Tbilisi (Georgia) vs Yerevan (Armenia)

Tbilisi (Georgia) vs Yerevan (Armenia): rent, cost of living, climate, safety and country-level context (taxes, visas) side by side — every figure with its source.

Verified Jul 4, 2026

Tbilisi (Georgia)Yerevan (Armenia)

Scoreboard

The key numbers head-to-head — the stronger side is marked. The overall score stays decoration; what matters is which facts fit you.

Tbilisi leads on 5 of 8

	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$220/mo i 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.	$187/mo i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used.
Rent: 1-bedroom (city avg)	★$540/mo i ss.ge / korter.ge listing samples Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method City-average 1-bedroom asking rent (portals quote USD): central ≈ $600, outside ≈ $480 → city avg ≈ $540. Small listing sample; indicative.	$555/mo i Curated from Armenian listing portal MyRealty.am and Armenian Mirror-Spectator agent-reported market data Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method City-wide average asking rent for a long-term 1-bedroom (1–2 room) apartment in Yerevan, triangulated across non-forbidden sources and converted at 369.34 AMD/USD (fx-rates.json AMD 421.01 / USD 1.1399, as of 2026-07-02, CBA/ECB). Inputs: (a) Armenian Mirror-Spectator (Mar 2025), reporting agent data that a typical 1–2 room unit norm sits around 130,000–250,000 AMD ($350–$680), with the '250,000 AMD ($637)' band typical for a decent 2-room and smaller/older 1-rooms lower; (b) MyRealty.am live listings (150 results, 2026) showing quoted 1-bedrooms in the ~$820–$1,200 range that skew to larger and central premium units. Taking the central tendency between the agent-reported market norm and the portal asking prices gives ≈205,000 AMD ≈ $555/month as a city-wide 1-bedroom average. Notes WIDE UNCERTAINTY (roughly ±40%). Yerevan's rental market has been volatile since the 2022 relocation wave and no single clean market-report average from a non-forbidden source exists (Numbeo/Expatistan are forbidden). Central Kentron and Arabkir command a clear premium over outer districts; this is a city-wide average, so 'central' 1-bedrooms run higher. Treat as a draft estimate to be replaced by an official Armstat rent index or a portal market report next cycle.
Freelancer tax burden	★1% i 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%.	10.8% i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively).
Homicide rate	★2.03/100k i 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.	2.21/100k i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle.
Internet speed	16 Mbps i 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.	★16 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Armenia (2023 daily stats) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 30,840 download tests, 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Same methodology as other SettleMetric countries. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Ookla reported ~57 Mbps for Armenia in Jan 2025) — the two are not comparable and must not be mixed within this criterion. This is the low-consistent-methodology figure; real-world fibre in Yerevan is considerably faster.
English proficiency	★High i 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.	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language.
Private healthcare cost	$450/yr i 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.	$352/yr i Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance package (with-inpatient), as published by Repat Armenia Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance (VHI): 130,000 AMD/year per adult under 65 (family of 3+ discounted 30% to 91,000 AMD), coverage limit 7,000,000 AMD. Comprehensive with-inpatient package — covers outpatient care, doctor consultations, tests, hospitalization, surgery, chronic-disease monitoring, plus dental and (after a 9-month wait) pregnancy. 130,000 AMD ÷ 369.34 AMD/USD = $352/year (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR, CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Comparable to the other countries' comprehensive (with-inpatient) basis. Private VHI is optional; Armenia is phasing in a mandatory Universal Health Insurance system (2026). This is a specific published individual premium (Nairi via Repat Armenia), not a market median — other insurers (Rosgosstrakh-Armenia, SIL, INGO, RESO, Armenia Insurance) quote on request. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and waiting periods apply. Insurers supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.
Air quality (PM2.5)	★15.1 µg/m³ i 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.	24.9 µg/m³ i IQAir World Air Quality Report — Yerevan annual mean (2020) Research Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations and validated sensors), same basis used for the sister Tbilisi file. 2020 annual mean 24.9 µg/m³ (2019 was 25.5) — the most recent clean full-year annual average IQAir publishes for Yerevan. About 5× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) and near the current EU limit value (25). Armenia's official national monitoring is run by the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center (Ministry of Environment), whose portal publishes real-time readings rather than a downloadable annual mean, and the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database V8.0 value for Yerevan was not cleanly extractable in this pass (the WHO interactive app is JS-rendered). Community civic-tech networks (ArmAQI, AirQuality.am) report higher recent annual means (~28–30 µg/m³ for 2024–2025), so this 2020 figure may understate current levels; winter heating and traffic are the main sources and winters are markedly worse than summers. Re-verify against the WHO database Excel and any official national annual mean next cycle.

