Full buying cost calculator for property in Georgia

What this calculator adds up

Buying property in Georgia is cheaper in transaction costs than in many countries. There is no separate transfer tax or stamp duty, and the Public Registry charges a fixed fee to record the purchase. That makes it easy to underestimate the total, because the costs that remain are small, scattered and paid to different people: the registry, a lawyer, a notary, a translator, a valuer, a bank, sometimes an agent, and almost always a furniture shop. This calculator puts them in one place. It starts from the only cost set by a public tariff, the registry fee, and leaves every other line for you to fill in from the quotes you actually receive. Nothing is invented: a line you leave at zero is simply not counted.

The result is the total amount of money that leaves your account to own the apartment and make it usable, split into the costs on top of the price and the fit-out. It is an estimate for planning, not an offer or a guarantee, and it does not include running costs after the purchase, which the rental yield calculator covers.

What each field means

Property price, USD

The price in the contract. Apartment prices in Georgia are usually quoted in US dollars. If the seller quotes in lari, convert at the rate in the next field.

Exchange rate, GEL per USD

Used only to convert the registry fee, which is set in lari. By default it holds 2.624 lari per dollar, the official National Bank of Georgia rate for 5 August 2026; replace it with the rate on your payment date.

Public Registry service

The National Agency of Public Registry charges GEL 150 to register a change of ownership in four working days, GEL 270 in one working day and GEL 350 on the same day. Registering a preliminary ownership right on an off-plan apartment costs the same; the fee table's free entry covers only the occupied territories. By default the Civil Code makes the seller bear the costs of registering a sale (Article 479), unless the contract provides otherwise; include the fee if your contract makes it yours.

VAT to add on top of the price

VAT at 18% is charged only when a seller registered for VAT sells in a business capacity, as developers usually do and private sellers rarely do. Most developer prices already include it; enter 18 only if the seller confirms in writing that the price excludes VAT.

Lawyer's check

The fee of a lawyer acting only for you, who checks the title, the encumbrances, the permits and the contract. Enter the quote you receive; fees vary with the property and the scope.

Notary and translations

A notary is not required for every sale, but is used for many contracts and for powers of attorney; certified translations are needed when you do not read the contract's language. Enter your quotes.

Valuation

A valuation by an accredited valuer is needed if the property is to support a residence permit, and is useful before any large purchase. Enter the quote.

Agent's fee

Some buyers pay an agent a percentage of the price; in many developer sales the buyer pays no commission. Enter the percentage from your written agreement, if any.

Bank transfer fees

Fees charged by your bank and the receiving bank for the international transfer of the purchase price, and any currency conversion margin you want to include.

Furniture and fit-out

The cost of making the apartment usable: finishing work if it is delivered as a frame, furniture and appliances. It is shown separately because it is not a transaction cost but is part of what you spend.

Assumptions

How the total is calculated

The calculator converts the registry fee from lari to dollars at your exchange rate, adds VAT and the agent's fee as percentages of the price, and adds the fixed amounts you enter for the lawyer, notary and translations, valuation and bank transfers. Those items together are the costs on top of the price, also shown as a share of the price. Furniture and fit-out are added last to give the total cost of the purchase.

The amounts for the lawyer, notary, valuation, agent and bank in the examples are illustrative inputs, not our prices or market rates; your own quotes replace them.

Take the third example line by line. The same-day registry fee of GEL 350 at 2.624 lari per dollar comes to about $133. The agent's 2% of $160,000 is $3,200, by far the largest item. The lawyer, notary, valuation and bank add $1,350 between them. Together that is $4,683, or 2.9% of the price, and the $5,000 fit-out brings the total to $169,683. Without the agent's percentage the costs on top would fall to $1,483, under 1% of the price, which shows how much a single percentage line weighs against the fixed amounts.

How to read the result

Because there is no transfer tax and the registry fee is fixed, the costs on top of the price are usually a small share of the total: between about 0.1% and 3% in the three examples above, depending on the services and fees you add. That is one of the market's genuine advantages. The two lines that can change the picture are VAT, if a developer's price excludes it, and an agent's percentage, if you agree to pay one. Check both in writing before you sign.

The furniture and fit-out line often matters more than all the transaction costs together, especially for an apartment delivered as a white or green frame. If you plan to let the apartment, the fit-out is part of your investment and belongs in the yield calculation. If the purchase is meant to support a residence permit, remember that the threshold applies to the appraised market value, not the price you pay and not the money you spend on furniture; the result line under the calculator reminds you of this.

A practical way to use the calculator is to run it twice. First, before you view properties, enter only your target price and the registry fee to see the minimum you need. Then, once you have a specific apartment and written quotes, fill in every line you will actually pay and send the result to whoever is helping you decide, so that everyone works from the same figures. If a quote changes, update that one field; the rest of the result follows automatically.

Once you have the total, compare it with the rent the apartment can earn, using the yield calculator, and keep a record of each payment for the day you sell, when the gain is calculated from what the property cost you.