Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Tbilisi

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.

96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timaru and in Tbilisi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Timaru and in Tbilisi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Timaru $1,992
Tbilisi $1,269

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

Timaru $3,048
Tbilisi $2,016

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

Timaru $4,104
Tbilisi $2,763

Timaru costs about 57% more than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.41 NZ$25.59

$11.63 ₾30.07

23.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 NZ$109

$37.83 ₾97.8

62.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 NZ$19.29

$9.66 ₾24.98

12.53%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$3.57 ₾9.24

-7.84%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.78

$1.08 ₾2.78

97.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$0.56 ₾1.45

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 NZ$10.11

$2.62 ₾6.78

117.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$3.04 ₾7.85

101.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$2.17 ₾5.60

-47.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$0.80 ₾2.06

123.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 NZ$1.99

$1.74 ₾4.51

-35.63%

Eggs

$5.98 NZ$10.61

$2.83 ₾7.31

111.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 NZ$14.70

$9.31 ₾24.07

-11.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.35

$6.52 ₾16.85

41.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 NZ$29.62

$12.95 ₾33.50

28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.21

$1.68 ₾4.33

74.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NZ$4.29

$1.85 ₾4.79

30.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$1.97 ₾5.10

60.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 NZ$9.32

$2.42 ₾6.25

116.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.30

$0.82 ₾2.11

126.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$0.74 ₾1.91

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$1.34 ₾3.47

73.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$0.77 ₾2.00

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.40

$3.57 ₾9.24

489.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 NZ$9.90

$7.67 ₾19.83

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$1.70 ₾4.39

86.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$2.40 ₾6.21

-47.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$0.40 ₾1.05

385.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 NZ$196

$15.23 ₾39.38

623.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.14 ₾2.95

95.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$0.78 ₾2.02

129.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 NZ$51.4

$11.83 ₾30.58

144.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.76

$1.45 ₾3.75

7.59%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$24.6K ₾63.6K

15.88%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.7K

$22.3K ₾57.8K

2.73%

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

$113 NZ$201

$88.8 ₾230

27.40%

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

$22.85 NZ$40.58

$13.12 ₾33.93

74.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$93.2

$19.67 ₾50.9

166.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.92 NZ$70.9

$64.1 ₾166

-37.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 NZ$20.22

$7.12 ₾18.42

59.97%

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

$590 NZ$1,047

$375 ₾971

57.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

$10.5K ₾27.1K

53.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$106

$104 ₾268

-42.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 NZ$62.3

$39.26 ₾102

-10.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$162

$117 ₾303

-22.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 NZ$244

$122 ₾315

12.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 NZ$1,968

$695 ₾1,798

59.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 NZ$1,635

$451 ₾1,167

104.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,790 NZ$3,179

$1,355 ₾3,504

32.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 NZ$2,972

$906 ₾2,343

84.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,547 NZ$8,073

$2,295 ₾5,934

98.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 NZ$5,088

$1,345 ₾3,478

113.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

12.62

-43.98%

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

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timaru

$921 46.2%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 51% $470

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$302 15.1%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 22.4% $68

Eating Out

Timaru

$244 12.2%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 21.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$188 9.5%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 35.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$145 7.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 18.4% $27

Getting Around

Timaru

$129 6.5%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 83% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$63 3.2%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 24.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Timaru versus $695 in Tbilisi. 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 $61 in Timaru versus $38 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $234 – making Tbilisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

20:52 8:52 PM

9 h behind Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Timaru Tbilisi 15,730 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Timaru
Tbilisi

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

Timaru vs Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,987 per month in Timaru and $1,904 in Tbilisi. 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 $61 in Timaru and $38 in Tbilisi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,992 in Timaru and $1,269 in Tbilisi. 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.