Verdict

Each lens weighs only the facts that matter to that plan, and names the side it favours.

Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.

Tbilisi fits better — 3 of 5

	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Freelancer tax burden	★1% i 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%.	10.8% i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively).
Internet speed	16 Mbps i 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.	★16 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Armenia (2023 daily stats) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 30,840 download tests, 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Same methodology as other SettleMetric countries. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Ookla reported ~57 Mbps for Armenia in Jan 2025) — the two are not comparable and must not be mixed within this criterion. This is the low-consistent-methodology figure; real-world fibre in Yerevan is considerably faster.
English proficiency	★High i 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.	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$220/mo i 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.	$187/mo i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used.
Domestic delivery quality	★Good i 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.	Basic i HayPost (national postal operator) service network + private courier presence Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method HayPost operates the national branch network with domestic parcel and EMS delivery; private couriers (local same-day services in Yerevan, plus international DHL/FedEx/UPS agents) cover the capital well. Reliable but not a dense next-day parcel-locker market like the EU leaders; delivery is mostly to-door or branch pickup, typically a few days outside Yerevan. Classified 'basic'. Notes Curated classification from the national operator's coverage and courier presence; no official nationwide next-day SLA or parcel-locker density figures were obtained. Re-verify with HayPost service standards next cycle.

Relocating with a partner and school-age children.

Tbilisi fits better — 3 of 5

	Tbilisi	Yerevan
International schools	3 i 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.	★6 i IB World Schools directory (ibo.org) + Cambridge International, US Middle States (MSA-CESS) and AEFE (French) accreditation, each verified per accreditor Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Count of Yerevan schools verified against a qualifying accreditor's own registry, not aggregator sites. (1) Shirakatsy Lyceum — IB Diploma Programme, IB school code 004090 (ibo.org/en/school/004090); (2) Quantum College — IB DP, code 007055 (ibo.org/en/school/007055); (3) National Polytechnic University of Armenia Foundation Yerevan High School — IB DP, code 062724 (ibo.org find-an-ib-school); (4) CIS Armenia International School — registered Cambridge International school (IGCSE, AS/A Level); (5) QSI International School of Yerevan — US Middle States Association (MSA-CESS) accredited since 2000, College Board AP; (6) Lycée Français Anatole France — AEFE network member (partnership signed 2017-11-21), homologué by the French Ministry of National Education. Excluded: 'Fundacion Gimnasio Ingles de Armenia' (IB code 061373) is in Armenia, Quindío, COLOMBIA — not Yerevan — a name-collision caught by per-accreditor verification. Notes Six schools verified against IB, Cambridge, US/Middle States, and AEFE registries. Other locally-advertised 'international' schools (e.g. Dream Bridgeman Oxford, British International School of Armenia) claim 'Oxford International Curriculum' / Pearson exam-centre status but were not confirmed on a qualifying accreditor's registry, so are conservatively excluded. ±1 uncertainty: an IB candidate school or a newly-registered Cambridge centre could shift the count.
Homicide rate	★2.03/100k i 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.	2.21/100k i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle.
Private healthcare cost	$450/yr i 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.	$352/yr i Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance package (with-inpatient), as published by Repat Armenia Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance (VHI): 130,000 AMD/year per adult under 65 (family of 3+ discounted 30% to 91,000 AMD), coverage limit 7,000,000 AMD. Comprehensive with-inpatient package — covers outpatient care, doctor consultations, tests, hospitalization, surgery, chronic-disease monitoring, plus dental and (after a 9-month wait) pregnancy. 130,000 AMD ÷ 369.34 AMD/USD = $352/year (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR, CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Comparable to the other countries' comprehensive (with-inpatient) basis. Private VHI is optional; Armenia is phasing in a mandatory Universal Health Insurance system (2026). This is a specific published individual premium (Nairi via Repat Armenia), not a market median — other insurers (Rosgosstrakh-Armenia, SIL, INGO, RESO, Armenia Insurance) quote on request. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and waiting periods apply. Insurers supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.
Air quality (PM2.5)	★15.1 µg/m³ i 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.	24.9 µg/m³ i IQAir World Air Quality Report — Yerevan annual mean (2020) Research Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations and validated sensors), same basis used for the sister Tbilisi file. 2020 annual mean 24.9 µg/m³ (2019 was 25.5) — the most recent clean full-year annual average IQAir publishes for Yerevan. About 5× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) and near the current EU limit value (25). Armenia's official national monitoring is run by the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center (Ministry of Environment), whose portal publishes real-time readings rather than a downloadable annual mean, and the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database V8.0 value for Yerevan was not cleanly extractable in this pass (the WHO interactive app is JS-rendered). Community civic-tech networks (ArmAQI, AirQuality.am) report higher recent annual means (~28–30 µg/m³ for 2024–2025), so this 2020 figure may understate current levels; winter heating and traffic are the main sources and winters are markedly worse than summers. Re-verify against the WHO database Excel and any official national annual mean next cycle.
English proficiency	★High i 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.	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language.

Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.

Tbilisi fits better — 2 of 3

	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Crypto regulation	★Legal friendly i 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.	Legal regulated i Central Bank of Armenia — Law on Crypto-Assets (in force 2025-07-04) and first regulatory package (effective 2026-01-31) Official source Data as of Jan 31, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Holding and trading crypto is legal for individuals; not legal tender. A comprehensive Law on Crypto-Assets (modelled on the EU's MiCA) entered into force 2025-07-04; the Central Bank of Armenia is the sole licensing authority for crypto-asset service providers, with the first subordinate regulations effective 2026-01-31 and a licensing deadline of 2027-01-31 for existing providers. Leans crypto-friendly (non-entrepreneurial individual crypto gains are widely reported as untaxed), but classified 'legal-regulated' given the new MiCA-style licensing/AML framework.
Financial control level	Low i 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.	Low i PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Armenia (no currency/capital controls; AMD convertible) + Central Bank of Armenia FX regime Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: the Armenian dram (AMD) is freely convertible with no capital or currency controls on personal funds; non-residents can open bank accounts and hold foreign-currency accounts; foreigners can register a sole proprietorship and bank easily; no FBAR-style foreign-asset disclosure regime for residents. Classified 'low' state control over personal money flows. Inputs: PwC Armenia tax summaries and Central Bank of Armenia foreign-exchange rules. Notes Armenia has been a notably open banking destination for relocating remote workers since 2022. No IMF AREAER capital-control flags of note for personal transfers were found; re-verify against AREAER next cycle.
Freelancer tax burden	★1% i 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%.	10.8% i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively).

Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.

Tbilisi fits better — 3 of 4

	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Homicide rate	★2.03/100k i 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.	2.21/100k i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle.
Air quality (PM2.5)	★15.1 µg/m³ i 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.	24.9 µg/m³ i IQAir World Air Quality Report — Yerevan annual mean (2020) Research Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations and validated sensors), same basis used for the sister Tbilisi file. 2020 annual mean 24.9 µg/m³ (2019 was 25.5) — the most recent clean full-year annual average IQAir publishes for Yerevan. About 5× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) and near the current EU limit value (25). Armenia's official national monitoring is run by the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center (Ministry of Environment), whose portal publishes real-time readings rather than a downloadable annual mean, and the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database V8.0 value for Yerevan was not cleanly extractable in this pass (the WHO interactive app is JS-rendered). Community civic-tech networks (ArmAQI, AirQuality.am) report higher recent annual means (~28–30 µg/m³ for 2024–2025), so this 2020 figure may understate current levels; winter heating and traffic are the main sources and winters are markedly worse than summers. Re-verify against the WHO database Excel and any official national annual mean next cycle.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$220/mo i 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.	$187/mo i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used.
Climate comfort	★4/12 mo i 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.	3/12 mo i SettleMetric computation over climate-normals Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precipitation < 150mm: April (19.6°C), May (24.8°C), October (21.6°C) = 3. March (14.2°C) just misses the 15°C floor; September (29.6°C) and June–August (31–35°C) exceed the 28°C ceiling; Nov–Feb are too cold.

