Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Xiamen

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $832 in Xiamen, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Xiamen $832

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,337 in Xiamen, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Xiamen $1,337

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Xiamen $1,842

Tbilisi costs about 53% more than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Xiamen are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 7% lower, Xiamen 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$2.93 ¥19.49

296.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$23.60 ¥157

60.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.20 ¥34.52

85.77%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.57 ¥17.06

38.91%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$0.47 ¥3.10

129.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$0.35 ¥2.35

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$1.51 ¥10.06

73.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$2.95 ¥19.57

3.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.47 ¥9.76

47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.28 ¥15.14

-64.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.95 ¥6.30

83.16%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$1.64 ¥10.87

72.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$12.02 ¥79.8

-22.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$2.45 ¥16.24

166.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$11.76 ¥78.1

10.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.58 ¥17.16

-34.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.48 ¥9.80

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$1.67 ¥11.10

17.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$1.99 ¥13.23

21.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$0.97 ¥6.47

-15.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.81 ¥12.04

-59.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.93 ¥6.15

44.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.54 ¥3.61

42.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$2.92 ¥19.36

22.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$11.38 ¥75.6

-32.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.79 ¥5.28

115.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.74 ¥11.55

37.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$0.16 ¥1.08

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$11.93 ¥79.2

27.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.46 ¥9.67

-21.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$0.29 ¥1.91

168.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$7.39 ¥49.07

60.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.33 ¥8.84

9.02%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

24.49%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$17.6K ¥116.7K

27.14%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$43.23 ¥287

105.41%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$8.70 ¥57.8

50.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$10.38 ¥68.9

89.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$47.30 ¥314

35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$10.31 ¥68.5

84.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$10.24 ¥68.0

-30.47%

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

$375 ₾971

$496 ¥3,297

-24.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$24.8K ¥164.7K

-57.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$39.20 ¥260

164.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$29.55 ¥196

32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$107 ¥710

9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$84.5 ¥561

44.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$352 ¥2,341

97.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$266 ¥1,766

69.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$841 ¥5,587

61.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$544 ¥3,610

66.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$8,588 ¥57.0K

-73.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$4,847 ¥32.2K

-72.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$1,179 ¥7,833

-43.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.46

264.74%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Xiamen

$266 32% 41.1% $185

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Xiamen

$217 26.1% 7.3% $17

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 54.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Xiamen

$117 14.1% 31.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Xiamen

$62 7.5% 48.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Xiamen

$68 8.2% 13.4% $11

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Xiamen

$15 1.9% 29.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $352 in Xiamen. 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 78% higher in Xiamen, 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 in Tbilisi versus $24 in Xiamen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $217 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

3,531,000

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

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Between locations

Tbilisi Xiamen 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Xiamen

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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $832 in Xiamen – Xiamen comes out roughly 34% 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 $1,248 in Xiamen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xiamen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $695 in Tbilisi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $24 in Xiamen. 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 $832 in Xiamen. That makes Xiamen about 34% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $832, than in Tbilisi at $1,269. In Xiamen 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 $832 in Xiamen to $1,269 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Xiamen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.