✦ Compare
Chiang Mai vs
Tbilisi
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Chiang Mai, TH vs Tbilisi, GE at a glance — Tbilisi, GE is 4% cheaper than Chiang Mai, TH overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $500/mo versus $450/mo. Top income tax: 20% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Tbilisi, GE, you'd need
$71,741 / year
Tbilisi, GE is 4% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Tbilisi, GE vs Chiang Mai, TH)
- Housing-5%
- Food & groceries0%
- Transport-8%
- Utilities-15%
- Healthcare-9%
- Goods & services0%
◎ How Chiang Mai, TH and Tbilisi, GE compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chiang Mai, TH | Tbilisi, GE | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 49 | 46 |
| Housing | 42 | 40 |
| Food | 45 | 45 |
| Transport | 38 | 35 |
| Utilities | 65 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 50 |
| Goods & services | 55 | 55 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $450/mo | $500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $300/mo | $320/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $900/mo | $1,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,059 | $2,153 |
| Inexpensive meal | $3 | $5 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $12 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 20% |
| VAT / sales tax | 7% | 18% |
| Corporate tax | 20% | 15% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $800/mo | $600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $300/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $8,057✓ | $8,120✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | -0.1%✓ | 2.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 50 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+4 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 53 | 59 |
| Safety index | 65 | 70 |
| Healthcare index | 70 | 55 |
| Pollution index | 70 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 40 Mbps |
| Walkability | 45 | 60 |
| Public transport | 30 | 55 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 58 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 77 yr✓ | 73 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +22 °C | +3 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 210 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,150 mm | 500 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 3 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Thailand vs Georgia. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Chiang Mai vs Tbilisi — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Chiang Mai
The original budget-nomad capital — temples, mountains and Nimman's café-coworking strip at some of Asia's lowest costs. The trade-off is the March–April burning season, when air quality collapses.
- Currency
- Thai baht (฿ THB)
- Languages
- Thai
- Time zone
- UTC+7
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 65/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 28°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- A/B/C · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Nimman · Old City · Santitham · Hang Dong
Good to know before you move to Tbilisi
A full year visa-free, a 1% small-business tax and cheap rents have made Georgia's wine-and-sulphur-bath capital a low-tax nomad magnet. Old-town charm and fast growth, weighed against regional geopolitics.
- Currency
- Georgian lari (₾ GEL)
- Languages
- Georgian
- Time zone
- UTC+4
- Internet
- 40 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 70/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 25°C · 210 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- C/F · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Vera · Vake · Sololaki · Saburtalo
Plan your move to Chiang Mai
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Tbilisi
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Chiang Mai to Tbilisi: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chiang Mai to Tbilisi, your cost of living will be roughly 4% cheaper. Tbilisi’s cost-of-living index is 46 versus 49 for Chiang Mai (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chiang Mai cheaper than Tbilisi?
Tbilisi is about 4% cheaper than Chiang Mai overall — its cost-of-living index is 46 versus 49 for Chiang Mai.
Which is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Tbilisi?
Chiang Mai is more expensive than Tbilisi. Its cost-of-living index is 49 vs 46 (US = 100) — about 7% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Chiang Mai or Tbilisi?
Rent is cheaper in Chiang Mai — about $450/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $500 in Tbilisi.
How much do you need to earn in Tbilisi to live like in Chiang Mai?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chiang Mai is worth about $71,741 in Tbilisi. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chiang Mai or Tbilisi?
Georgia has the lower top income-tax rate — 20% versus 35% in Thailand.
◷ More comparisons from Chiang Mai
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.