Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, New Zealand and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,917 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hamilton, New Zealand
Tbilisi, Georgia
Hamilton
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,917
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hamilton 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 Hamilton and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,917 in Hamilton versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Hamilton $1,917
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Hamilton versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Hamilton $2,828
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,739 in Hamilton versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Hamilton $3,739
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Hamilton is roughly 51% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hamilton is 41% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.20 NZ$21.47
$11.63 ₾30.07
4.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.6 NZ$131
$37.83 ₾97.9
97.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.34 NZ$14.68
$9.66 ₾24.98
-13.66%
Cappuccino
$3.49 NZ$6.15
$3.57 ₾9.24
-2.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 NZ$4.07
$1.08 ₾2.78
113.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 NZ$4.40
$0.56 ₾1.45
346.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.08 NZ$10.70
$2.62 ₾6.78
132.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.61 NZ$9.87
$3.04 ₾7.86
84.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 NZ$2.57
$2.17 ₾5.60
-32.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 NZ$2.20
$0.80 ₾2.06
56.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 NZ$3.41
$1.74 ₾4.51
11.49%
Eggs
$5.52 NZ$9.71
$2.83 ₾7.31
95.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.78 NZ$10.17
$9.31 ₾24.08
-37.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.18 NZ$12.64
$6.52 ₾16.86
10.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.70 NZ$20.60
$12.95 ₾33.50
-9.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 NZ$4.76
$1.68 ₾4.34
61.31%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 NZ$4.06
$1.85 ₾4.80
24.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.24 NZ$5.71
$1.97 ₾5.10
64.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.21 NZ$10.93
$2.42 ₾6.25
156.61%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 NZ$3.61
$0.82 ₾2.11
150.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.41 NZ$2.49
$0.74 ₾1.91
90.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.49 NZ$4.38
$1.34 ₾3.47
85.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 NZ$1.73
$0.77 ₾2.00
27.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.19 NZ$46.10
$3.57 ₾9.24
633.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.72 NZ$18.87
$7.67 ₾19.84
39.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.02 NZ$7.08
$1.70 ₾4.39
136.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.14 NZ$7.29
$2.40 ₾6.21
72.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.66 NZ$4.68
$0.40 ₾1.05
565.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.7 NZ$92.7
$15.23 ₾39.39
245.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.70 NZ$6.51
$1.14 ₾2.95
224.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.78 ₾2.02
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$11.83 ₾30.59
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 NZ$2.93
$1.45 ₾3.75
15.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K NZ$49.7K
$24.6K ₾63.6K
14.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K NZ$39.3K
$22.3K ₾57.8K
0.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.3 NZ$103
$88.8 ₾230
-34.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.48 NZ$64.2
$13.12 ₾33.94
178.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.5 NZ$97.6
$19.67 ₾50.9
182.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.73 NZ$45.29
$64.1 ₾166
-59.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.98 NZ$51.0
$19.04 ₾49.25
52.21%
Cinema Ticket
$13.93 NZ$24.52
$7.12 ₾18.42
95.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$670 NZ$1,180
$375 ₾971
78.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K NZ$39.5K
$10.5K ₾27.1K
114.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.7 NZ$112
$104 ₾268
-38.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.93 NZ$68.5
$39.26 ₾102
-0.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.7 NZ$167
$117 ₾304
-19.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 NZ$188
$122 ₾315
-12.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,090 NZ$1,918
$695 ₾1,798
56.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$987 NZ$1,737
$451 ₾1,167
118.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,636 NZ$2,879
$1,355 ₾3,505
20.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,476 NZ$2,598
$906 ₾2,344
62.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,019 NZ$7,074
$2,295 ₾5,936
75.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,525 NZ$7,964
$1,345 ₾3,479
236.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamilton
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,678 NZ$4,713
$664 ₾1,718
303.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.83
12.62
-45.88%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hamilton
$987
Tbilisi
$451 54.3% $536
Groceries & Markets
Hamilton
$297
Tbilisi
$234 21.3% $63
Eating Out
Hamilton
$225
Tbilisi
$191 15.4% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamilton
$150
Tbilisi
$122 19.1% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Hamilton
$137
Tbilisi
$172 25.7% $35
Getting Around
Hamilton
$67 *
Tbilisi
$22 67.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Hamilton
$54
Tbilisi
$78 46.1% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,090 in Hamilton and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamilton pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Hamilton vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Hamilton
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
06:44 6:44 AM
21:44 9:44 PM
9 h behind Hamilton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
169,500
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.51 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hamilton Tbilisi 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hamilton
  • 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
Hamilton vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tbilisi cheaper than Hamilton?
Tbilisi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Hamilton or Tbilisi?
Average pay in Hamilton is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Hamilton and Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,090 in Hamilton versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Hamilton or in Tbilisi?
Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $75 in Hamilton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Hamilton and in Tbilisi?
All in, you’ll spend $1,917 per month in Hamilton versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is it better to live in Hamilton or in Tbilisi?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Hamilton or Tbilisi?
Safety-wise, Hamilton and Tbilisi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Hamilton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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