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$128 BTN 12.2K

441.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$88.9 BTN 8,450

407.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$191 BTN 18.1K

610.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$155 BTN 14.8K

483.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$6,737 BTN 640.4K

-65.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$399 BTN 37.9K

237.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$348 BTN 33.1K

91.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Thimphu

$89 17.1% 80.3% $362

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Thimphu

$126 24.1% 46.3% $108

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Thimphu

$71 13.5% 62.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Thimphu

$71 13.6% 58.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Thimphu

$94 18% 22.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Thimphu

$55 10.5% 30.4% $24

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Thimphu

$17 3.3% 22.1% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $128 in Thimphu. 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 91% higher in Tbilisi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $14 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $126 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

2 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.52 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 95.05 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Thimphu 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Thimphu

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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $522 in Thimphu – Thimphu comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $782 in Thimphu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thimphu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $14 in Thimphu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $522 in Thimphu. That makes Thimphu about 59% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Thimphu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thimphu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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