Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Nelson

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
Learn more

Tbilisi Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
Learn more

Nelson Living Index

Jump to prices

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Nelson

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 Nelson actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Tbilisi $1,269
Nelson $1,865

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

Tbilisi $2,016
Nelson $2,872

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

Tbilisi $2,763
Nelson $3,879

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 32% less than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$13.72 NZ$24.40

-15.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$64.8 NZ$115

-41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$8.27 NZ$14.71

16.81%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.19 NZ$5.66

11.91%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-40.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.65 NZ$2.94

-66.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$7.61 NZ$13.52

-65.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$5.84 NZ$10.38

-47.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.93 NZ$3.43

12.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.19 NZ$3.89

-63.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-11.22%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$5.85 NZ$10.40

-51.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$9.13 NZ$16.22

1.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$7.62 NZ$13.54

-14.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$13.65 NZ$24.26

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$3.15 NZ$5.61

-46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-13.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$3.00 NZ$5.33

-34.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$5.63 NZ$10.01

-57.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-60.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.23 NZ$2.19

-39.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-33.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.08 NZ$1.92

-28.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$25.87 NZ$45.99

-86.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$9.94 NZ$17.66

-22.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.14 NZ$5.58

-45.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$2.81 NZ$5.00

-14.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$2.20 NZ$3.92

-81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-56.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$33.80 NZ$60.1

-65.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.56 NZ$2.77

-7.05%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

44.08%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

-0.07%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$130 NZ$231

-31.79%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$32.93 NZ$58.5

-60.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$43.70 NZ$77.7

-54.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$101 NZ$179

-36.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

$34.48 NZ$61.3

-44.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$11.14 NZ$19.81

-36.09%

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

$375 ₾971

$458 NZ$814

-18.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

-20.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$52.9 NZ$94.1

95.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$28.57 NZ$50.8

37.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$104 NZ$185

12.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$143 NZ$254

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$1,023 NZ$1,819

-32.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$813 NZ$1,445

-44.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,755 NZ$3,120

-22.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$1,455 NZ$2,586

-37.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$1,396 NZ$2,482

64.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$852 NZ$1,514

57.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$2,043 NZ$3,632

-67.49%

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 Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 80.1% $361

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 36.2% $85

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 24% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 14.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 70.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 56.9% $45

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 10.5% $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 $695 in Tbilisi and $1,023 in Nelson. 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: $38 in Tbilisi vs $65 in Nelson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $319 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

15:23 3:23 PM

9 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

51,100

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Nelson 15,790 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Nelson

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 Nelson: 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.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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.

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

Childcare runs $375 in Tbilisi versus $458 in Nelson. 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, Tbilisi and Nelson 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.