Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Queenstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $2,370 in Queenstown, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tbilisi, Georgia
Queenstown, New Zealand
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Queenstown
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,370
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,370 in Queenstown.

  • Tbilisi $1,269
  • Queenstown $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $3,764 in Queenstown.

  • Tbilisi $2,016
  • Queenstown $3,764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $5,158 in Queenstown.

  • Tbilisi $2,763
  • Queenstown $5,158

Living in Tbilisi costs roughly 46% less than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tbilisi is 7% below, Queenstown is 74% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.63 ₾30.07
$17.26 NZ$30.77
-32.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.83 ₾97.8
$86.8 NZ$155
-56.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 ₾24.98
$9.76 NZ$17.39
-1.02%
Cappuccino
$3.57 ₾9.24
$3.28 NZ$5.84
8.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₾2.78
$2.29 NZ$4.08
-52.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₾1.45
$2.08 NZ$3.71
-73.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ₾6.78
$6.75 NZ$12.02
-61.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 ₾7.85
$6.19 NZ$11.04
-50.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 ₾5.60
$2.14 NZ$3.81
1.40%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 ₾2.06
$1.96 NZ$3.49
-59.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ₾4.51
$1.78 NZ$3.17
-2.25%
Eggs
$2.83 ₾7.31
$5.80 NZ$10.33
-51.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.31 ₾24.07
$8.53 NZ$15.21
9.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.52 ₾16.85
$10.16 NZ$18.11
-35.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.95 ₾33.50
$15.81 NZ$28.18
-18.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 ₾4.34
$2.92 NZ$5.21
-42.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₾4.79
$2.40 NZ$4.28
-22.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 ₾5.10
$3.89 NZ$6.94
-49.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.42 ₾6.25
$5.50 NZ$9.80
-56.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.82 ₾2.11
$3.55 NZ$6.33
-76.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ₾1.91
$1.84 NZ$3.28
-59.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ₾3.47
$2.42 NZ$4.31
-44.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ₾2.00
$1.97 NZ$3.50
-60.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.57 ₾9.24
$27.67 NZ$49.31
-87.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 ₾19.83
$9.24 NZ$16.47
-16.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₾4.39
$4.50 NZ$8.02
-62.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₾6.21
$6.63 NZ$11.81
-63.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ₾1.05
$1.88 NZ$3.35
-78.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.23 ₾39.38
$128 NZ$229
-88.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 ₾2.95
$2.69 NZ$4.80
-57.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₾2.02
$1.92 NZ$3.43
-59.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.83 ₾30.58
$29.48 NZ$52.5
-59.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₾3.75
$1.70 NZ$3.03
-14.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K ₾63.6K
$26.7K NZ$47.5K
-7.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₾57.8K
$22.5K NZ$40.1K
-0.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₾230
$111 NZ$197
-19.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.12 ₾33.93
$28.93 NZ$51.6
-54.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.67 ₾50.9
$51.8 NZ$92.4
-62.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.1 ₾166
$55.9 NZ$99.6
14.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.04 ₾49.24
$26.64 NZ$47.47
-28.53%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 ₾18.42
$11.17 NZ$19.91
-36.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$375 ₾971
$983 NZ$1,752
-61.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K ₾27.1K
$7,685 NZ$13.7K
36.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₾268
$60.0 NZ$107
72.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.26 ₾102
$46.90 NZ$83.6
-16.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ₾303
$91.0 NZ$162
29.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 ₾315
$137 NZ$245
-11.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$695 ₾1,798
$1,523 NZ$2,714
-54.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ₾1,167
$1,162 NZ$2,072
-61.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ₾3,504
$2,918 NZ$5,200
-53.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$906 ₾2,343
$2,294 NZ$4,089
-60.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,295 ₾5,934
$7,612 NZ$13.6K
-69.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,345 ₾3,478
$5,271 NZ$9,395
-74.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tbilisi
Queenstown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$664 ₾1,718
$3,054 NZ$5,443
-78.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.62
6.12
106.21%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tbilisi
$451
Queenstown
$1.2K 158% $711
Groceries & Markets
Tbilisi
$234
Queenstown
$369 57.7% $135
Eating Out
Tbilisi
$191
Queenstown
$270 41.8% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Tbilisi
$172
Queenstown
$151 12.2% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tbilisi
$122
Queenstown
$191 57.3% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Tbilisi
$78
Queenstown
$78 0.1% $0.1
Getting Around
Tbilisi
$22
Queenstown
$148 577% $126

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queenstown pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $87 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $369 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🇳🇿 Queenstown
🕒 Local time
21:43 9:43 PM
06:43 6:43 AM
9 h ahead of Tbilisi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,241,700 Capital
15,450
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

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).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tbilisi Queenstown 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tbilisi
  • Queenstown

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 Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tbilisi cheaper than Queenstown?
Tbilisi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Tbilisi or Queenstown?
On paper, salaries run 78% 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.
What is the rent difference between Tbilisi and Queenstown?
Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,523 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Tbilisi or in Queenstown?
Dining out is cheaper in Tbilisi – a meal for two runs $38 versus $87 in Queenstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Tbilisi and in Queenstown?
All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $2,370 in Queenstown – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Tbilisi or in Queenstown?
At $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $2,370 in Queenstown, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tbilisi but tight or insufficient in Queenstown. The gap between the two cities makes Tbilisi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Tbilisi or Queenstown more family-friendly?
For families, Tbilisi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Queenstown, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Tbilisi or Queenstown?
Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Queenstown 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 46% less than in Queenstown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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