Georgia for remote workers
A magnet for freelancers: the 1% small-business turnover tax, a one-year visa-free stay for ~94 nationalities, and crypto-friendly rules, all at low cost and with very low crime. Trade-offs: no EU access, thinner English and parcel-locker coverage, and banking that has grown stricter for non-residents.
Verified
At a glance
The headline numbers for Georgia — 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.
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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.
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SettleMetric — population-weighted average of covered cities (Batumi, Tbilisi)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 3, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Population-weighted mean of the rent-breakdown matrices of Batumi, Tbilisi; each cell averages the cities that report it. See each city page for its exact local matrix.
/mo
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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%.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
≈ $8,412 / year
- Rent (1-bed)$471
- 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.
Cost of living
What a single person spends each month — food, utilities, transport, eating out and the rest — excluding rent.
| Criterion | Value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living (single, excl. rent) | 220USD/month, single person, excluding rentiGeostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 Curated by SettleMetric
| 10.0 |
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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.
Georgia's single-person household-budget basket, excluding rent.
Housing
What it costs to rent, by apartment type and location.
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SettleMetric — population-weighted average of covered cities (Batumi, Tbilisi)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 3, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Population-weighted mean of the rent-breakdown matrices of Batumi, Tbilisi; each cell averages the cities that report it. See each city page for its exact local matrix.
| Apartment | Central | Outside centre |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 450 USD/mo | 303 USD/mo |
| 1-bedroom | 592 USD/mo | 471 USD/mo |
| 2-bedroom | 892 USD/mo | 635 USD/mo |
| 3-bedroom | 1,370 USD/mo | 970 USD/mo |
Safety
How safe daily life is, from official crime statistics.
| Criterion | Value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide rate | 2intentional homicides per 100,000/yeariUNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia Open data
| 7.0 |
Healthcare
What comprehensive private medical cover costs.
| Criterion | Value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Private healthcare cost | 450USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-oldiGeorgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans Curated by SettleMetric
| 10.0 |
Money & crypto
Crypto rules and how freely personal money moves.
| Criterion | Value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto regulation | Legal friendlyiNational Bank of Georgia — Virtual Asset Service Providers Official source
| 10.0 |
| Financial control level | LowiUS State Dept 2025 Investment Climate Statement (Georgia) / trade.gov Curated by SettleMetric
| 10.0 |
Infrastructure
Internet speed and how parcels get to your door.
| Criterion | Value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic delivery quality | GoodiGeorgian Post + courier service pages (composite) Curated by SettleMetric
| 7.0 |
| International delivery ease | Minor frictioniRevenue Service of Georgia — customs procedures Official source
| 7.0 |
| Internet speed | 15.8Mbps, median fixed downloadiM-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia Open data
| 0.7 |
Language
How far English gets you in daily life and services.
| Criterion | Value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| English proficiency | HighiEF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band) Research
| 7.0 |
Demographics
Who else lives here — the share of foreign residents and the largest national communities, from official statistics.
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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.
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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.
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.
Your tax options
Full schemes, examples & calculator- Small Business Status — 1% turnover taxprogressive on revenue: 1% up to 500,000, 3% above1.0% burden at €60k
- Virtual Zone company — 0% profit + 5% dividend0% of profit + 5% of amount left after "Corporate profit tax (exempt on IT exports)"5.0% burden at €60k
- Standard regime — 20% on profit20% of profit20.0% burden at €60k
- Micro Business Status — 0% tax0% of revenueover cap at €60k →
See what you would keep
Your income against Georgia's real tax schemes — the same engine as the full calculator.
- 1 Small Business Status — 1% turnover tax59,400 EURnet/year1.0% burden
- 2 Virtual Zone company — 0% profit + 5% dividend57,000 EURnet/year5.0% burden
- 3 Standard regime — 20% on profit48,000 EURnet/year20.0% burden
- 4 Micro Business Status — 0% taxover income cap60,000 EURnet/year0.0% burden
Your legalization options
Requirements, fees & citizenship filter- Visa-free stay — one full yearVisa-free stayAll citizenshipsPassport of one of the ~94 listed countries/territories (incl. all EU, US, UK, Ukraine, Russia, Canada, Australia, Gulf states and more) — Government Ordinance N2551 yr +
- Work / entrepreneurial residence permitTemporary residenceAll citizenshipsincome ≥ 5 GEL/monthLabour or entrepreneurial activity in Georgia1 yr +→ PR path
- Short-term residence via property ownershipTemporary residenceAll citizenshipsOwnership of non-agricultural real estate in Georgia with a market value over USD 150,000 (raised from USD 100,000)1 yr +
- IT specialist residence permitTemporary residenceAll citizenshipsincome ≥ 25,000 USD/yearIT specialist with at least 2 years of experience3 yrs +→ PR path
Who is Georgia 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
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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%.
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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.
Works in your favour
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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.