Does a studio or a one-bedroom flat rent better?
On the only published comparison, a studio earns a slightly higher gross yield than a one-bedroom flat in both Tbilisi and Batumi: 8.03% against 7.43% in Tbilisi and 8.35% against 8.08% in Batumi, according to Global Property Guide's August 2026 figures based on asking prices on SS.ge. The gap is small, it reverses in some districts, and it comes before costs. A one-bedroom flat appeals to more kinds of tenant and buyer, while a studio costs less to enter and, on short stays, fills slightly more nights.
A note on terms: in Georgia a flat is described by its total number of rooms, so a "2-room" flat (ოროთახიანი) has a living room and one bedroom, which is a one-bedroom flat in international listings. This page uses the international terms. The city-wide yield picture is in our guide to rental yields.
Yield by size of flat
| Size | Tbilisi price | Tbilisi rent a month | Tbilisi yield | Batumi price | Batumi rent a month | Batumi yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | EUR 46,300 | EUR 310 | 8.03% | EUR 47,400 | EUR 330 | 8.35% |
| One bedroom | EUR 72,700 | EUR 450 | 7.43% | EUR 69,800 | EUR 470 | 8.08% |
| Two bedrooms | EUR 105,200 | EUR 590 | 6.73% | EUR 107,700 | EUR 600 | 6.69% |
| Three bedrooms | EUR 149,000 | EUR 860 | 6.93% | EUR 146,000 | EUR 730 | 6.00% |
The pattern is simple. In Tbilisi a one-bedroom flat rents for about 1.45 times as much as a studio but costs about 1.57 times as much, so its yield is lower. In Batumi the rent is about 1.42 times higher and the price 1.47 times, so the two yields are closer. These are medians of asking prices and asking rents, not completed deals, and the source does not state the floor area behind each size, so treat them as a direction rather than a forecast. Global Property Guide notes that net yields are typically 1.5 to 2 percentage points lower than gross.
The picture by district
| City and district | Studio | One bedroom | Two bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tbilisi, Didi Dighomi | 8.47% | 7.34% | 7.50% |
| Tbilisi, Isani | 8.27% | 7.15% | 7.10% |
| Tbilisi, Varketili | 8.06% | 7.10% | 6.74% |
| Tbilisi, Didube | 7.44% | 6.42% | 6.11% |
| Tbilisi, Gldani | 7.34% | 7.19% | 6.52% |
| Tbilisi, Saburtalo | 6.75% | 6.09% | 5.83% |
| Tbilisi, Nadzaladevi | 6.67% | 7.06% | 6.45% |
| Tbilisi, Vake | n/a | 6.22% | 5.82% |
| Batumi, airport area | 8.20% | 7.69% | 7.00% |
| Batumi, Khimshiashvili | 7.81% | 7.01% | 5.71% |
| Batumi, Bagrationi | 7.49% | 7.11% | 6.28% |
In most districts the studio leads by about half a point to a point. Two exceptions matter. In Nadzaladevi the one-bedroom flat yields more than the studio, and in Gldani the two are almost level. In Vake and Old Batumi there are too few studios listed for a figure at all, which says something about what those districts are built and rented for. The district averages for all sizes, from Galt & Taggart, are in our Tbilisi district ranking.
What actually sells
| Size band | Tbilisi, Jan-Jul 2024 | Tbilisi, Jan-Jul 2026 | Batumi, 2023 | Batumi, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (Tbilisi 35-50 m², Batumi 26-50 m²) | 26.6% | 24.6% | 57.2% | 63.5% |
| Medium (51-80 m²) | 51.6% | 53.8% | 33.0% | 28.8% |
| Large (81-150 m²) | 19.8% | 19.7% | 9.2% | 6.9% |
| Very large (151-250 m²) | 2.0% | 2.0% | 0.6% | 0.8% |
The two cities are opposite markets. In Batumi nearly two in three flats sold in 2025 were small, a share that has risen every year, and Galt & Taggart explains the preference by affordability and ease of renting. In Tbilisi more than half of sales are medium-sized flats, the kind local families buy, and the small band has slipped slightly. TBC Capital's 2026 figures show how few very small flats sell in Tbilisi: units under 35 m² were 4% of sales in Vake, 6% in Saburtalo and 5% in Didi Dighomi, and 11% to 13% in Gldani, Mtatsminda and Chugureti.
Short stays: what the data shows by size
No free source publishes nightly rates or annual income for studios separately, so any precise claim about studio income from short stays is an estimate. What is published points the same way as the long-let figures:
- Occupancy. The data provider Airbtics reports that studios have the highest occupancy of any size: 65% in Tbilisi against 64% for the market, and 56% in Batumi against 54%, for September 2025 to August 2026.
- Supply. AirROI counts 62.8% of Tbilisi's short-stay listings as studios or one-bedroom flats, and 83.7% with one or two bedrooms, so a small flat competes with most of the market.
- Rates. Galt & Taggart's Batumi figure covers flats with up to two bedrooms: an average of $34.6 a night in the second quarter of 2026, 4.2% less than a year before.
The difference of one or two points of occupancy is too small to decide the choice. What matters more is that a studio sleeps two, while a one-bedroom flat with a sofa bed can take a family of three or four, and AirROI puts the average listed capacity in Tbilisi at 3.3 guests. Our comparison of long lets and short stays shows what remains of nightly income after costs.
Who rents each size
The tenant pool for a studio is narrower. The last census with a household breakdown, in 2014, found an average household of 3.26 people in Tbilisi and 3.98 in Adjara, with one-person households at 17.2% in Tbilisi and 9.9% in Adjara. Geostat's 2025 income survey still implies about 3.2 people per household. Studios therefore suit single tenants, couples, students and short visits, while a one-bedroom flat also suits a couple with a child or someone who works from home.
