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GE · TBILISILocal facts

Living in Tbilisi.

Georgia's capital and the hub for its freelancer boom: warm, cheap, and walkable, with a lively cafe-and-coworking scene, hot dry summers and mild winters. The biggest draw is how fast you can set up — a year visa-free, an Individual Entrepreneur and 1% tax in an afternoon.

VerifiedUpdated

Population 1,331,485

Geostat 2024 census (via Civil.ge)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Nov 14, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Geostat 2024 census count for Tbilisi, relayed via Civil.ge/1TV — Geostat's primary tables render via JavaScript and weren't directly fetchable.
Notes
2024 census enumeration date (14 Nov 2024).
· Asia/Tbilisi· Georgia rules apply

GE · TBILISI

01

At a glance

The headline numbers for Tbilisi — each with its own source and freshness. A live official figure is not the same as a survey estimate or a 30-year climate normal.

01

Cost of living

10.0/10
$220/mo
2025curated

Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.

02

Rent, 1–3 bed

8.4/10
$480–$1,400

/mo

2026curated

ss.ge / korter.ge listing samples (Tbilisi)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Typical asking-rent medians from active listings (portals quote USD), central = Vake/Saburtalo/Old Tbilisi, outside = outer districts. Small samples — indicative ranges. Georgian portal room counts mapped (a '2-room' listing ≈ a 1-bedroom).
Notes
Asking, not transacted; indicative from small listing samples. Room-count convention: Georgian portals count total rooms, mapped to Western studio/1BR/2BR/3BR.

03

Freelancer tax

10.0/10
1%
2026curated

SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jan 1, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%.

Safety

7.0/10
2.03/100k

Air quality

6.0/10
15.1 µg/m³
2024survey

IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report

Research

Data as of
Dec 31, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.

Internet

0.7/10
16 Mbps
2023open data

M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia

Open data

Data as of
Dec 31, 2023
Verified
Jul 4, 2026
Method
Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 47,852 download tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; the 2024 file is only Jan–Mar, and 2025/2026 are not yet published). Georgia sits under continent code AS in M-Lab.
Notes
M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cross-check: the World Bank's July-2024 median of ~20 Mbps (Ookla-derived, so not citable here) is consistent with this once the M-Lab-reads-low offset is accounted for. Speeds are trending up (~10%/yr: M-Lab yearly medians ran 9.7 in 2020 → 15.8 in 2023), so multi-year pooling would understate current speed; the latest full year is used instead. GNCC/comcom.ge publishes operator quality-of-service measurements (e.g. Magticom fixed ~56 Mb/s advertised-tier average, 2025/26) but no national measured median, and its own speed commentary relies on the same Ookla data we can't redistribute.

English

7.0/10
High
2025survey

EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band)

Research

Data as of
Nov 1, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood.

Private health

10.0/10
$450/yr
2026curated

Georgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Midpoint of comprehensive local plans: Ardi Medi Premium from ~$340/yr up to market comprehensive ~$795/yr (converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD). Expat international plans run higher ($1,000–2,000/yr).
Notes
Georgian insurers quote by callback rather than public age-rated engines, so this is a curated market midpoint for local comprehensive cover, not a bound quote.
What the tags meanofficial — live figure from a government or authorityopen data — open dataset (Eurostat, EEA, M-Lab, UdSC…)survey — survey or index estimatecurated — SettleMetric-assembled estimate — open the source for the method

02

What it costs you per month

A planning estimate: real asking rent plus a cost-of-living basket scaled to your household. Not a quote.

Household
Lifestyle
Location
Estimated total
$710/mo

≈ $8,520 / year

Where it goes
  • Rent (1-bed)$480
  • Food & non-alcoholic drinks$88
  • Restaurants, recreation & communications$41
  • Transport$26
  • Healthcare (out-of-pocket)$25
  • Utilities & energy$18
  • Clothing & footwear$13
  • Household goods$12
  • Education$7
  • Living costs$230

Rent from the asking-rent matrix below. Living costs scale a one-person basket ($230/mo) by household size and lifestyle; the equivalence factors are our assumption. Schooling and one-off setup are excluded.