Details

Taxes

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Freelancer tax burden% effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile	1 i 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%. 10.0	10.8 i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively). 8.8

Legalization

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Remote-work legalization ease	Long stay path i Government Ordinance N255 — visa-free entry Official source Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Exceptionally easy in practice: ~94 nationalities (incl. all EU, US, UK, Ukraine, Russia) may stay visa-free for a full year and register an Individual Entrepreneur with 1% Small Business Status the same day — no residence permit needed. Scored as a long-stay path; there is no formal 'digital nomad visa' and the year of visa-free stay does not itself build toward permanent residence. 6.0	Long stay path i Migration and Citizenship Service of Armenia (Ministry of Internal Affairs) — residency status and visa Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes No dedicated digital-nomad visa. Realistic long-stay route: register as an individual entrepreneur (no minimum income) and obtain a temporary residence permit on entrepreneurship grounds — issued for up to 1 year, renewable, leading to permanent residence. Most Western and CIS nationals also get 180 days visa-free per year as a standing rule. A new fully-digital 'On Foreigners' system takes effect 2026-08-01. 6.0

Cost of living

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)USD/month, single person, excluding rent	220 i 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. 10.0	187 i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used. 10.0

Monthly spending by category (excl. rent)

Category	Tbilisi i 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.	Yerevan i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, per-capita consumption expenditures by category, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 urban per-capita consumption expenditure by category (Table 3.5/3.6, pre-2012 COICOP): Food 28,208 (incl. eating-out 2,293) + Non-food 12,835 + Utilities 10,646 + Health 4,475 + Tobacco 2,692 + Education 1,882 + Other services 1,861 + Communications 1,777 + Transport 1,585 + Alcohol 252 + Culture/legal 32 = 66,245 AMD. Each line CPI-uplifted ×1.045 and converted at 369.34 AMD/USD; categories sum to the ~$187/mo aggregate (Culture/legal rounds to $0 and is omitted). Rent excluded (not in the ILCS basket).
Food & non-alcoholic drinks	$88	—
Food & non-alcoholic (incl. eating out)	—	$80
Restaurants, recreation & communications	$41	—
Non-food goods	—	$36
Transport	$26	$4
Utilities (water, electricity, gas, fuel)	—	$30
Healthcare (out-of-pocket)	$25	—
Utilities & energy	$18	—
Clothing & footwear	$13	—
Health (out-of-pocket)	—	$13
Household goods	$12	—
Education	$7	$5
Tobacco	—	$8
Communications	—	$5
Other services	—	$5
Alcoholic beverages	—	$1
Total (excl. rent)	$230/mo	$187/mo

Housing

Rent by apartment type

Asking rent, central price with outside-centre in parentheses ($/mo).

Apartment	Tbilisi i 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.	Yerevan i Curated from MyRealty.am live listings and Armenian Mirror-Spectator agent-reported anchors Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Asking-rent matrix (studio/1br/2br/3br × central Kentron-Arabkir vs outer districts) built from observed anchors and converted at 369.34 AMD/USD (fx-rates.json, 2026-07-02). Observed anchors: Mirror-Spectator (Mar 2025) studio 24m² ~110,000 AMD ($300), 2-room norm ~250,000 AMD ($677) with smaller/older 1-rooms lower; MyRealty.am (2026) 1-bedrooms ~$820–1,200 and small 2-bedrooms ~$750–950 for central/premium stock. Central cells anchored to the higher observed (Kentron/Arabkir premium) end; outer-district cells set ≈0.64× the central figure per the widely reported centre-vs-periphery gap. All eight cells are DERIVED estimates. Notes WIDE UNCERTAINTY and DERIVED. No Yerevan source publishes rent simultaneously by room count and by centre/outside, and the market is volatile; these cells are transparent estimates from listing-portal and agent-reported anchors, not a single observed table. Central = Kentron and prime Arabkir; outside = outer districts (e.g. Malatia-Sebastia, Nor Nork, Ajapnyak). Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used. Replace with an official/portal market report next cycle.
Studio	$450 ($300)	$460 ($300)
1-bedroom	$600 ($480)	$680 ($435)
2-bedroom	$900 ($650)	$950 ($610)
3-bedroom	$1,400 ($1,000)	$1,350 ($810)

