Where do expats actually live in Tbilisi?
Nobody counts foreigners by district in Tbilisi. Geostat's 2024 census gives citizenship only for Georgia as a whole, and no registry, bank or broker publishes foreign purchases by area. So any claim that "expats live in X" is either journalism or an inference from where the things foreigners use are located: international schools, embassies, coworking spaces and English-speaking clinics. This guide uses that evidence and says where it is thin.
On that evidence, foreigners in Tbilisi gather in three kinds of places. The central right bank, meaning Vake, Vera, Sololaki and Saburtalo, is named again and again by researchers and reporters. The north-west around Lisi Lake and Didi Dighomi has international schools and the US embassy. And the green hills of Bagebi and Tskneti have more of them.
How many foreigners live in Georgia?
Fewer than many people think. Geostat's 2024 census, published in June 2026, counted 133,857 foreign citizens living permanently in Georgia, about 3.4% of the population. The largest groups were citizens of Russia (37,715), India (23,925), Ukraine (11,542), Azerbaijan (8,309) and Armenia (5,381). Only foreigners who had lived in the country for more than 12 months were counted. Residence permits give a second count: according to figures the prime minister presented to parliament in February 2026, 107,307 people from 164 countries held one, and most of the Indian citizens among them were students.
The large wave of 2022 did not all stay. By our arithmetic from Geostat's migration tables, Russian citizens' net migration was about 56,400 in 2022 and about 17,300 in 2023, then turned negative in 2024, when more left than arrived, and was close to zero in 2025. Foreigners also make up a minority of buyers: Colliers put their share at 14% of Tbilisi flat purchases in August 2026, against 52% in Batumi.
Who are the foreign buyers?
Galt & Taggart's survey of large developers shows how the mix of buyers has shifted. Georgian citizens made up 85% of buyers in 2023, 79% in 2024, 76% in 2025 and 74% in the first seven months of 2026. Israeli citizens became the largest foreign group, rising from 4% to 11% over the same period, while Russian citizens fell from 5% to between 2% and 4%. Colliers found that 86% of foreigners' Tbilisi purchases in 2025 were in new projects. The survey covers developers' own sales, not every registered deal, and no source splits foreign purchases by district.
The 2022 wave was larger. The Ministry of Justice, as reported by FactCheck Georgia, recorded 14,875 flats bought by foreigners across Georgia that year, about 5,400 of them by Russian citizens alone and about 6,100 counting dual citizens, followed by Israeli, Ukrainian, Turkish, Belarusian and German buyers.
Which areas do foreigners choose, and what do they cost?
| Area | Rent, USD per m² a month | New flats, USD per m² | Evidence of foreign residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vake | 15.1 | 3,180 | Named by researchers; 6 embassies on Chavchavadze Avenue; coworking |
| Vera, Sololaki (Mtatsminda zone) | 13.0 | 2,945 (small sample) | Named by researchers and in a 2026 rent guide; coworking at Stamba |
| Saburtalo | 11.4 | 1,732 | Named by researchers; 4 embassies on Lvovi Street; universities |
| Old Tbilisi and Krtsanisi | 10.8 | 1,671 | 5 embassies on Krtsanisi Street; villas once let to foreign missions |
| Lisi Lake (Vashlijvari zone) | 9.5 | 1,094 | British, American and Maarif schools nearby |
| Didi Dighomi | 8.7 | 1,148 | US embassy; QSI school in nearby Zurgovani |
| Bagebi and Tskneti | About 10 to 11 (Bagebi) | About 2,360 (Bagebi, asking) | New School, German school, Buckswood |
Galt & Taggart's figures are zone averages for new flats in white frame and for rents of newer flats, so a renovated flat in an old building can cost more or less. The Bagebi figures are medians of our own ss.ge sample. For every district in one table, see our Tbilisi neighbourhoods comparison.
Why do so many start in Vake, Vera, Sololaki and Saburtalo?