03

Cost of living

What a single person spends each month — food, utilities, transport, eating out and the rest — excluding rent.

Typical monthly spending (national average)

Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 (category shares)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Geostat 2025 per-capita consumption shares (food 38.7%, transport 11.4%, healthcare 11.0%, etc.) applied to the ~$220/mo excl-rent base and converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD. Georgia's very high food share is characteristic of the income level. National average — rent shown separately.
total230 USD/mo
01Food & non-alcoholic drinks88 USD
02Restaurants, recreation & communications41 USD
03Transport26 USD
04Healthcare (out-of-pocket)25 USD
05Utilities & energy18 USD
06Clothing & footwear13 USD
07Household goods12 USD
08Education7 USD

Georgia's household-budget basket for a single person, excluding rent. Non-rent costs vary little between cities — the city-specific part is rent, shown under Housing below.

01Cost of living (single, excl. rent)country-level220USD/month, single person, excluding rent10.0

What this measures

Monthly cost of a defined single-person basket (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure) excluding rent, curated from national statistics office price data and large local retailers' published prices, converted to USD at the ECB rate recorded in fx-rates. The method field of each value itemizes the basket inputs.

Lower is betterUSD/month, single person, excluding rentre-verified every 365 days

Curated by SettleMetric

Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.

04

Housing

What it costs to rent, by apartment type and location.

Asking rent by apartment type & location

ss.ge / korter.ge listing samples (Tbilisi)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Typical asking-rent medians from active listings (portals quote USD), central = Vake/Saburtalo/Old Tbilisi, outside = outer districts. Small samples — indicative ranges. Georgian portal room counts mapped (a '2-room' listing ≈ a 1-bedroom).
Notes
Asking, not transacted; indicative from small listing samples. Room-count convention: Georgian portals count total rooms, mapped to Western studio/1BR/2BR/3BR.
Asking, not transacted; indicative from small listing samples. Room-count convention: Georgian portals count total rooms, mapped to Western studio/1BR/2BR/3BR.
ApartmentCentralOutside centre
Studio450 USD/mo300 USD/mo
1-bedroom600 USD/mo480 USD/mo
2-bedroom900 USD/mo650 USD/mo
3-bedroom1,400 USD/mo1,000 USD/mo

05

Climate

Temperature and rainfall through the year, plus air quality.

Monthly normals — Tbilisi

Climate normals 1991–2020, Tbilisi (WMO 37545)

Research

Data as of
Dec 31, 2020
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
1991–2020 station normals (Tbilisi WMO 37545); cross-checked against the Wikipedia/Pogoda.ru.net + NOAA figures which agree within rounding. NOAA NCEI raw CSV renders via JavaScript — this is a faithful secondary rendering.
Daytime high °CNighttime low °CRainfall mm
16°32°050100mmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary — high 7.1°C, low -0.4°C, rainfall 16 mmFebruary — high 8.7°C, low 0.3°C, rainfall 18 mmMarch — high 13.5°C, low 3.8°C, rainfall 29 mmApril — high 18.8°C, low 8°C, rainfall 64 mmMay — high 23.9°C, low 12.9°C, rainfall 83 mmJune — high 28.7°C, low 17.1°C, rainfall 84 mmJuly — high 31.7°C, low 20.1°C, rainfall 42 mmAugust — high 31.9°C, low 20°C, rainfall 39 mmSeptember — high 26.7°C, low 15.9°C, rainfall 35 mmOctober — high 20.2°C, low 10.6°C, rainfall 46 mmNovember — high 13°C, low 4.6°C, rainfall 34 mmDecember — high 8.2°C, low 0.9°C, rainfall 21 mm

Average day/night temperature (lines, left axis) and total rainfall (bars, right axis) for each month — 1991–2020 normals. Hover a month for exact figures.