Safety

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Homicide rateintentional homicides per 100,000/year	2 i 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. 7.0	2.2 i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle. 6.8

Climate

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Climate comfortpleasant months/year	4 i 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. 4.0	3 i SettleMetric computation over climate-normals Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precipitation < 150mm: April (19.6°C), May (24.8°C), October (21.6°C) = 3. March (14.2°C) just misses the 15°C floor; September (29.6°C) and June–August (31–35°C) exceed the 28°C ceiling; Nov–Feb are too cold. 3.0
Air quality (PM2.5)µg/m³, annual mean PM2.5	15.1 i 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. 6.0	24.9 i IQAir World Air Quality Report — Yerevan annual mean (2020) Research Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations and validated sensors), same basis used for the sister Tbilisi file. 2020 annual mean 24.9 µg/m³ (2019 was 25.5) — the most recent clean full-year annual average IQAir publishes for Yerevan. About 5× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³) and near the current EU limit value (25). Armenia's official national monitoring is run by the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center (Ministry of Environment), whose portal publishes real-time readings rather than a downloadable annual mean, and the WHO Ambient Air Quality Database V8.0 value for Yerevan was not cleanly extractable in this pass (the WHO interactive app is JS-rendered). Community civic-tech networks (ArmAQI, AirQuality.am) report higher recent annual means (~28–30 µg/m³ for 2024–2025), so this 2020 figure may understate current levels; winter heating and traffic are the main sources and winters are markedly worse than summers. Re-verify against the WHO database Excel and any official national annual mean next cycle. 2.0

Healthcare

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Private healthcare costUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old	450 i 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. 10.0	352 i Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance package (with-inpatient), as published by Repat Armenia Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance (VHI): 130,000 AMD/year per adult under 65 (family of 3+ discounted 30% to 91,000 AMD), coverage limit 7,000,000 AMD. Comprehensive with-inpatient package — covers outpatient care, doctor consultations, tests, hospitalization, surgery, chronic-disease monitoring, plus dental and (after a 9-month wait) pregnancy. 130,000 AMD ÷ 369.34 AMD/USD = $352/year (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR, CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Comparable to the other countries' comprehensive (with-inpatient) basis. Private VHI is optional; Armenia is phasing in a mandatory Universal Health Insurance system (2026). This is a specific published individual premium (Nairi via Repat Armenia), not a market median — other insurers (Rosgosstrakh-Armenia, SIL, INGO, RESO, Armenia Insurance) quote on request. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and waiting periods apply. Insurers supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia. 10.0

Money & crypto

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Crypto regulation	Legal friendly i 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. 10.0	Legal regulated i Central Bank of Armenia — Law on Crypto-Assets (in force 2025-07-04) and first regulatory package (effective 2026-01-31) Official source Data as of Jan 31, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Holding and trading crypto is legal for individuals; not legal tender. A comprehensive Law on Crypto-Assets (modelled on the EU's MiCA) entered into force 2025-07-04; the Central Bank of Armenia is the sole licensing authority for crypto-asset service providers, with the first subordinate regulations effective 2026-01-31 and a licensing deadline of 2027-01-31 for existing providers. Leans crypto-friendly (non-entrepreneurial individual crypto gains are widely reported as untaxed), but classified 'legal-regulated' given the new MiCA-style licensing/AML framework. 8.0
Financial control level	Low i 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. 10.0	Low i PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Armenia (no currency/capital controls; AMD convertible) + Central Bank of Armenia FX regime Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: the Armenian dram (AMD) is freely convertible with no capital or currency controls on personal funds; non-residents can open bank accounts and hold foreign-currency accounts; foreigners can register a sole proprietorship and bank easily; no FBAR-style foreign-asset disclosure regime for residents. Classified 'low' state control over personal money flows. Inputs: PwC Armenia tax summaries and Central Bank of Armenia foreign-exchange rules. Notes Armenia has been a notably open banking destination for relocating remote workers since 2022. No IMF AREAER capital-control flags of note for personal transfers were found; re-verify against AREAER next cycle. 10.0

