Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Rotorua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,455 in Rotorua, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Rotorua
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Rotorua Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Rotorua

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Rotorua

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,455 in Rotorua, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Rotorua $1,455

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,347 in Rotorua, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Rotorua $2,347

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,238 in Rotorua, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Rotorua $3,238

Tbilisi is about 13% cheaper than Rotorua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while Rotorua is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$11.23 NZ$20.01

3.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$67.8 NZ$121

-44.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$9.19 NZ$16.38

5.11%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.17 NZ$5.65

12.62%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.97 NZ$3.52

-45.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.74 NZ$3.10

-67.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$6.23 NZ$11.10

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$6.79 NZ$12.10

-55.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.72 NZ$3.07

26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.28 NZ$2.28

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.27 NZ$2.27

37.01%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$6.19 NZ$11.03

-54.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.56 NZ$13.48

23.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$4.53 NZ$8.08

43.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$17.15 NZ$30.56

-24.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

$2.90 NZ$5.16

-42.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.01 NZ$3.59

-7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$2.54 NZ$4.53

-22.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$6.04 NZ$10.77

-59.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.40 NZ$2.49

-41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.81 NZ$1.44

-8.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$0.58 NZ$1.04

131.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$1.10 NZ$1.96

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$24.09 NZ$42.94

-85.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$8.28 NZ$14.76

-7.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$2.90 NZ$5.16

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$3.28 NZ$5.84

-26.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.34 NZ$2.40

-70.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$60.4 NZ$108

-74.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-50.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$2.00 NZ$3.57

-61.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$31.95 NZ$57.0

-62.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.64 NZ$2.93

-11.59%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$22.4K NZ$39.9K

9.82%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$21.0K NZ$37.4K

6.41%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$64.5 NZ$115

37.70%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$27.10 NZ$48.30

-51.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$45.26 NZ$80.7

-56.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$39.07 NZ$69.6

63.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$8.86 NZ$15.78

-19.64%

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

$375 ₾971

$684 NZ$1,219

-45.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$19.3K NZ$34.4K

-45.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$75.2 NZ$134

37.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$17.06 NZ$30.41

130.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$93.1 NZ$166

26.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$112 NZ$199

9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$696 NZ$1,241

-0.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$552 NZ$984

-18.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,260 NZ$2,245

7.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$1,077 NZ$1,919

-15.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$4,144 NZ$7,385

-44.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$3,335 NZ$5,943

-59.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$3,750 NZ$6,684

-82.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

5.37

135.01%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rotorua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Rotorua

$552 37.9% 22.4% $101

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Rotorua

$283 19.4% 20.8% $49

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Rotorua

$215 14.8% 12.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Rotorua

$134 9.2% 22.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Rotorua

$137 9.4% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Rotorua

$57 3.9% 27.5% $22

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Rotorua

$78 5.4% 257% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $696 in Rotorua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Rotorua are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $68 in Rotorua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $283 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇳🇿 Rotorua

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

07:41 7:41 AM

9 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

58,400

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 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 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).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Rotorua 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Rotorua

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 Rotorua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotorua costs about 15% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $2,182 in Rotorua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $695 in Tbilisi and $696 in Rotorua. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Rotorua, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $68 in Rotorua. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,455 in Rotorua, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,269 in Tbilisi to $1,455 in Rotorua. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tbilisi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rotorua makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.