Month by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daytime high °C7.1°8.7°13.5°18.8°23.9°28.7°31.7°31.9°26.7°20.2°13.0°8.2°
Nighttime low °C-0.4°0.3°3.8°8.0°12.9°17.1°20.1°20.0°15.9°10.6°4.6°0.9°
Rainfall mm161829648384423935463421
01Climate comfort4pleasant months/year4.0

What this measures

Number of months whose 1991–2020 climate normals satisfy: mean daily maximum between 15°C and 28°C and monthly precipitation under 150mm. Computed from the city's climate-normals indicator; the raw normals are stored alongside so users can judge by their own taste.

Higher is betterpleasant months/yearre-verified every 3650 days

Curated by SettleMetric

SettleMetric computation over climate-normals

Data as of
Dec 31, 2020
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precip < 150mm: Apr, May, Sep, Oct = 4. June (28.7°C) and Jul–Aug (~32°C) are too hot.
02Air quality (PM2.5)15.1µg/m³, annual mean PM2.56.0

What this measures

Annual mean fine-particulate (PM2.5) concentration for the city, latest available year. Anchors follow the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³ → 10) through the EU limit value territory (25 µg/m³ → 2). Preferred source: European Environment Agency city-level air quality data; outside Europe: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database or the national monitoring network.

Lower is betterµg/m³, annual mean PM2.5re-verified every 730 days

Research

IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report

Data as of
Dec 31, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.

06

Safety

How safe daily life is, from official crime statistics.

01Homicide ratecountry-level2intentional homicides per 100,000/year7.0

What this measures

Intentional homicide victims per 100,000 population, latest available year. Country level: UNODC national series. City level: official municipal/police statistics where published; otherwise null (country value shown as country-level).

Lower is betterintentional homicides per 100,000/yearre-verified every 730 days

Open data

UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia

Data as of
Dec 31, 2019
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published.
Hate crime (police-recorded)country-levelpolice-recorded · 2024

OSCE ODIHR Hate Crime Reporting — Georgia (official police-recorded)

Official source

Data as of
Dec 31, 2024
Verified
Jul 15, 2026
Notes
OSCE ODIHR 2024: 2,002 hate crimes recorded by police — but this unusually high total is dominated by gender-based hate crime (1,732 offences, i.e. domestic-violence/femicide cases recorded with a bias motive); only 44 are itemized as racist/xenophobic. Figures combine Interior Ministry and Special Investigation Service cases and may include offences outside the OSCE hate-crime definition. Not comparable across countries.
2,002
recorded by police
44
racist / xenophobic

OSCE ODIHR 2024: 2,002 hate crimes recorded by police — but this unusually high total is dominated by gender-based hate crime (1,732 offences, i.e. domestic-violence/femicide cases recorded with a bias motive); only 44 are itemized as racist/xenophobic. Figures combine Interior Ministry and Special Investigation Service cases and may include offences outside the OSCE hate-crime definition. Not comparable across countries.

07

Infrastructure

Internet speed and how parcels get to your door.

01Domestic delivery qualitycountry-levelGood7.0

What this measures

Quality of in-country parcel delivery. excellent = nationwide next-day widely available, dense parcel-locker network, real-time tracking standard; good = 1–3 day delivery, lockers in major cities; basic = reliable but slow (3–7 days), mostly to-door or post-office pickup; poor = unreliable delivery, street addresses often unusable, informal workarounds common. Classified from official service/coverage data of the national postal operator and the two largest private carriers; inputs itemized in each value's method field.

