Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Timaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,992 in Timaru, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Timaru

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,992 in Timaru, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Timaru $1,992

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,048 in Timaru, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Timaru $3,048

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $4,104 in Timaru, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Timaru $4,104

Tbilisi is about 36% cheaper than Timaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while Timaru is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$14.41 NZ$25.59

-19.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$61.3 NZ$109

-38.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$10.87 NZ$19.29

-11.13%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.29 NZ$5.84

8.51%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.13 NZ$3.78

-49.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.78 NZ$3.15

-68.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$5.70 NZ$10.11

-54.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$6.12 NZ$10.86

-50.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$1.15 NZ$2.04

88.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-55.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.12 NZ$1.99

55.36%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$5.98 NZ$10.61

-52.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$8.28 NZ$14.70

12.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$9.21 NZ$16.35

-29.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$16.69 NZ$29.62

-22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-42.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.42 NZ$4.29

-23.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-37.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$5.25 NZ$9.32

-53.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-55.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-42.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.55 NZ$0.98

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$21.06 NZ$37.40

-83.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$5.57 NZ$9.90

37.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.17 NZ$5.63

-46.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.26 NZ$2.23

90.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$1.94 NZ$3.45

-79.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

$110 NZ$196

-86.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-48.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-56.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$28.93 NZ$51.4

-59.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.56 NZ$2.76

-7.05%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-13.70%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$22.9K NZ$40.7K

-2.66%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$113 NZ$201

-21.51%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$22.85 NZ$40.58

-42.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$52.5 NZ$93.2

-62.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

$39.92 NZ$70.9

60.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$11.39 NZ$20.22

-37.49%

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

$375 ₾971

$590 NZ$1,047

-36.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

-34.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$59.4 NZ$106

74.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$35.10 NZ$62.3

11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$91.0 NZ$162

29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$137 NZ$244

-11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$1,108 NZ$1,968

-37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$921 NZ$1,635

-51.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,790 NZ$3,179

-24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$1,674 NZ$2,972

-45.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$4,547 NZ$8,073

-49.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

$2,866 NZ$5,088

-53.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

7.07

78.50%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Timaru

$921 46.2% 104% $470

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Timaru

$302 15.1% 28.9% $68

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Timaru

$244 12.2% 27.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Timaru

$145 7.3% 15.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Timaru

$188 9.5% 55% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Timaru

$63 3.2% 19.9% $16

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Timaru

$129 6.5% 490% $107

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $1,108 in Timaru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $61 in Timaru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $302 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇳🇿 Timaru

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

05:12 5:12 AM

9 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

28,600

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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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Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Timaru 15,730 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Timaru

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 Timaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,992 in Timaru – Tbilisi comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $2,987 in Timaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tbilisi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $695 there versus $1,108 in Timaru.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $61 in Timaru. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,992 in Timaru. That makes Tbilisi about 36% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Tbilisi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Tbilisi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.