Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Tbilisi

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$522

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thimphu and in Tbilisi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Thimphu and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Thimphu $522
Tbilisi $1,269

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

Thimphu $811
Tbilisi $2,016

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

Thimphu $1,100
Tbilisi $2,763

Thimphu is about 59% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 BTN 252

$11.63 ₾30.07

-77.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.45 BTN 1,373

$37.83 ₾97.8

-61.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 BTN 469

$9.66 ₾24.98

-48.86%

Cappuccino

$1.27 BTN 121

$3.57 ₾9.24

-64.43%

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

$0.53 BTN 50.3

$1.08 ₾2.78

-50.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 16.04

$0.56 ₾1.45

-69.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 BTN 255

$2.62 ₾6.78

2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BTN 148

$3.04 ₾7.85

-49.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.4

$2.17 ₾5.60

-64.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 BTN 106

$0.80 ₾2.06

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BTN 97.5

$1.74 ₾4.51

-40.80%

Eggs

$1.95 BTN 185

$2.83 ₾7.31

-31.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 BTN 355

$9.31 ₾24.07

-59.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 BTN 377

$6.52 ₾16.85

-39.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.89 BTN 370

$12.95 ₾33.50

-69.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 BTN 240

$1.68 ₾4.33

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 BTN 143

$1.85 ₾4.79

-18.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 BTN 156

$1.97 ₾5.10

-16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 BTN 72.7

$2.42 ₾6.25

-68.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 BTN 54.0

$0.82 ₾2.11

-30.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 BTN 67.5

$0.74 ₾1.91

-4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 BTN 35.86

$1.34 ₾3.47

-71.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 BTN 29.89

$0.77 ₾2.00

-59.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 BTN 377

$3.57 ₾9.24

11.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.80 BTN 266

$7.67 ₾19.83

-63.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 BTN 59.0

$1.70 ₾4.39

-63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BTN 134

$2.40 ₾6.21

-41.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 BTN 76.2

$0.40 ₾1.05

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.27 BTN 501

$15.23 ₾39.38

-65.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 BTN 73.6

$1.14 ₾2.95

-32.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 BTN 148

$0.78 ₾2.02

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.14 BTN 13.64

$11.83 ₾30.58

-98.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 BTN 74.4

$1.45 ₾3.75

-46.21%

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

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-31.80%

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

$15.5K BTN 1.5M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

-30.71%

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

$34.15 BTN 3,246

$88.8 ₾230

-61.54%

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

$35.64 BTN 3,387

$13.12 ₾33.93

171.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.15 BTN 2,296

$19.67 ₾50.9

22.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 BTN 4,584

$64.1 ₾166

-24.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 BTN 716

$19.04 ₾49.24

-60.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 BTN 298

$7.12 ₾18.42

-56.04%

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

$45.45 BTN 4,320

$375 ₾971

-87.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$579 BTN 55.1K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-94.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 BTN 4,760

$104 ₾268

-51.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.28 BTN 2,403

$39.26 ₾102

-35.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 BTN 6,480

$117 ₾303

-41.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.25 BTN 1,355

$122 ₾315

-88.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 BTN 12.2K

$695 ₾1,798

-81.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 BTN 8,450

$451 ₾1,167

-80.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$191 BTN 18.1K

$1,355 ₾3,504

-85.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 BTN 14.8K

$906 ₾2,343

-82.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,737 BTN 640.4K

$2,295 ₾5,934

193.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$399 BTN 37.9K

$1,345 ₾3,478

-70.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$348 BTN 33.1K

$664 ₾1,718

-47.65%

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 Thimphu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thimphu

$126 24.1%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 86.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thimphu

$94 18%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 29.4% $28

Accommodation & Living

Thimphu

$89 17.1%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 408% $362

Clothing & Footwear

Thimphu

$71 13.6%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 142% $101

Eating Out

Thimphu

$71 13.5%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 170% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Thimphu

$55 10.5%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 43.7% $24

Getting Around

Thimphu

$17 3.3%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 28.4% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Thimphu versus $695 in Tbilisi. 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 $14 in Thimphu versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $234 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

2 h behind Thimphu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.52 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

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).

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).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Thimphu Tbilisi 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Thimphu
Tbilisi

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

Thimphu vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $782 per month in Thimphu and $1,904 in Tbilisi. 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 $14 in Thimphu and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Thimphu and $1,269 in Tbilisi. 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.