Tbilisi Expat

[Eri Pfaff]

Springand autumn are also quite nice and pleasant, and the average annual rainfall in Tbilisi is just 500mm (19in), making it a fairly dry place (compared to Batumi, which gets nearly 5 times as much rain!)

Prices are dirt cheap. While all operators have several packages, you can expect to pay no more than $5 for unlimited local calls and about a gigabyte of data. Personally, I pay 35 GEL (around $11) a month and get unlimited calls and texts and 7GB of data. Beeline is cheaper, but has the worst coverage outside of major urban centers.

The other option is to use one of the Uber-like ride-sharing apps, Bolt or Yandex (I prefer the former, but the latter is a little cheaper). Grab yourself a SIM card (or connect to the free airport WiFi), install the app, and off you go. Both apps also let you pay in cash if you want to skip punching in your card details.

Yes. There are no limitations on foreigners purchasing residential property, the purchase process is extremely quick and simple, and there are no stamp duties to pay. The only exception is agricultural land, the purchase of which is restricted for foreigners. And, because of zoning laws, a lot of land in villages and small towns is still considered agricultural. Even some outer parts of Tbilisi are still zoned as agricultural, and the process of rezoning can be a massive headache.

Your best bet to get started would be to check out sites like MyHome.ge and SS.ge (both have English versions) and take a first-hand look. Just be aware that there are a lot of fake listings on those sites, so if you see something incredible for $700 a month, you might not want to base your budget expectations on such a listing.

Because of the sheer amount of scams and time wasting agents, ExpatHub offers Real Estate Purchase Assistance services where we will represent your interests, rather than leaving you to deal with all the usual problems of agents who only care about getting a commission from the seller.

A word of warning, though: be prepared to provide many more documents and start answering questions if or when you start receiving large amounts (by Georgian standards) into your account, especially from abroad. Banks in Georgia are increasingly tight on KYC and anti-money laundering, and therefore, they tend to get quite nosey (and rightly so) the moment they spot anything irregular.

As it stands today, the home internet provider industry in Georgia is heavily monopolized by 2 major competitors: Silknet-Geocell and Magticom. They are also not too different from each other, as their offered packages are almost identical. Both companies also offer TV and mobile packages that can be combined with home internet as well. See our additional article for a detailed comparison of these two companies.

If you have kids and will be spending significant time in Georgia, finding a good international school is essential. There are several private schools in Georgia that are not under the Georgian education system, and instead follow American, British, Finnish, and Russian curriculums. They ensure that the children of expats can continue their education while meeting international standards, so that they will be prepared to enter world-leading international universities, or switch to schools in other countries without issues.

The best outcome is normally to sort out your tax liabilities and options before you even arrive, so that you can minimize your taxes rather than getting a nasty surprise later. You can read about the 6 month tax residency law and your options here.

Firstly, you should speak to a qualified tax adviser and have them assist you and validate your tax situation. This is one area where you want to avoid any mistakes, as they can turn out to be very costly.

The best way to minimize your tax bill is to take advantage of the Georgian tax system ASAP, rather than waiting until you have to file, and then discovering that you could have paid less if you had registered earlier. The difference can be many thousands of dollars.

Based on the Order of the Ministry of Finance published in March 2023, the Government of Georgia has altered the process of acquiring the High Net Worth Individual (HNWI) tax resident status. In addition to the above-mentioned Proof of Wealth requirements, the applicant shall now also be required to present proof of owning assets in Georgia valued at 500,000 USD or more. The Order went into force on April 15th.

If you get a consultation with us, we will not only answer your questions, but also show you the evidence directly from the tax code and government legislation, that proves what we are saying is accurate.

Bus is the most common option. There are two main providers, GeorgianBus and Omnibus, and both have several departures daily. The ticket costs around 20 GEL one-way, and to make things nice for those arriving in the middle of the night (which is when most flights to and from Georgia tend to be), the buses are actually aligned with flight times. The ride takes around 4 hours.

