Georgia and Dubai on one table
Buyers from Israel, the Gulf and the Russian-speaking world often weigh the two markets against each other. They are not competing for the same budget in most cases: the table shows how far apart they are on entry price, residence and costs.
| Criterion | Georgia | Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| Average price, new apartments | Tbilisi $1,398 per m², white frame (February 2026); Batumi $1,960, turnkey (June 2026) | About $5,712 per m² (AED 1,949 per sq ft, all residential, Q1 2026) |
| Residence through property | Value above $150,000: residence permit, renewable; above $300,000: 5-year investment permit | At least AED 2 million (about $544,600): 10-year residence |
| Main transfer cost | No transfer tax; registration GEL 150; notary fee on a sliding scale | DLD transfer fee 4% of the price, plus registration and admin fees |
| Tax on rent for an individual | 5% of residential rent, registered landlord | Not subject to corporate tax for a natural person's real estate investment |
| Gross rental yield | Tbilisi 8.6% (February 2026), Batumi 7.1% (June 2026) | 8.5% (June 2026) |
| Market size | Tbilisi 42,388 sales and Batumi 17,478 in the whole of 2025 | About 48,000 sales in the first quarter of 2026 alone |
| Currency | Lari floats: 1.66 per dollar in 2013, 3.48 in 2020, 2.62 in 2026 | Dirham pegged to the dollar |
What the same money buys
Averages hide a wide range in both places, but they show the scale of the difference. The table divides three budgets by the average new-build price in Tbilisi and the average residential price in Dubai, and notes which residence route each budget can reach.
| Budget | Tbilisi, white frame | Dubai, average | Residence route |
|---|---|---|---|
| $155,000 | about 111 m² | about 27 m² | Georgia: residence permit if valued above $150,000. Dubai: below the 10-year threshold |
| $305,000 | about 218 m² | about 53 m² | Georgia: investment permit if valued above $300,000. Dubai: below the threshold |
| $550,000 | about 393 m² | about 96 m² | Georgia: investment permit. Dubai: 10-year residence, at about AED 2.02 million |
The square metres are an illustration; a Tbilisi white-frame flat still needs finishing, and Dubai's average mixes apartments and villas. The residence column is the clearer message: a buyer with less than about $545,000 cannot reach Dubai's property-based 10-year residence, while Georgia's lowest property route starts just above $150,000.
Residence: two different products
In Georgia, owning non-agricultural property with a market value above $150,000 lets a foreigner apply for a short-term residence permit, renewed while the property is kept, and family members can be included. Above $300,000, an investment residence permit is issued for five years, and after it a permanent permit can follow if the conditions are kept. Citizenship by general naturalisation requires, under the official text, ten years of lawful residence together with language and other conditions.
In Dubai, the Dubai Land Department's residence service for owners requires property worth at least AED 2 million, which may be made up of several properties. Purchases financed by a developer or a bank qualify with a statement of account or a bank's no-objection certificate. The 10-year visa costs AED 9,984.75 and its renewal AED 9,519.75. According to the UAE government portal, golden visa holders need no sponsor, may stay outside the country for longer than the usual six months, and may sponsor family members. Spouses can own jointly, but where a jointly owned property is worth less than AED 4 million only one of them can be the primary visa holder.
Buying costs, side by side
For a $300,000 purchase, the difference in transaction costs is large. In Dubai, the 4% DLD transfer fee alone is AED 44,070, about $12,000; by law it is split between buyer and seller, but it is commonly paid in full by the buyer. Add the registration fee of AED 4,200 and the admin fee of AED 580 for a ready property, and the official fees can reach about $13,300. In Georgia there is no transfer tax: standard registration costs GEL 150, and the notary's fee under Government Resolution No 507 on a price of GEL 787,200 is about GEL 1,450, together roughly $610. Agents' and lawyers' fees come on top in both places.
Rental income and its tax
Gross yields are close on the headline figures: 8.6% in Tbilisi, 7.1% in Batumi and 8.5% in Dubai, in Galt & Taggart's comparisons, which draw on different data providers and should be read as a ranking. The tax treatment differs more. In Georgia, a registered individual landlord pays 5% of residential rent. In the UAE, a natural person's real estate investment income, meaning sale, leasing or renting carried on without a licence, is outside corporate tax under Cabinet Decision No 49 of 2023. In both cases your home country may tax the income too.
