How Much Money You Need to Move to Georgia: A Stage-by-Stage Budget

The question of how much money you need breaks down into three separate budgets: one-time costs at the start, first-week expenses, and the ongoing monthly cost of living. Here is each one, so you do not move with a sum calculated only for the flight and the first night in a hostel.

Visa, Insurance, and Money at the Border

Most citizens do not need a visa to enter Georgia, and the visa-free stay depends on citizenship, ranging from 90 to 365 days. Since January 1, 2026, the border also checks for a health insurance policy in Georgia with minimum coverage of 30,000 lari for medical treatment and accidents: entry can be refused without one.

This applies to visa-free and tourist-visa arrivals; holders of a residence permit are exempt from this particular check. There is no fixed cash requirement set by law, but border officers can ask for proof of sufficient funds, and the practical benchmark is around 50 dollars for each day of the stated stay.

Proof is usually a card or bank statement, though cash is also taken into account, but a statement looks more convincing to border control.

One-Time Costs for the First Month

The largest one-time expense is housing: a month's rent plus a deposit, and if the apartment was found through an agent, their commission on top, 50 to 100% of the monthly rent. Moving into a one-bedroom apartment in Saburtalo or Vake (from 500 to 800 dollars a month) adds up to 1,250 to 2,400 dollars just to get the keys if you go through an agent, and more if the landlord asks for a two-month deposit.

One-time setup costs (bedding, kitchenware, small repairs) usually add another 300-500 lari on top. Most agencies accept the first month's payment only by bank transfer at signing, not all take cash.

Money for the First Week

The first week in Georgia is a SIM card, currency exchange, a taxi from the airport, a Metromoney card, and temporary housing before signing a long-term lease.

Individually the amounts are small, but together the first week is worth budgeting 150-250 dollars for, not counting the temporary housing itself: Booking or Airbnb for 5-7 nights usually adds another 150-400 dollars depending on the city and season.

Monthly Cost of Living in Tbilisi

From there, spending settles into three scenarios:

• Budget (from 700 dollars/month): renting outside the center (Gldani, Didube) from 350 to 450 dollars, cooking at home, minimal transport
• Average (900-1,400 dollars/month): renting in Saburtalo or Vake at 500-900 dollars, groceries at 200-300 dollars, occasional cafe visits
• Comfortable (from 2,000 dollars/month): city center, frequent restaurants, trips around the country

Housing usually eats up 40-50% of the monthly budget regardless of scenario. Groceries at the supermarket run 200-300 dollars a month per person, and lunch at a local cafe costs 20-30 lari. City transport on a Metromoney card costs pennies: one ride with transfers costs about 40 cents (1 lari). Mobile service with unlimited data costs 15-20 dollars (39-55 lari) a month.

Budget for a Couple or a Family with Kids

A couple does not spend twice as much as one person, usually 1.5 to 1.8 times more: rent and utilities are split, and mostly groceries and personal spending grow. A family with a child adds education to the budget: municipal kindergarten is free, while a private one in Tbilisi costs about 960 lari a month on average and an international school noticeably more, and the choice between them largely shapes what education in Georgia will look like for your child.

A family's one-time moving costs are higher mainly because of a larger apartment (one or two extra bedrooms needed) and furniture from stores in Georgia, if the unit comes unfurnished.

Financial Cushion

The standard recommendation for moving to any country: keep 3-6 months of expenses in reserve in case finding work or clients takes longer, which at the average scenario is 2,700-8,400 dollars on top of the everyday budget.

Combined with the one-time housing and first-week costs and at least a three-month cushion, a reasonable benchmark for one person without a ready income source: have 3,000 to 7,000 dollars on hand at the start, depending on whether they rent through an agent in the center or look for something cheaper on the outskirts.

Worked Example: What the First Month Costs

For one person renting an apartment in Saburtalo through an agent, the first month's costs add up like this:

• Monthly rent: 600 dollars
• Deposit: 600 dollars
• Agent commission (50%): 300 dollars
• First-week costs: 200 dollars

Altogether the first month in Georgia costs around 1,700 dollars, not counting the flight or health insurance in Georgia, which usually runs 40 to 100 lari a month depending on the plan.

If the Budget Is Very Tight

Moving on a minimal budget is possible: look for an apartment directly from owners without an agent (saving 50-100% of the monthly rent), pick cheaper districts like Gldani or Didube instead of Vake, cook at home instead of eating out, or split an apartment with a roommate to cut the single biggest expense in half.

That does not remove the cost of health insurance and the first week: those stay the same no matter how tight the rest of the budget is.