Students are a real source of demand in the capital: Georgia had 195,400 students in higher education in the 2025/2026 academic year, 44,400 of them from abroad, and 64.1% of the country's higher education institutions are in Tbilisi. A small flat near a university and a metro station has a steady pool of tenants for the academic year, with the summer months harder to fill.
Costs that do and do not scale with size
- Management fees. Published price lists of management companies in Tbilisi and Batumi charge 15% to 30% of income depending on the type of letting, and none of them varies by the size of the flat. A percentage fee takes the same share of a studio's income as of a larger flat's.
- Cleaning. Charged per stay rather than per square metre: one Batumi manager lists about GEL 50 per check-in. Short stays in a studio tend to be shorter, so cleaning takes a larger share of income.
- Electricity. Tbilisi household tariffs from 1 April 2026 rise in three blocks, from 20.041 tetri per kWh for the first 101 kWh a month to 28.537 tetri above 301 kWh, so a small flat that stays in the lowest block pays the cheapest rate.
- The fixed short-stay tax. The optional regime is set per square metre of the let area, so it costs less for a small flat. Our guide to rental income tax explains when it applies.
- Furnishing. A studio needs one room furnished and one bathroom fitted; we found no published Georgian price list, so get quotes for the actual flat.
The Batumi investor flat
Galt & Taggart's October 2025 study describes the typical Batumi investment purchase: a flat of about 40 m² costing about $76,000, bought for investment in 80% of cases, with a gross yield of 7.4% in August 2025, down from 10.0% two years earlier. More than half of the investment flats under construction are studio-type flats in the middle price range. For a buyer this means the studio is the most common product in Batumi, which helps short-stay income in a strong summer but means more competition when renting out in winter and when selling.
Selling later
Liquidity points in two directions. In Batumi small flats make up most sales, so a studio has a market of investor buyers, but also the largest number of similar flats competing with it, and Galt & Taggart describes unsold stock there as high. In Tbilisi the largest group of buyers is local households looking for medium-sized flats, so a one-bedroom flat of about 50 to 70 m² reaches a wider pool than a studio, especially outside the centre. No source publishes how long flats of each size take to sell.
Which suits whom
| Plan | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Highest gross yield on a long let | Studio, in most districts | Lower price relative to rent |
| Short stays for couples | Studio | Highest occupancy, lowest entry price |
| Short stays for families | One bedroom | Room for three or four guests |
| Long let to local tenants in Tbilisi | One bedroom | Fits the typical household and buyer |
| Easiest resale in Tbilisi | One bedroom | Medium flats are most of the market |
| Smallest budget in Batumi | Studio | The most common product, with most competition |
Risks and exceptions
- Asking-price data. Yields by size come from listings, not completed deals.
- A small gap. The studio's advantage is under one point in most districts.
- Competition. Studios are the most common new flat in Batumi.
- Narrower tenant pool. Studios suit single tenants and couples.
- Costs per stay. Cleaning and turnover weigh more on a small flat.
Frequently asked questions
Which earns a higher yield, a studio or a one-bedroom flat?
A studio, slightly: 8.03% against 7.43% in Tbilisi and 8.35% against 8.08% in Batumi on asking prices.
Is a "2-room" flat a one-bedroom flat?
Yes, in Georgia room counts include the living room, so a 2-room flat has one bedroom.
Where does a one-bedroom flat beat a studio?
In Nadzaladevi on the published data, and almost in Gldani.
Do studios fill more nights on short stays?
Slightly: about 65% occupancy in Tbilisi against a 64% market average.
What size do most buyers choose?
In Batumi small flats, 63.5% of sales in 2025; in Tbilisi medium flats, 53.8% in early 2026.
Are management fees lower for a studio?
No; published fees are a percentage of income, whatever the size.
How big is the typical Batumi investment flat?
About 40 m² and $76,000, according to Galt & Taggart.
Is a studio easier to sell?
In Batumi it has many buyers but many competitors; in Tbilisi a one-bedroom flat reaches more buyers.
Sources
- Georgia rental yields, Global Property Guide, update of August 2026 (archived copy of 24 August 2026 read) (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Tbilisi Residential Real Estate, July 2026, Galt & Taggart (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Batumi Residential Real Estate, 2025 Review and 2026 Outlook, Galt & Taggart (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Batumi Residential Real Estate, 2Q26 Overview, Galt & Taggart (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Batumi Residential Real Estate, 2024 Full Year Overview, Galt & Taggart (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Real Estate Trends in Batumi, October 2025, Galt & Taggart (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Residential Real Estate in Tbilisi, July 2026 Monthly Watch (in Georgian), TBC Capital (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Airbnb revenue in Tbilisi, Airbtics (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Airbnb revenue in Batumi, Airbtics (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Tbilisi short-term rental data, AirROI (accessed 18 October 2026)
- 2014 General Population Census: Population Dynamics in Georgia, Geostat and UNFPA (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Household incomes and expenditures, 2025, Geostat (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Higher education institutions, 2025/2026 academic year, Geostat (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Property management, Wehost (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Financial conditions, Batumi Apartment Management (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Rental management, GruziaExpert (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Electricity tariffs to increase in Tbilisi and regions starting April 1, Georgia Today (accessed 18 October 2026)
Change log
- - Data page published from Global Property Guide (SS.ge asking prices), Galt & Taggart, TBC Capital, Airbtics, AirROI, Geostat and published management price lists.