Rated by categoryre-verified every 730 days

Curated by SettleMetric

Georgian Post + courier service pages (composite)

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Georgian Post ~500 branches nationwide (1–3 day domestic parcels, some lockers/pickup points); Wolt Drive and Glovo last-mile in Tbilisi/Batumi; DHL/FedEx/UPS present. Dense and reliable in cities; locker density and nationwide same-day coverage thinner than EU leaders → good, not excellent.
02International delivery easecountry-levelMinor friction7.0

What this measures

Ease of receiving goods from abroad. seamless = major international carriers deliver door-to-door, meaningful duty-free de-minimis threshold, customs clearance predictable in days; minor-friction = carriers present but low de-minimis, extra paperwork or routine delays; significant-friction = frequent customs holds, high brokerage fees, some marketplaces refuse to ship; unreliable = parcels regularly lost or blocked, informal import channels dominate. De-minimis thresholds and clearance rules from the national customs authority (official source, cite the regulation); carrier presence from carriers' official pages.

Rated by categoryre-verified every 365 days

Official source

Revenue Service of Georgia — customs procedures

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Georgia is outside the EU/EAEU. Personal-import de minimis: 300 GEL (≈ $113) and ≤ 30 kg, once per calendar month, exempt; above that, 18% import VAT + 0–12% duty + a small customs fee. All major integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS, Aramex) present. Predictable but the low monthly de-minimis cap adds friction.
03Internet speedcountry-level15.8Mbps, median fixed download0.7

What this measures

Median fixed-broadband download speed over the trailing 6 months from M-Lab NDT open data (CC0), aggregated at country or city level. Not comparable with Ookla figures (different test methodology) — do not mix sources within this criterion.

Higher is betterMbps, median fixed downloadre-verified every 365 days

Open data

M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia

Data as of
Dec 31, 2023
Verified
Jul 4, 2026
Method
Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 47,852 download tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; the 2024 file is only Jan–Mar, and 2025/2026 are not yet published). Georgia sits under continent code AS in M-Lab.
Notes
M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cross-check: the World Bank's July-2024 median of ~20 Mbps (Ookla-derived, so not citable here) is consistent with this once the M-Lab-reads-low offset is accounted for. Speeds are trending up (~10%/yr: M-Lab yearly medians ran 9.7 in 2020 → 15.8 in 2023), so multi-year pooling would understate current speed; the latest full year is used instead. GNCC/comcom.ge publishes operator quality-of-service measurements (e.g. Magticom fixed ~56 Mb/s advertised-tier average, 2025/26) but no national measured median, and its own speed commentary relies on the same Ookla data we can't redistribute.

08

Healthcare

What comprehensive private medical cover costs.

01Private healthcare costcountry-level450USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old10.0

What this measures

Median of at least three publicly quoted annual premiums for comprehensive private medical insurance (outpatient + inpatient, ~$100k coverage, small deductible) for a healthy 35-year-old resident foreigner, from local and international insurers. Method field lists the insurers quoted.

Lower is betterUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-oldre-verified every 365 days

Curated by SettleMetric

Georgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Midpoint of comprehensive local plans: Ardi Medi Premium from ~$340/yr up to market comprehensive ~$795/yr (converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD). Expat international plans run higher ($1,000–2,000/yr).
Notes
Georgian insurers quote by callback rather than public age-rated engines, so this is a curated market midpoint for local comprehensive cover, not a bound quote.

09

Money & crypto

Crypto rules and how freely personal money moves.

01Crypto regulationcountry-levelLegal friendly10.0

What this measures

Own classification of the legal status of holding, trading and cashing out cryptocurrency for individuals: legal-friendly (legal with clear, favourable rules or explicit tax exemptions), legal-regulated (legal under standard licensing/AML and taxation), restricted (partial bans: payments or banking access prohibited), banned (holding/trading prohibited). Classified from national regulators' and central banks' official positions.

Rated by categoryre-verified every 180 days

Official source

National Bank of Georgia — Virtual Asset Service Providers

Data as of
Jul 1, 2023
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Individuals pay 0% income tax on crypto gains (Minister of Finance Public Decision N201, 2019 — crypto is not Georgian-source income for individuals) and crypto↔fiat exchange is VAT-exempt. Service providers must register as VASPs with the NBG (regime since 1 July 2023). Very favourable for individual holders, hence legal-friendly.
02Financial control levelcountry-levelLow10.0

What this measures

Own composite of state control over personal money flows: currency/capital controls (IMF AREAER), restrictions on foreign accounts and transfers, mandatory income declaration scope for residents, cash payment limits, banking access for foreigners. Low = free movement of personal funds and easy non-resident banking; very-high = strict capital controls and pervasive reporting. Method field on each value lists the inputs used.

