Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rarotonga and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Tbilisi despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Rarotonga versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Rarotonga $1,117
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,581 in Rarotonga versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Rarotonga $1,581
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Rarotonga versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Rarotonga $2,045
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Rarotonga costs roughly 12% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rarotonga 18% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.31 NZ$25.18

$11.63 ₾30.07

23.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 NZ$89.8

$37.83 ₾97.9

34.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NZ$10.03

$9.66 ₾24.98

-40.99%

Cappuccino

$3.33 NZ$5.86

$3.57 ₾9.24

-6.72%

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

$2.21 NZ$3.88

$1.08 ₾2.78

104.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NZ$3.96

$0.56 ₾1.45

301.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 NZ$8.88

$2.62 ₾6.78

92.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.91

$3.04 ₾7.86

66.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 NZ$4.92

$2.17 ₾5.60

29.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 NZ$5.12

$0.80 ₾2.06

263.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

Eggs

$6.22 NZ$10.94

$2.83 ₾7.31

119.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 NZ$12.67

$9.31 ₾24.08

-22.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.86

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.80

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 NZ$20.22

$3.57 ₾9.24

221.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 NZ$19.70

$7.67 ₾19.84

45.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NZ$5.89

$1.70 ₾4.39

96.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 NZ$8.90

$2.40 ₾6.21

110.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 NZ$5.09

$0.40 ₾1.05

622.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$20.16 NZ$35.49

$1.14 ₾2.95

1668.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.69 NZ$59.3

$11.83 ₾30.59

184.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$1.45 ₾3.75

15.86%

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

$11.4K NZ$20.0K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

-53.72%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

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

$101 NZ$178

$88.8 ₾230

13.90%

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

$48.92 NZ$86.1

$13.12 ₾33.94

272.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 NZ$181

$19.67 ₾50.9

423.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.25

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

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

$375 ₾971

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾304

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 NZ$785

$695 ₾1,798

-35.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 NZ$801

$451 ₾1,167

0.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 NZ$1,202

$1,355 ₾3,505

-49.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 NZ$1,114

$906 ₾2,344

-30.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,936

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,479

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,985 NZ$7,013

$664 ₾1,718

499.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

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

Last update for Rarotonga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Groceries & Markets

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Eating Out

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Clothing & Footwear

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Getting Around

Rarotonga

–

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $446 in Rarotonga and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51 in Rarotonga vs $38 in Tbilisi. Groceries flip the comparison at $153 vs $234, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

14 h ahead of Rarotonga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,373

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 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 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).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Rarotonga Tbilisi 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

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Rarotonga
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

Rarotonga vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rarotonga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Rarotonga is about 6 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: $446 in Rarotonga versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Rarotonga versus $1,269 in Tbilisi – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Rarotonga 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.