Khachapuri index changes its value in different regions according to seasonal demand and supply peculiarities. The latter is affected by milk production cycles (low in fall and winter, high in spring and summer), Georgia’s religious calendar (e.g. the Great Lent), as well as the ups and downs in tourism.

Given khachapuri’s ubiquity, we used our index to estimate real income per capita for different Georgian locations, measured in khachapuri portions. We do so by dividing the average nominal income in each region (using the latest available GeoStat data from 2014) by the corresponding Kh-Index (average for the last 12 months). The result of this division stands for the number of (real) khachapuri portions a family can afford in each city of interest.

As can be seen from the chart, the wealthier Georgian regions are wealthier in both nominal and real terms. Not only does an average Tbilisi household enjoy a higher nominal income, but also – despite facing higher prices – it is able to maintain a higher level of consumption compared with other Georgian locations. Measured in khachapuri portions, the gap between the average households in Tbilisi and Telavi stands at exactly 100 portions per month.