Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Wanaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,696 in Wanaka, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Wanaka
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Wanaka Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Wanaka

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Wanaka

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

A single person spends $1,269 per month in Tbilisi vs $1,696 in Wanaka, rent included.

Tbilisi $1,269
Wanaka $1,696

A couple spends around $2,016 per month in Tbilisi vs $2,695 in Wanaka, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,016
Wanaka $2,695

A family of three spends $2,763 per month in Tbilisi vs $3,694 in Wanaka, rent included.

Tbilisi $2,763
Wanaka $3,694

Tbilisi is about 25% cheaper than Wanaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tbilisi sits 7% below the global median, while Wanaka is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$13.97 NZ$24.80

-16.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$57.1 NZ$101

-33.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$8.60 NZ$15.28

12.33%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.03 NZ$5.38

17.82%

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

$1.08 ₾2.78

$1.71 NZ$3.04

-36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$1.91 NZ$3.38

-70.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$6.96 NZ$12.37

-62.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$6.35 NZ$11.28

-52.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.12 NZ$3.76

2.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-60.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

$1.79 NZ$3.17

-2.79%

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$6.00 NZ$10.65

-52.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$8.51 NZ$15.10

9.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

$9.71 NZ$17.24

-32.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

$16.78 NZ$29.78

-22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.33

$2.90 NZ$5.15

-42.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$2.14 NZ$3.79

-13.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

$3.30 NZ$5.86

-40.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

$5.10 NZ$9.06

-52.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-56.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$1.78 NZ$3.16

-58.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-41.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.60 NZ$1.07

28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$22.66 NZ$40.23

-84.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$8.85 NZ$15.71

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.15 NZ$5.59

-46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$1.26 NZ$2.24

90.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$5.83 NZ$10.34

-80.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$28.08 NZ$49.85

-57.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.80 NZ$3.19

-19.44%

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

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$28.6K NZ$50.8K

-14.15%

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

$22.3K ₾57.8K

$23.0K NZ$40.9K

-2.98%

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

$88.8 ₾230

$112 NZ$200

-21.06%

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

$13.12 ₾33.93

$29.42 NZ$52.2

-55.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$51.9 NZ$92.2

-62.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

$11.57 NZ$20.54

-38.46%

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

$375 ₾971

$601 NZ$1,068

-37.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

$59.9 NZ$106

73.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

$35.14 NZ$62.4

11.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

$68.5 NZ$122

71.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

$73.9 NZ$131

64.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$971 NZ$1,723

-28.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$806 NZ$1,430

-43.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$1,880 NZ$3,338

-27.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$1,656 NZ$2,940

-45.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

$5,641 NZ$10.0K

-59.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$4,352 NZ$7,727

-84.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

215.50%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Wanaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Wanaka

$805 47.5% 78.5% $354

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Wanaka

$324 19.1% 38.7% $90

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Wanaka

$236 13.9% 23.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Wanaka

$107 6.3% 37.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Wanaka

$194 11.4% 59.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Wanaka

$23 * 1.4% 70.4% $55

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Wanaka

$5.8 * 0.3% 73.4% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $695 in Tbilisi versus $971 in Wanaka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Wanaka are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi versus $57 in Wanaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $324 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇳🇿 Wanaka

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

06:27 6:27 AM

9 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

11,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tbilisi Wanaka 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Wanaka

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 Wanaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi, $1,696 in Wanaka – Tbilisi comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,904 per month in Tbilisi and $2,543 in Wanaka. 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 $971 in Wanaka.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tbilisi and $57 in Wanaka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Wanaka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,269 in Tbilisi and $1,696 in Wanaka, 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 $1,696 in Wanaka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

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