While there are some creative ways of getting from Tbilisi to Baku, such as a 10-hour bus ride or trying your luck at the border with a rented car, most people opt for either a flight or an overnight train, both of which have their pros and cons.

The trains are nice and relatively modern (at least in 1st class). You get your own sleeper cabin that sleeps 2 (4 in second class, and more in 3rd) and it has everything that you need for a comfortable 12-13-hour ride. Except for food. Bring your own food! And coffee. (Hot water is provided, though.)

Managing Partner at ExpatHub.GE. With more than 15 years experience in planning business tax structures in countries around the world, Janar is our top expert on watertight structures with the minimum tax leakage.

The reason why we decided to move to Tbilisi was that we wanted to find a base and settle somewhere long term. We were in Northern Spain at the time when making a decision to move to Georgia, were tired of constant travels and sought to find a cheap place where to live.

Getting in touch with a few expats in Tbilisi, looking into prices for apartment rent, and taking into consideration that fact that we could stay in Georgia up to 365 days a year without a visa, we came to a conclusion that at this stage of life Tbilisi is a perfect city to move to. So we packed and left.

Your perception may be different. Whatever we consider a disadvantage, you may see as gain. I do not tend to sing praises only and skip the realities. My goal is to reflect on the positive and negative sides of a destination.

When it comes to the cost of living in Tbilisi, some foreigners proclaim (especially those who visit Tbilisi for a week or two) that everything here is very cheap or almost free. Compared with London, Paris or other major European cities, perhaps it is.

We personally cook most of the time and spend on groceries around $70 per week. This amount includes lots of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, grains, occasional meat, wine, and mineral water. A big variety of fruits and veggies comes from other countries and costs much more. Local produce is seasonal and rather cheap.

If you are looking to secure an apartment in Tbilisi for the long term, it may be a tad challenging to find it anywhere close to the Old part of Tbilisi. For the most part, owners rent it out on Airbnb starting from $30 per night and make much more money through a daily rent than a monthly one.

Vake and Avlabari would be closer to the center. There, the price for a really nice spacious and comfortable apartment with recently made renovation starts from $400. For this money, you can get a beautiful one-bedroom flat. Of course, there are cheaper flats too, they are just smaller and more basic.

We opted for another option. We booked a new apartment on Airbnb for one month. Then we got to Tbilisi, saw we liked our new home, and just made arrangements with an owner to extend for a few more months. You can try to do the same. I have a lot of friends who are living in Tbilisi until this day and they secured their long-term flats with the help of Airbnb.

We live in Upper Vake, for instance, which is relatively close to the center. Still, getting in and out of our neighborhood takes a lot of time simply because we are waiting for a marshrutka for too long. On average the wait time for us is 25-30 minutes. Once we get to the central street though, there are plenty of other buses to hop on.

The schedule for buses can be traced on the board on most of the bus stops. If there is none, simply send an SMS with the stop number to the short number (both are specified at the stop,) and the schedule will be sent to you in a reply message.

The fare in public transport in Tbilisi ranges from 50 to 80 tetri ($0.2-0.5). There is a single ticket for buses, marshrutka buses, and cable cars. You can pay by a Metro money card that you top up with money as you need or by credit card.

What I would recommend implementing is your own business idea. Opening a business in Georgia is very easy and takes literally two days. Or even one, if willing to fork out on the registration of individual entrepreneurs and pay double tax.

A registration certificate will be ready for a pick up at the House of Justice the next day or print it out from your personal account at your convenience. If you pay 50 GEL ($20), then the certificate will be ready within an hour.

If you do not resell anything and work on your own, you will able to register as a micro-entrepreneur. This means that with a certain amount of income per year you are exempted from taxes and can submit the declaration electronically once every 365 days. Easy!

One of the museums always has interesting exhibitions. In summer, there are lots of various wine, cheese and tea festivals. Different open-air events and concerts take place too. And nightlife in Tbilisi is very rich.

Lovers of nightlife will also find what to do in Tbilisi. The famous techno club Bassiani is constantly in the ratings of various international publications as one of the best music clubs.

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