Rated by categoryre-verified every 365 days

Curated by SettleMetric

US State Dept 2025 Investment Climate Statement (Georgia) / trade.gov

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
GEL freely convertible (float since 1998; IMF Article VIII since 1996); no capital controls; funds transfer abroad freely (except sanctioned destinations); no routine cash caps or resident foreign-account exit restrictions.
Notes
Caveat: since Georgia joined CRS (2024) and post-2022 de-risking, non-resident bank account onboarding has become notably stricter (source-of-funds documentation, some rejections). The FX regime itself is open; the friction is at bank KYC.

10

Language

How far English gets you in daily life and services.

01English proficiencycountry-levelHigh7.0

What this measures

Own banding of how far English gets a resident in daily life (government offices, healthcare, housing, services). Informed by EF EPI band (research source, cited with attribution, not republished) plus official language status and service-sector realities. Values are our bands, not EF scores.

Rated by categoryre-verified every 730 days

Research

EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band)

Data as of
Nov 1, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood.

11

Education

International schooling options for families.

01International schools3accredited international schools, count4.7

What this measures

Count of international schools in the metro area accredited by or member of IB, CIS, COBIS, or an equivalent national-curriculum-abroad body (verified against the accreditor's public registry, not aggregator sites).

Higher is betteraccredited international schools, countre-verified every 730 days

Curated by SettleMetric

IB World Schools directory / IB Georgia association

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
IB World Schools in Tbilisi: New School (PYP+MYP+DP), Newton Free School, European School. At least 3; the ibo.org finder blocked automated access (±1).
Notes
~16 international schools operate in Tbilisi; 3 are IB-authorized.

12

Demographics

Who else lives here — the share of foreign residents and the largest national communities, from official statistics.

Openness to foreignerscountry-levelReservedGallup MAI 3.05/9 · 2016

What this measures

How accepting the resident population is of migrants and foreigners — the inverse of xenophobia, a real concern for someone relocating. Our own five-band reading (very-open / open / moderate / reserved / low) informed primarily by the Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index (0–9 scale: three questions on migrants living in the country, becoming neighbours, and marrying into the family; 2019 wave), cross-checked where available with the World Values Survey wave 7 / European Values Study 2017 question on whether people would not want immigrants or foreign workers as neighbours (a higher share = more hostile). Banding guide against the Gallup 0–9 score: ≥7.0 very-open, 5.5–7.0 open, 4.0–5.5 moderate, 2.5–4.0 reserved, below 2.5 low (the 2019 global average of 5.21 sits in 'moderate'). Country level only: no credible city-level survey of attitudes to foreigners exists, so on city pages the country reading is shown as country context. Gallup is a research source cited with attribution, not republished in bulk; the raw index score/year and any cross-check figure are carried inside each value. Value shape: { band, gallupMai?, gallupYear?, unwantedNeighborPct?, unwantedNeighborSource? }. Display-only: attitudinal, survey-based and ~2019 vintage, so it is shown as honest context and never folded into the composite score.