Market scale and momentum
Dubai is the far larger market: about 48,000 transactions worth AED 176.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026, 23.4% more by value than a year earlier, with roughly 70% of deals off-plan. Tbilisi recorded 42,388 apartment sales in the whole of 2025 and Batumi 17,478. Size brings liquidity and choice; it also means a buyer competes with a large volume of new supply, most of it sold before completion. In Georgia, price growth has slowed to 4.0% for Tbilisi new builds in 2025, while Batumi's turnkey prices rose 9.8% in the year to June 2026.
Selling later: the exit in each market
The exit deserves the same attention as the entry. In Georgia, an individual who sells a home within two years pays 5% on the gain, and a home held for more than two years is exempt from income tax on the sale; the buyer pays no transfer tax, which helps the price you can ask. In Dubai, the 4% transfer fee falls on every resale too: the law splits it between buyer and seller, so either you pay part of it or the buyer prices it in. Liquidity points the other way. Dubai's turnover, tens of thousands of sales a quarter, means more potential buyers for an ordinary flat; Georgia's market is smaller, and in Batumi a resale flat competes with new stock priced about a quarter higher. A buyer with a short horizon should weigh both effects before choosing either market.
The risks are different, not absent
- Georgia: currency. The lari floats and has moved sharply in the past; dollar pricing softens, but does not remove, the effect.
- Georgia: politics and rating. EU accession talks were suspended in 2024; the country is rated BB, below investment grade, though with a positive outlook at S&P.
- Dubai: entry price. The residence route starts at about $545,000, and transfer costs take around 4% of the price at once.
- Dubai: off-plan concentration. With about 70% of deals off-plan, delivery and developer risk matter as much as in Georgia.
- Both: supply. Large pipelines in Tbilisi, Batumi and Dubai can cap rents and prices when they are delivered.
Which suits whom?
| Buyer | Leans towards | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wants residence with a budget under $500,000 | Georgia | Routes start above $150,000 and $300,000 |
| Wants a long residence visa with few conditions and has $550,000 or more | Dubai | 10-year visa from AED 2 million |
| Wants the lowest transaction costs | Georgia | No transfer tax and low fixed fees |
| Wants a dollar-linked currency | Dubai | The dirham is pegged; the lari floats |
| Wants the largest, most liquid market | Dubai | Several times the number of transactions |
| Wants more space for the money | Georgia | Prices per m² are a fraction of Dubai's |
Risks and exceptions
- Comparing visas as if they were the same. Duration, threshold and conditions differ.
- Ignoring transaction costs. Dubai's 4% is paid at the start.
- Reading averages as prices. Both markets range widely by area.
- Forgetting your home country's tax. Low local tax is not the whole picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Georgia cheaper than Dubai?
Much cheaper per m²: Tbilisi's white-frame average is about $1,398 per m² against about $5,712 for Dubai's residential average in early 2026.
Which gives residence for less money?
Georgia: from property valued above $150,000. Dubai's 10-year property route starts at AED 2 million, about $544,600.
Can I combine properties to qualify?
In Dubai, several properties can make up the AED 2 million. In Georgia, combining properties for the $150,000 threshold is a question for a lawyer.
What does buying cost in each?
Dubai charges a 4% transfer fee plus registration and admin fees; Georgia has no transfer tax, a GEL 150 registration and a notary fee on a sliding scale.
Is rental income taxed?
In Georgia, 5% for a registered landlord on residential rent. In the UAE, a natural person's real estate investment income is outside corporate tax. Your home country may tax it in both cases.
Which has higher yields?
They are close: about 8.6% in Tbilisi, 7.1% in Batumi and 8.5% in Dubai on the latest comparisons.
The Georgian route is explained step by step in residence by property; the honest case for and against Georgian property is in is Georgian property a good investment?
Sources
- Residency of a property owner for ten years, Dubai Land Department service (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Golden visa, UAE Government portal, updated 28 July 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- DLD fees in Dubai, Property Finder (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Dubai property sales reach Dh176.7 billion in Q1 2026, Gulf News, 4 April 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- UAE Corporate Tax: Cabinet Decision No 49 of 2023, PwC Middle East (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Batumi Residential Real Estate, 2Q26 overview, Galt & Taggart, 14 August 2026 (accessed 12 October 2026)
- G&T: Tbilisi residential market has a strong start, Georgia Today, 31 March 2026 (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 15 and 16), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Tax Code of Georgia (Articles 81 and 82), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Government Resolution No 507 on notarial tariffs (Article 23), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
Change log
- - Comparison published from Dubai Land Department and UAE government sources, market reporting and Georgian law and market data.