Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Xining

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $714 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
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Xining Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Xining

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Xining

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Tbilisi vs $714 in Xining, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,270
Xining $714

A couple spends around $2,008 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,130 in Xining, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,008
Xining $1,130

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,545 in Xining, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,745
Xining $1,545

Tbilisi costs about 78% more than Xining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tbilisi and Xining are more affordable than the global median – Tbilisi 6% lower, Xining 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.79

$2.82 ¥18.87

308.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.1

$21.76 ¥145

75.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.36

$4.77 ¥31.89

105.45%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.19

$3.11 ¥20.77

14.15%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$0.44 ¥2.94

140.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$0.27 ¥1.80

129.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.16

$0.87 ¥5.80

217.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.77

$2.10 ¥14.05

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.59

$1.78 ¥11.88

21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.55 ¥10.39

-50.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$0.91 ¥6.08

91.21%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$1.56 ¥10.42

78.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.83

$12.75 ¥85.2

-27.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.89

$3.24 ¥21.67

101.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.17

$10.02 ¥67.0

27.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.85 ¥12.40

-9.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.20 ¥7.99

54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.54 ¥10.26

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.09 ¥7.30

130.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.26

$0.70 ¥4.70

24.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$0.94 ¥6.30

-22.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$0.59 ¥3.97

140.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.55 ¥3.69

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$3.18 ¥21.26

6.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.31

$10.61 ¥70.9

-26.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$0.75 ¥5.02

116.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.66 ¥11.13

43.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$0.27 ¥1.79

37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.16

$16.78 ¥112

-7.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.40 ¥9.36

-18.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.36 ¥2.38

119.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.96

$6.50 ¥43.46

78.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.16 ¥7.76

29.31%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

27.00%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$17.1K ¥114.2K

30.95%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$45.89 ¥307

92.31%

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

$13.08 ₾33.86

$9.55 ¥63.9

36.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.6

$11.58 ¥77.4

68.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$42.43 ¥284

51.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.66

$13.68 ¥91.5

40.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.10

$5.99 ¥40.04

16.69%

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

$373 ₾966

$329 ¥2,201

13.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$16.6K ¥111.1K

-35.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$43.59 ¥291

135.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$30.36 ¥203

33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$70.9 ¥474

64.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$70.9 ¥474

71.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,753

$274 ¥1,831

147.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,176

$192 ¥1,283

136.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,305

$593 ¥3,968

115.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,304

$356 ¥2,379

150.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,238

$3,085 ¥20.6K

-21.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,670

$2,043 ¥13.7K

-30.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,819

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

3.89

224.42%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Xining: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Xining

$192 26.9% 57.8% $262

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Xining

$197 27.6% 15.4% $36

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Xining

$86 12% 55.1% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Xining

$97 13.6% 43.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Xining

$67 9.4% 44.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Xining

$54 7.6% 30.4% $24

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Xining

$21 3% 4.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $677 in Tbilisi versus $274 in Xining. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Tbilisi versus $22.00 in Xining. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $197 – making Xining the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇳 Xining

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

4 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

2,333,700

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Xining 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Xining

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 Xining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi, $714 in Xining – roughly 78% 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 $1,071 in Xining. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xining, 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 $22.00 in Xining. 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 $714 in Xining. That's a gap of about 78%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Xining, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Xining 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 $714 in Xining 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 Xining. 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.