Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tbilisi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Masterton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Masterton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $841 in Masterton.

Tbilisi $1,269
Masterton $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,446 in Masterton.

Tbilisi $2,016
Masterton $1,446

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,051 in Masterton.

Tbilisi $2,763
Masterton $2,051

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Masterton 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$9.26 NZ$16.44

25.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$65.0 NZ$115

-41.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$8.77 NZ$15.58

10.15%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.35 NZ$5.95

6.57%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.95 NZ$3.46

-44.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.11 NZ$1.97

-49.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$3.96 NZ$7.04

-33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$3.40 NZ$6.04

-10.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.46 NZ$2.59

48.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-62.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.10 NZ$1.95

58.18%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$6.49 NZ$11.51

-56.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$8.59 NZ$15.25

8.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$9.94 NZ$17.65

-34.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$15.03 NZ$26.69

-13.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-24.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.81 NZ$3.21

2.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$3.04 NZ$5.40

-35.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$4.48 NZ$7.95

-45.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.51 NZ$2.69

-45.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.09 NZ$1.94

-32.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$1.71 NZ$3.04

-21.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.52 NZ$0.93

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$19.90 NZ$35.33

-82.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$11.48 NZ$20.39

-33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$0.88 NZ$1.56

93.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.22 NZ$2.17

96.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-82.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-39.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.80 NZ$3.20

-56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$33.98 NZ$60.3

-65.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.73 NZ$3.08

-16.18%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

7.49%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

-6.44%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$56.0 NZ$99.5

58.49%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$29.91 NZ$53.1

-56.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$53.4 NZ$94.8

-63.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$42.36 NZ$75.2

51.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$8.22 NZ$14.59

131.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$9.47 NZ$16.81

-24.82%

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

$375 ₾971

$1,038 NZ$1,844

-63.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

-21.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$56.7 NZ$101

82.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$28.47 NZ$50.6

37.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$105 NZ$186

12.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$141 NZ$250

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,019 NZ$1,809

32.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$2,339 NZ$4,152

-71.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.39

134.14%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Masterton

$293 34.8% 25.2% $59

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Masterton

$179 21.3% 5.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Masterton

$149 17.7% 13.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Masterton

$139 16.6% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Masterton

$61 7.3% 21.7% $17

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Masterton

$20 * 2.4% 9.4% $2.1

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $65 in Masterton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $293 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

15:23 3:23 PM

9 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

26,800

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

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).

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).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Masterton 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Masterton

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

Tbilisi vs Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Tbilisi pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $841 in Masterton – Masterton is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $841 in Masterton versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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