The life around the apartment
Georgia is an easy country to arrive in and a slightly harder one to settle in: visa-free entry for many nationalities, low bureaucracy for the basics, and then a set of practical systems, from schools to heating to car registration, that work differently from home. This section is about those systems. It does not sell property; it tells you what a year in the apartment will actually involve.
Most of our clients did not plan to live in Georgia when they first asked about an apartment. They planned a holiday home or an investment, spent a few weeks in it, and then stayed for a season, a school year or longer. The pages in this section are written for that gradual move: what the first weeks look like, what a household spends, how to get a child into school, how to see a doctor, how to drive, and what changes once you hold a residence permit. Every price on these pages carries a date and a source, because living costs move faster than property prices.
The first weeks after arrival
Entry and legal stay
Check the visa-free period or visa that applies to your passport before you travel, and count the days from entry. If you plan to apply for a residence permit, the application must be filed while your stay is still legal, which is explained in the Residency section.
A phone number and a bank card
A local SIM card takes minutes and is needed for almost everything else, from taxi apps to bank verification. A local bank account makes utilities, rent and daily payments easier; as a non-resident you will be asked for documents and the source of funds, so bring them.
Utilities in your name
Electricity, gas, water and internet are separate providers with separate accounts. After buying, transfer them into your name, or make sure a managed building does it for you, and learn how each is paid: many are paid through bank apps or payment terminals, in lari.
Address and registration
Once you hold a residence permit you register an address. Before that, the apartment's registry extract is the document that shows where you live for banks, schools and clinics.
Health cover
Decide early whether you rely on paying per visit at private clinics, on a local insurance policy or on an international one. Clinics in Tbilisi and Batumi are used to foreign patients; the differences are in what is covered and where.
What a month costs, and why we do not guess
The question we hear most often after "can I get a permit" is "what does it cost to live there". The honest answer is that it depends more on the household than on the city: a family renting a large apartment in Vake with two children in an international school lives in a different economy from a single person in a one-bedroom in Saburtalo. The cost-of-living pages in this section therefore give itemised figures by category, each with the date it was collected and the source, and let you build your own monthly total. The page for Tbilisi is updated monthly; the page for Batumi follows the same structure. Until those pages are published, this hub deliberately gives no figures.
To be added by the team: dated cost-of-living figures for Tbilisi and Batumi by category (rent by district, utilities by season, groceries, transport, mobile and internet, eating out, childcare, international school fees), each with its source. Figures appear only on the cost-of-living pages once collected.
Heating, seasons and what a building is like in winter
New arrivals judge an apartment in summer and live in it in winter. Tbilisi has mild winters with occasional cold spells; Batumi has wet, windy winters by the sea; the resorts have real snow. How an apartment is heated is therefore a living question, not a technical footnote. Individual gas boilers are common and give control over bills; central systems in newer buildings are convenient but tie you to the building's management; electric heating is simple and can be expensive in a poorly insulated flat. Older buildings vary in insulation and window quality more than new ones. The guides on heating and on building systems in the New builds section explain what to ask before buying; this section explains what it is like to live with each system.
Families: schools, kindergartens and the neighbourhood
Families moving with children have one question that decides everything else: where will the children go to school, and can we live near it? Tbilisi has international schools teaching in English and in other languages, with their own admission calendars, waiting lists and fee schedules, and Georgian public schools that are free and teach in Georgian. Kindergartens range from public to private and from Georgian-only to bilingual. The pages in the second group above list the schools and kindergartens that accept foreign children, their languages of instruction, their locations, and the documents needed for admission; fees are given with dates. The choice of school usually narrows the choice of district to two or three, which is why the Places pages list nearby schools for each district.
A residence permit changes the family's position: children of permit holders can be included in the permit, which simplifies school enrolment and long stays. The page on children and school with a residence permit covers what changes and what paperwork the school will ask for.
Healthcare and insurance
Georgia's private clinics and hospitals in Tbilisi and Batumi handle most needs that foreign residents have, and many doctors speak English or Russian. Payment is normally per visit or per procedure unless you hold a policy that the clinic accepts. Local insurance policies are relatively affordable and cover a defined list of clinics and services; international policies cost more and cover treatment abroad. The page on healthcare and clinics explains how the system works for someone who is not a citizen; the page on health insurance compares the options side by side, with dated prices. Pharmacies are widespread and many medicines are available without the formalities of other countries, which is convenient and worth knowing in advance for anyone on regular medication.
Cars, driving and pets
Driving in Georgia is a subject on its own. Foreign driving licences are accepted for a period, after which residents exchange them; the rules depend on the issuing country and are explained on the driving-licence page. Importing a car involves customs duties that depend on the vehicle's age and engine, and a registration procedure; for many residents buying a car locally is simpler, and the page sets out both paths. Taxis and ride apps are cheap and everywhere in the cities, which is why many foreign residents in Tbilisi do not own a car at all. Bringing a pet requires a veterinary certificate and a microchip, and the airline's rules are often stricter than Georgia's; the pet page lists the documents and the timeline.
Working remotely and staying connected
A large share of the foreign residents we meet work for employers or clients abroad, and Georgia suits that life in practical ways. Mobile coverage and home internet in Tbilisi and Batumi are reliable and inexpensive by the standards of most buyers' home countries, fibre is normal in newer buildings, and coworking spaces exist in both cities. The time zone, UTC+4, overlaps the European working day in the afternoon and the Gulf and Israel almost completely, which is one reason buyers from those regions find it easy to keep their jobs while living here. The legal side is separate and worth stating plainly: a residence permit gives the right to live in Georgia, and since 1 March 2026 working for an employer requires a work permit, with an exemption list that was still being finalised when our source was checked. Working remotely for a foreign company raises different questions, about where income is taxed and how days spent in Georgia count, and those are answered on the tax pages in Invest & money after our accountant has reviewed them. The point for this section is simpler: the infrastructure for a remote working life exists, and the apartment's internet connection and a quiet room matter more to that life than the view.
Retiring in Georgia
Retirees are a growing part of the foreign residents we meet, drawn by the climate, the cost of living and the pace. The questions they ask are specific: how a foreign pension is received and taxed, whether a property-based residence permit is suitable for someone who does not work, what health cover looks like at an older age, and which districts and buildings are comfortable without a car. The page on retiring with a residence permit answers them in order and links to the tax pages in Invest & money for the parts that need an accountant's confirmation.
How this section is organised
The first group, settling in, follows the order of a move: the complete guide, then costs, then driving and cars, pets, healthcare and insurance. The second group, families and everyday life, covers schools, kindergartens, children's residence status and retirement. Everything about the legal side of staying, from visa-free periods to permits, belongs to Residency; everything specific to buyers from a particular country, including communities and consulates, belongs to By country. The pages here are written by people who live in Tbilisi, checked against official sources where there is a rule, and dated wherever there is a price. If your experience differs from what a page says, the report-an-error page is the fastest way to get it corrected.
Frequently asked questions
Can I live in Georgia without speaking Georgian?
In Tbilisi and Batumi, yes, for daily life: English and Russian are widely understood in services, clinics and shops frequented by foreigners. Official documents and procedures are in Georgian, which is where a translator or an adviser helps. Learning the alphabet and basic phrases makes a visible difference to how you are received.
Is Georgia expensive to live in?
It depends on the household, the district and the lifestyle. Rather than quote a single figure, the cost-of-living pages give itemised, dated prices by category so you can build your own monthly total. This hub gives no numbers until those pages are published.
Are there international schools?
Yes, in Tbilisi mainly, teaching in English and other languages, with their own fees, admission calendars and waiting lists. The school pages list them with locations and languages of instruction. Choosing a school usually decides the district.
How does healthcare work for a foreigner?
Mostly through private clinics, paid per visit or covered by a local or international policy. Clinics in the cities are used to foreign patients. The healthcare and insurance pages explain the options and what each covers.
Can I drive with my foreign licence?
For a period, yes; residents then exchange it under rules that depend on the issuing country. Importing a car involves customs duties and registration, and buying locally is often simpler. The driving page sets out both.
What changes once I have a residence permit?
You register an address, deal with banks and schools as a resident, and your family members included in the permit have the same right to stay. Working for an employer still requires a work permit under the 2026 rules. The Residency section covers the legal side; this section covers daily life.
Sources
- Entry, stay and permits: Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, matsne.gov.ge; Public Service Hall. Specific rules are cited on the Residency pages.
- Work permits from 1 March 2026: armenian-lawyer.com, accessed 10 October 2026; to be replaced with the official source.
- Cost-of-living, school, clinic and customs figures: to be sourced and dated on the individual pages; none are stated on this hub.