Reference datare-verified every 1825 days

Research

Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index, first wave (2016–2017 Gallup World Poll) — full 139-country table (research, attribution)

Data as of
Aug 23, 2017
Verified
Jul 15, 2026
Notes
Gallup MAI 3.05/9 (2016/2017 wave) — below the global average, reserved band; no exact 2019 per-country figure was published. Band: reserved.
Who lives therecountry-levelforeign residents 3.4%

Geostat — National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2024 Population Census, results by citizenship (released June 2026)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Nov 14, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Census counts 133,857 foreign citizens in the permanent population of 3,929,581 (critical moment 13–14 Nov 2024) = 3.4%. Permanent-population basis counts only foreign nationals resident 12+ months. Population totals confirmed firsthand in the Geostat Final Results PDF (geostat.ge/media/78282); the citizenship split is from Geostat's June 2026 detailed census release, cross-checked across multiple independent outlets reporting identical Geostat figures because the Geostat detailed table is not machine-readable.
Notes
Permanent-resident basis. IMPORTANT: this undercounts the 2022–2023 Russian/Belarusian influx — many relocatees live on visa-free stays (Russians 360, Belarusians 90 visa-free days) without residence permits and below the 12-month threshold. Geostat's preliminary 2025 estimate was 6.6% (~257,000) before the strict 12-month rule cut it to the final 3.4%. Treat 3.4% as a floor for actual foreign presence.
Largest communities of foreign residents133,857 total

Geostat — 2024 Population Census, detailed results by country of citizenship (released June 2026)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Nov 14, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Counts by citizenship from Geostat's June 2026 detailed census release (top 10 published groups; 'Other (various)' = 133,857 minus the named groups). Shares = count ÷ 133,857 foreign residents. Figures cross-confirmed across multiple independent outlets citing the same Geostat release, as the Geostat detailed table is not machine-fetchable.
Notes
Percentages are of foreign residents in the permanent population. Notable decade change vs the 2014 census: India ~57×, Ukraine ~7×, Russia ~5×. SAME LIMITATION as the foreign share: the 2022–2023 Russian/Belarusian wartime influx is under-represented (many present visa-free without permits), so Russia (37,715) and Belarus (4,473) are permanent-resident counts well below the total presence; no official Geostat figure exists for the temporary Russian population.
01Russia28.2%37,715
02Other (various)19.9%26,647
03India17.9%23,925
04Ukraine8.6%11,542
05Azerbaijan6.2%8,309
06Armenia4%5,381
07Türkiye3.9%5,262
08Belarus3.3%4,473
09Iran3.2%4,322
10Israel2.4%3,244
11Jordan2.3%3,037

Percentages are of foreign residents in the permanent population. Notable decade change vs the 2014 census: India ~57×, Ukraine ~7×, Russia ~5×. SAME LIMITATION as the foreign share: the 2022–2023 Russian/Belarusian wartime influx is under-represented (many present visa-free without permits), so Russia (37,715) and Belarus (4,473) are permanent-resident counts well below the total presence; no official Geostat figure exists for the temporary Russian population.

13

How you can stay

How you can legally enter and stay. These apply across Georgia.

All requirements & citizenship filter

14

What you'd pay in taxes

The tax schemes a freelancer can choose from. Rules are national, the same in Tbilisi as anywhere in Georgia.

Full schemes & calculator

See what you would keep

Your income against Georgia's real tax schemes — the same engine as the full calculator.

  1. 1 Small Business Status — 1% turnover tax
    59,400 EURnet/year
    1.0% burden
  2. 2 Virtual Zone company — 0% profit + 5% dividend
    57,000 EURnet/year
    5.0% burden
  3. 3 Standard regime — 20% on profit
    48,000 EURnet/year
    20.0% burden
  4. 4 Micro Business Status — 0% taxover income cap
    60,000 EURnet/year
    0.0% burden

15

Who is Tbilisi for?

The same place reads differently depending on why you move. Each lens pulls the facts that matter most for that plan — with sources, and the trade-offs stated plainly.

Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.

Works in your favour

Freelancer tax burden1%

SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jan 1, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%.
English proficiencyHigh

EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band)

Research

Data as of
Nov 1, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)$220/mo

Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.
Domestic delivery qualityGood

Georgian Post + courier service pages (composite)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Georgian Post ~500 branches nationwide (1–3 day domestic parcels, some lockers/pickup points); Wolt Drive and Glovo last-mile in Tbilisi/Batumi; DHL/FedEx/UPS present. Dense and reliable in cities; locker density and nationwide same-day coverage thinner than EU leaders → good, not excellent.