These four names come up in nearly every serious source. A 2025 study in the journal Nationalities Papers, based on posts in Georgian holiday-let host groups and interviews, described rent pressure in "particularly desirable neighborhoods such as Vake, Saburtalo, Vera, and Sololaki" after the 2022 arrivals from Russia. Georgia Today's August 2026 rent guide described Vera as "particularly popular with young professionals, expatriates and renters who want to stay close to central Tbilisi", and Vake as attractive to renters who value green space, cafes and international services.
The reasons are practical: short walks to cafes and offices, coworking spaces such as the Terminal sites in Vake and D Block at Stamba in Vera, and, in Saburtalo, the metro. The cost is clear in the table: Vake has the highest rent per square metre in the city. By our arithmetic, a 60 m² flat at the Vake zone average rents for about USD 906 a month, against about USD 684 in Saburtalo.
Where do foreign families live?
Families follow the schools, and the big English-language schools are not in the old centre. They form two clusters. In the north-west, the British International School of Tbilisi, the American Academy and Maarif stand around Lisi Lake, and QSI is in Zurgovani next to Didi Dighomi. In the south-west hills, New School and the German school are on the Tskneti highway in Bagebi, Buckswood is in Tskneti and the European School is opening a campus in Tsavkisi for 2026-27. A 2026 schools guide by iSchoolAdvisor described the new housing around Lisi Lake as "popular with expat families". Our guide to the best areas for families compares these areas in more detail.
The trade-off is the car. Lisi Lake is about 2.2 km from the nearest metro by our measurement, and Tskneti sits about 940 m above sea level, a 30-minute bus ride from Vake Park. The hills are cooler in summer, and in our sample flats in Bagebi asked about 26% less per square metre than the Vake zone average.
What about Didi Dighomi, Krtsanisi and Marjanishvili?
Didi Dighomi. New blocks, more space and rents of about USD 8.7 per m², among the lowest in the city, with the US embassy close by. There is no metro; a tram line to Didube was contracted in September 2026 with a 36-month deadline.
Krtsanisi. The villa area above the river has houses from about USD 420,000 to over USD 2 million in ads, and Krtsanisi Street hosts the British, French and Japanese embassies among others. It suits buyers with a large budget and a car.
Marjanishvili and Chughureti. Impact Hub at Fabrika, the Aghmashenebeli Avenue cafes and the American Hospital near Heroes Square, which advertises English-speaking doctors, are all in or next to this area. See our Marjanishvili guide.
Are there tensions to be aware of?
Yes, and they are dated. In March 2022 Meduza reported that some landlords refused to rent to Russians, and in May 2023 CNN described bars in Sololaki with signs such as "We don't speak Russian". In a CRRC Georgia poll in October 2023, 71% of Georgians said they distrusted Russian citizens who had left Russia, and 81% said Russians should not be allowed to buy property in Georgia. In a separate CRRC survey of Russian migrants, 72% said they trusted Georgians and only 6% had bought property. Geostat's figures show that the arrivals of 2022 slowed sharply afterwards, and the sources we found describe these tensions mainly around the 2022 and 2023 wave.
What differs from area to area in daily life?
- Transport. Line 2 of the metro serves Saburtalo; the old Vake neighbourhood around Chavchavadze Avenue has no station, the nearest being Rustaveli and the Line 2 stops on its western edge; Lisi Lake, Didi Dighomi, Bagebi and Tskneti depend on buses and cars.
- Parking. Paid zonal parking covers parts of Vera, Sololaki, Saburtalo, Bagebi and Didi Dighomi, at GEL 1 to 3 an hour.
- Heating. There is no district heating; new blocks usually have individual gas boilers, while old houses in Sololaki and Old Tbilisi often rely on heaters.
- Power. The regulator's 2024 data gave Dighomi about 31 hours of outages for the year, against about 9 in Saburtalo.
- Noise. Reviews describe music late into the night on Shardeni Street in Old Tbilisi, and flats by Rustaveli Avenue have lived next to daily protests since November 2024.
- Heritage rules. Renovations in Sololaki, Old Tbilisi and parts of Vera need consent in protected zones.
Does buying in a popular area give residence?
