Cost pair · Numbeo 2026 · real USD

Chicago, IL vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living Compared

Tbilisi is ~62% cheaper for a single person including rent: $1,089/month vs $2,841 in Chicago, IL (Numbeo 2026, ±15% band).

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Chicago, IL — monthly total

$2,841

single, incl. 1-bed rent outside centre

Tbilisi — monthly total

$1,089

single, incl. 1-bed rent outside centre

The gap

$1,752

every month — 62% in Tbilisi's favour

Side by side

Chicago, IL vs Tbilisi: the numbers

Metric	Chicago, IL	Tbilisi
Cost index (NYC=100)	76.0	36.6
Single, excl. rent	$1,262	$608
1-bed outside centre	$1,579	$481
1-bed city centre	$2,327	$708
Monthly total (single)	$2,841	$1,089
Family of 4, excl. rent	$4,684	$2,256
Groceries index	82.6	35.5
Restaurants index	81.6	40.2
Purchasing power index	157.6	40.6

The single biggest line item is rent: a one-bed outside the centre costs $1,579 in Chicago, IL vs $481 in Tbilisi — a $1,098/month gap on housing alone. Day-to-day prices follow the same direction: groceries index 82.6 vs 35.5, restaurants 81.6 vs 40.2 (NYC = 100).

The caveat is the last row. Chicago, IL's local purchasing power index is 157.6 vs 40.6 in Tbilisi — if you keep a foreign income (remote work, retirement, savings), the 62% discount is real; if you plan to earn a local salary, weigh what local wages buy, not just what things cost.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Tbilisi cheaper than Chicago, IL?

Tbilisi is about 62% cheaper. A single person including one-bed rent outside the centre runs $1,089/month in Tbilisi vs $2,841 in Chicago, IL (Numbeo 2026, ±15%).

What salary do I need in Tbilisi to keep a $3,000 Chicago, IL lifestyle?

Roughly $1,150/month. Equivalent spend scales with the monthly totals: $3,000 × ($1,089 ÷ $2,841) = $1,150.

What does the monthly total include?

Numbeo's single-person monthly costs excluding rent (Chicago, IL $1,262, Tbilisi $608) plus the median one-bedroom rent outside the city centre ($1,579 vs $481).

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About the data: GeoRank is built by a small team that thinks moving abroad shouldn't be guesswork. Every figure on this page is computed from the same public dataset that powers the interactive tools (cities-tools.json, CC-BY-4.0), with accuracy bands stated instead of false precision. See the methodology for source-by-source detail.

Sources: Numbeo 2026 (12,743 cities, 9.8M prices) · OECD Purchasing Power Parities 2026 · GeoRank cities-tools dataset (CC-BY-4.0). Methodology and accuracy bounds at methodology.