Infrastructure

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
Domestic delivery quality	Good i 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. 7.0	Basic i HayPost (national postal operator) service network + private courier presence Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method HayPost operates the national branch network with domestic parcel and EMS delivery; private couriers (local same-day services in Yerevan, plus international DHL/FedEx/UPS agents) cover the capital well. Reliable but not a dense next-day parcel-locker market like the EU leaders; delivery is mostly to-door or branch pickup, typically a few days outside Yerevan. Classified 'basic'. Notes Curated classification from the national operator's coverage and courier presence; no official nationwide next-day SLA or parcel-locker density figures were obtained. Re-verify with HayPost service standards next cycle. 4.0
International delivery ease	Minor friction i Revenue Service of Georgia — customs procedures Official source 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. 7.0	Significant friction i State Revenue Committee of Armenia — customs / import rules (de-minimis and clearance for parcels) Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Landlocked country with closed borders to two neighbours (Turkey, Azerbaijan); inbound goods route via Georgia or air. Major carriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) serve Yerevan, but customs clearance on personal imports involves paperwork and duties above a modest de-minimis, and many marketplaces do not ship directly to Armenia. Classified 'significant-friction'. The exact de-minimis threshold and clearance timelines were not extracted from the SRC customs pages in this pass — flagged to confirm the specific regulation next cycle. 4.0
Internet speedMbps, median fixed download	15.8 i 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. 0.7	16.4 i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Armenia (2023 daily stats) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 30,840 download tests, 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Same methodology as other SettleMetric countries. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Ookla reported ~57 Mbps for Armenia in Jan 2025) — the two are not comparable and must not be mixed within this criterion. This is the low-consistent-methodology figure; real-world fibre in Yerevan is considerably faster. 0.8

Language

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
English proficiency	High i 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. 7.0	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language. 5.0

Education

Criterion	Tbilisi	Yerevan
International schoolsaccredited international schools, count	3 i 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. 4.7	6 i IB World Schools directory (ibo.org) + Cambridge International, US Middle States (MSA-CESS) and AEFE (French) accreditation, each verified per accreditor Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Count of Yerevan schools verified against a qualifying accreditor's own registry, not aggregator sites. (1) Shirakatsy Lyceum — IB Diploma Programme, IB school code 004090 (ibo.org/en/school/004090); (2) Quantum College — IB DP, code 007055 (ibo.org/en/school/007055); (3) National Polytechnic University of Armenia Foundation Yerevan High School — IB DP, code 062724 (ibo.org find-an-ib-school); (4) CIS Armenia International School — registered Cambridge International school (IGCSE, AS/A Level); (5) QSI International School of Yerevan — US Middle States Association (MSA-CESS) accredited since 2000, College Board AP; (6) Lycée Français Anatole France — AEFE network member (partnership signed 2017-11-21), homologué by the French Ministry of National Education. Excluded: 'Fundacion Gimnasio Ingles de Armenia' (IB code 061373) is in Armenia, Quindío, COLOMBIA — not Yerevan — a name-collision caught by per-accreditor verification. Notes Six schools verified against IB, Cambridge, US/Middle States, and AEFE registries. Other locally-advertised 'international' schools (e.g. Dream Bridgeman Oxford, British International School of Armenia) claim 'Oxford International Curriculum' / Pearson exam-centre status but were not confirmed on a qualifying accreditor's registry, so are conservatively excluded. ±1 uncertainty: an IB candidate school or a newly-registered Cambridge centre could shift the count. 6.3