Only if the property is worth enough. Since 1 March 2026 a short-term residence permit for owners requires non-agricultural property with a market value above USD 150,000, confirmed by an accredited valuer, and the permit lasts while you own it. In February 2026 only 4,827 people held this property-based permit, about 4.5% of all permits by our arithmetic. At July 2026 averages, USD 150,000 buys about 47 m² of new flat in Vake but about 131 m² in Didi Dighomi. Details are in our guide to residency through property.
Which area fits which kind of expat?
| If you are | Look first at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A remote worker without a car | Vera, Saburtalo, Marjanishvili | Coworking, cafes, metro or short walks |
| A family with school-age children | Lisi Lake, Bagebi, Didi Dighomi | International schools, newer flats, space |
| A retiree | Vake, Vera, Saburtalo | Clinics, parks, shops close by |
| On a tight budget | Didi Dighomi, Saburtalo | Lower rents per m² than the centre |
| An investor letting to foreigners | Vera, Vake, Saburtalo | Demand is there, but yields are lower in Vake |
By our arithmetic from Galt & Taggart's July 2026 averages, a Vake flat yields about 5.7% gross against about 9.1% in Didi Dighomi, because rents rise more slowly than prices in the centre. Compare rents in more detail on our page on rents by district.
How to choose an area step by step
Fix the anchor
School, office, coworking or clinic.
Decide on a car
Without one, stay near the metro.
Rent first
Try an area for a few months.
Visit in winter and summer
Heating, heat and hills.
Check the building
Boiler, lift, parking, outages.
Check the value
If you want residence, above USD 150,000.
Frequently asked questions
Is there official data on where foreigners live in Tbilisi?
No. The 2024 census gives citizenship for Georgia as a whole, not by district.
How many foreigners live in Georgia?
The 2024 census counted 133,857 foreign citizens living there permanently.
Which area is most popular with expats?
Vake, Vera, Sololaki and Saburtalo are named most often, but no head count exists.
Where are the international schools?
Mainly around Lisi Lake and Zurgovani, and in Bagebi and Tskneti.
What do foreigners buy in Tbilisi?
Mostly new flats; foreigners made up 14% of purchases in August 2026, per Colliers.
Do I need a car in the expat areas?
Not in Vera, Saburtalo or Sololaki; usually yes at Lisi Lake, Bagebi or Tskneti.
Is Vake a good place to invest?
Rents are the highest, but the gross yield is about 5.7% on July 2026 averages.
Is it a problem to be Russian when renting?
Refusals were reported in 2022; check with the landlord before viewing.
Sources
- Main results of the 2024 population census, 22 June 2026, and Number of population as of 1 January 2026, with the editions for 2023 to 2025, Geostat (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Georgia issues residence permits to 107,307 foreigners, Georgian Public Broadcaster, and report on permit types, Front News, 18 February 2026
- Foreign buyers' share of the Tbilisi apartment market rises to 14%, BM.ge citing Colliers, 22 September 2026
- Tbilisi residential real estate, July 2026, Galt & Taggart (accessed 22 October 2026), and Russian nationals purchased 10,000 apartments in 16 months, FactCheck Georgia, 2023
- Informal sanctions and patriotism from below, Nationalities Papers, Cambridge University Press, 2025
- What it costs to rent an apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia Today, 17 August 2026
- Best international schools in Tbilisi, 2026, iSchoolAdvisor, 7 October 2026, and QSI International School of Tbilisi (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Embassies and consulates in Georgia, Georgian National Tourism Administration (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Coworking spaces in Tbilisi, ExpatHub, 1 October 2024
- We'll all go back when the regime falls, Meduza, 25 March 2022, and Influx of Russians into Georgia stokes old tensions, CNN, 26 May 2023
- Friend or foe: perceptions of and among Russian migrants in Georgia, CRRC Georgia, September 2024
- Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 22 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from Geostat census and migration data, government residence-permit figures, Colliers via BM.ge, Galt & Taggart, Nationalities Papers, Georgia Today, iSchoolAdvisor, school websites, the national tourism portal's embassy list, ExpatHub, Meduza, CNN, CRRC Georgia and the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens.