Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
Learn more

Urumqi Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Urumqi

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $605 in Urumqi, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Urumqi $605

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $960 in Urumqi, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Urumqi $960

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,316 in Urumqi, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Urumqi $1,316

Tbilisi costs about 110% more than Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Urumqi are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Urumqi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$3.29 ¥21.98

249.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$18.16 ¥121

110.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$5.28 ¥35.30

85.61%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$2.87 ¥19.19

23.69%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.46 ¥3.08

130.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.24 ¥1.59

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$1.14 ¥7.63

142.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$1.77 ¥11.83

69.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.24 ¥8.26

74.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$0.93 ¥6.22

-18.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.62 ¥4.12

180.65%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.54 ¥10.28

81.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$6.13 ¥40.96

50.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$2.49 ¥16.63

162.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$9.61 ¥64.3

33.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$2.04 ¥13.62

-18.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.23 ¥8.22

50.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.86 ¥12.43

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$0.76 ¥5.11

230.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.54 ¥3.61

61.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.62 ¥4.17

17.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.50 ¥3.33

184.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.45 ¥3.00

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$2.93 ¥19.57

15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$10.51 ¥70.3

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$1.09 ¥7.30

48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.47 ¥9.84

61.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.29 ¥1.93

27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$18.08 ¥121

-14.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.47 ¥9.81

-22.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.29 ¥1.94

172.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$7.30 ¥48.80

58.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.23 ¥8.23

21.95%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$17.9K ¥119.5K

37.84%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$13.9K ¥93.2K

60.51%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$66.5 ¥444

32.81%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$5.43 ¥36.33

140.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$11.29 ¥75.5

72.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$22.12 ¥148

190.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$9.40 ¥62.8

104.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.82 ¥38.90

20.10%

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

$373 ₾966

$161 ¥1,078

131.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$9,005 ¥60.2K

18.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$52.6 ¥351

95.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$22.05 ¥147

83.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$106 ¥712

9.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$44.33 ¥296

175.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$261 ¥1,748

158.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$117 ¥784

287.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$405 ¥2,708

215.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$251 ¥1,678

254.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$1,834 ¥12.3K

31.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$1,159 ¥7,748

22.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

$1,114 ¥7,449

-36.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.39

272.27%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Urumqi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Urumqi

$117 19.4% 74.2% $337

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Urumqi

$158 26.2% 32% $74

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Urumqi

$89 14.7% 53.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Urumqi

$101 16.8% 40.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Urumqi

$83 13.8% 31.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 56.8% $44

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Urumqi

$22 3.7% 0.2% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $261 in Urumqi. 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 59% higher in Urumqi, 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $18.00 in Urumqi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $158 – making Urumqi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

2 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

4,054,369

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Urumqi 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Urumqi

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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $605 in Urumqi – roughly 110% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,906 per month in Tbilisi and $907 in Urumqi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi and $18.00 in Urumqi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Tbilisi and $605 in Urumqi. That's a gap of about 110%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Urumqi, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Urumqi 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 $605 in Urumqi to $1,270 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 Urumqi. 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.