Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nelson and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,865 in Nelson, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,865 in Nelson versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Nelson $1,865
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,872 in Nelson versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Nelson $2,872
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,879 in Nelson versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Nelson $3,879
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Nelson is roughly 47% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nelson is 37% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 NZ$24.37

$11.63 ₾30.07

17.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 NZ$115

$37.83 ₾97.8

71.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 NZ$14.69

$9.66 ₾24.98

-14.39%

Cappuccino

$3.19 NZ$5.65

$3.57 ₾9.24

-10.64%

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

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.08 ₾2.78

68.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 NZ$2.93

$0.56 ₾1.45

194.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.61 NZ$13.51

$2.62 ₾6.78

190.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 NZ$10.37

$3.04 ₾7.85

92.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$2.17 ₾5.60

-11.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NZ$3.89

$0.80 ₾2.06

173.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 NZ$3.47

$1.74 ₾4.51

12.64%

Eggs

$5.85 NZ$10.39

$2.83 ₾7.31

106.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 NZ$16.20

$9.31 ₾24.07

-1.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 NZ$13.53

$6.52 ₾16.85

16.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.65 NZ$24.23

$12.95 ₾33.50

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 NZ$5.60

$1.68 ₾4.33

87.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.81

$1.85 ₾4.79

16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$1.97 ₾5.10

52.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 NZ$10.00

$2.42 ₾6.25

132.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$0.82 ₾2.11

152.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 NZ$2.19

$0.74 ₾1.91

66.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NZ$3.59

$1.34 ₾3.47

50.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NZ$1.92

$0.77 ₾2.00

40.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.87 NZ$45.93

$3.57 ₾9.24

624.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 NZ$17.64

$7.67 ₾19.83

29.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 NZ$5.58

$1.70 ₾4.39

84.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 NZ$4.99

$2.40 ₾6.21

17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 NZ$3.91

$0.40 ₾1.05

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 NZ$3.25

$1.14 ₾2.95

60.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$0.78 ₾2.02

129.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.80 NZ$60.0

$11.83 ₾30.58

185.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.77

$1.45 ₾3.75

7.59%

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

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-30.60%

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

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

0.07%

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

$130 NZ$231

$88.8 ₾230

46.61%

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

$32.93 NZ$58.5

$13.12 ₾33.93

150.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.70 NZ$77.6

$19.67 ₾50.9

122.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 NZ$179

$64.1 ₾166

57.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.48 NZ$61.2

$19.04 ₾49.24

81.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 NZ$19.78

$7.12 ₾18.42

56.46%

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

$458 NZ$813

$375 ₾971

21.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

25.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 NZ$94.0

$104 ₾268

-48.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.57 NZ$50.7

$39.26 ₾102

-27.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 NZ$184

$117 ₾303

-11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NZ$253

$122 ₾315

17.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 NZ$1,817

$695 ₾1,798

47.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 NZ$1,443

$451 ₾1,167

80.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 NZ$3,116

$1,355 ₾3,504

29.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 NZ$2,582

$906 ₾2,343

60.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,396 NZ$2,479

$2,295 ₾5,934

-39.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$852 NZ$1,512

$1,345 ₾3,478

-36.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,043 NZ$3,627

$664 ₾1,718

207.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

12.62

-57.29%

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

Last update for Nelson: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nelson

$813 43.6%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 44.5% $361

Groceries & Markets

Nelson

$319 17.1%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 26.6% $85

Eating Out

Nelson

$236 12.7%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 19.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nelson

$207 11.1%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 41.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Nelson

$148 7.9%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 16.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nelson

$123 6.6%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 36.3% $45

Getting Around

Nelson

$20 * 1.1%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 11.8% $2.3

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 $1,023 in Nelson and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nelson pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in Nelson vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Nelson

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

05:40 5:40 AM

9 h behind Nelson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,100

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nelson Tbilisi 15,790 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nelson
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

Nelson vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Nelson. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Nelson is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Nelson versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $458 in Nelson versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $65 in Nelson. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Nelson and Tbilisi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tbilisi wins on affordability, Nelson on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.