Watch-outs

Internet speed16 Mbps

M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia

Open data

Data as of
Dec 31, 2023
Verified
Jul 4, 2026
Method
Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 47,852 download tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; the 2024 file is only Jan–Mar, and 2025/2026 are not yet published). Georgia sits under continent code AS in M-Lab.
Notes
M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cross-check: the World Bank's July-2024 median of ~20 Mbps (Ookla-derived, so not citable here) is consistent with this once the M-Lab-reads-low offset is accounted for. Speeds are trending up (~10%/yr: M-Lab yearly medians ran 9.7 in 2020 → 15.8 in 2023), so multi-year pooling would understate current speed; the latest full year is used instead. GNCC/comcom.ge publishes operator quality-of-service measurements (e.g. Magticom fixed ~56 Mb/s advertised-tier average, 2025/26) but no national measured median, and its own speed commentary relies on the same Ookla data we can't redistribute.

Relocating with a partner and school-age children.

Works in your favour

Homicide rate2.03/100k

UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia

Open data

Data as of
Dec 31, 2019
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published.
Private healthcare cost$450/yr

Georgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Midpoint of comprehensive local plans: Ardi Medi Premium from ~$340/yr up to market comprehensive ~$795/yr (converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD). Expat international plans run higher ($1,000–2,000/yr).
Notes
Georgian insurers quote by callback rather than public age-rated engines, so this is a curated market midpoint for local comprehensive cover, not a bound quote.

Watch-outs

International schools3

IB World Schools directory / IB Georgia association

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jul 3, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
IB World Schools in Tbilisi: New School (PYP+MYP+DP), Newton Free School, European School. At least 3; the ibo.org finder blocked automated access (±1).
Notes
~16 international schools operate in Tbilisi; 3 are IB-authorized.
Air quality (PM2.5)15.1 µg/m³

IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report

Research

Data as of
Dec 31, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.

Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.

Works in your favour

Crypto regulationLegal friendly

National Bank of Georgia — Virtual Asset Service Providers

Official source

Data as of
Jul 1, 2023
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Individuals pay 0% income tax on crypto gains (Minister of Finance Public Decision N201, 2019 — crypto is not Georgian-source income for individuals) and crypto↔fiat exchange is VAT-exempt. Service providers must register as VASPs with the NBG (regime since 1 July 2023). Very favourable for individual holders, hence legal-friendly.
Financial control levelLow

US State Dept 2025 Investment Climate Statement (Georgia) / trade.gov

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
GEL freely convertible (float since 1998; IMF Article VIII since 1996); no capital controls; funds transfer abroad freely (except sanctioned destinations); no routine cash caps or resident foreign-account exit restrictions.
Notes
Caveat: since Georgia joined CRS (2024) and post-2022 de-risking, non-resident bank account onboarding has become notably stricter (source-of-funds documentation, some rejections). The FX regime itself is open; the friction is at bank KYC.
Freelancer tax burden1%

SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status)

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Jan 1, 2026
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%.

Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.

Works in your favour

Homicide rate2.03/100k

UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia

Open data

Data as of
Dec 31, 2019
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)$220/mo

Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Dec 31, 2025
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.

Watch-outs

Air quality (PM2.5)15.1 µg/m³

IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report

Research

Data as of
Dec 31, 2024
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Notes
Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.
Climate comfort4/12 mo

SettleMetric computation over climate-normals

Curated by SettleMetric

Data as of
Dec 31, 2020
Verified
Jul 3, 2026
Method
Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precip < 150mm: Apr, May, Sep, Oct = 4. June (28.7°C) and Jul–Aug (~32°C) are too hot.

16

Video reviews

Hand-picked YouTube tours and living-here guides — each one checked to still play.

Cost of living in Tbilisi: a full price breakdown

Nomad Nest · Everyday prices on the ground

17

Compare Tbilisi

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Georgia overview