Sitting in a sunny Tbilisi café with a laptop and a khachapuri (cheese bread) for lunch, I realize the real bargains in Georgia aren’t what I expected. Sure, a hearty meal or a guesthouse bed in this country can cost a fraction of what it would in Western Europe.
But after a few months living here as a remote worker, I’ve discovered that Georgia’s true value-for-money runs much deeper. From year-long visa-free stays to lightning-fast internet and a vibrant nomad community, Georgia remains cheap for digital nomads just not in the obvious ways.
Life Quality per Lari
When travelers boast that Georgia is “cheap,” they often talk about inexpensive wine, meals, and accommodation. While those perks are real, the bigger story is quality of life per dollar.
Take it from one British freelancer who set up base in Tbilisi: by taking advantage of Georgia’s low taxes and living costs, she found she could live comfortably on about $1,300 a month, roughly 60% less than her costs in London and still save around $2,500 monthly, all while enjoying a higher quality of life.
In Georgia, your budget stretches far: a $600 one-bedroom in a trendy Tbilisi neighborhood might rival the space and comfort of a $1,500 flat in Western Europe. And day-to-day expenses from public transport to pharmacy prices are modest.
The difference is felt not just in your wallet, but in your lifestyle: money saved can be money spent on weekend getaways to the Caucasus Mountains or nights out in the capital’s buzzing cultural scene.
To be clear, Georgia isn’t a rock-bottom, backpacker-secret kind of cheap anymore – costs have crept up in recent years. Popular neighborhoods like Vake or Saburtalo in Tbilisi have seen rent prices climb 30–40% since 2022, especially after an influx of new residents in 2022.
Even so, an average one-bedroom in the city center is about €500 per month, which remains a bargain compared to other digital nomad hubs like Lisbon or Dubai. Crucially, what you get for that price is a capital city life with international restaurants, cafes, parks, and reliable infrastructure.
In other words, Georgia lets you enjoy first-world amenities at emerging-market prices. The value is less about rock-bottom costs and more about what each Georgian lari buys you in well-being.
Visa Policy
One of Georgia’s greatest hidden values is something you don’t have to pay for at all: time. Unlike many destinations that make long stays a bureaucratic headache, Georgia flings its doors open wide.
Nationals of over 95 countries can enter Georgia visa-free and stay for up to one year – an almost unheard-of generosity. There’s no maze of paperwork or costly visa runs; you can simply arrive with a passport and settle in for 12 months.
In fact, travelers often marvel that they can stay a full year with “no limit to the number of re-entries”, effectively allowing nomads to come and go at will. What’s the value of this? Enormous.
It means avoiding the steep fees and stress associated with short-term visas or frequent border hops. You get to focus on your work and life, not on your legal status.
Georgia doubled down on this welcoming stance during the pandemic. While other countries tightened entry, Georgia launched “Remotely from Georgia,” a digital nomad visa program to encourage remote workers to ride out COVID-19 in the country.
Even after that special program was suspended in 2024, Georgia kept a remote worker visa option in place with minimal hurdles – proof of a $2,000 monthly income or $24,000 savings is enough to qualify. And unlike some nations’ pricey nomad visas, Georgia’s application was free and straightforward.
The government’s message was clear: if you can work from anywhere, why not work from here? Such flexible visa policies have helped turn Tbilisi and even the Black Sea city of Batumi into fast-growing hubs for remote professionals.
Importantly, this open-arms approach hasn’t soured (yet) in the way it has elsewhere. While places like Lisbon or Barcelona have seen backlash as an influx of nomads drove up rents and strained locals’ goodwill, Georgia’s stance remains largely positive.
In global rankings of digital nomad hotspots, Tbilisi consistently lands among the top 15 – if not the top 10. That standing isn’t just because life is inexpensive; it’s because Georgia has fostered an environment where nomads feel genuinely embraced.
As one long-term remote worker put it, while other cities were trying to stem the tide of nomads, “Tbilisi has seemed to embrace them”. In Georgia, feeling welcome is not an abstract perk – it’s a tangible benefit that keeps more money in your pocket (no visa runs!) and more peace in your mind.
High-Tech on a Low Budget
Ask any digital nomad what they need day-to-day, and good internet tops the list. Many might assume a small Caucasus nation would struggle on this front – but Georgia will surprise you.
The country invested in solid telecom infrastructure, and it shows. In major cities, internet speeds average 150–200 Mbps or higher, on par with or exceeding speeds in Western Europe. Even secondary cities like Batumi typically see 100+ Mbps connections.
What’s more, connectivity is cheap: a high-speed home fiber plan runs around $20 per month, and unlimited mobile data packages can be found for as little as $10–15. For remote workers used to shelling out for pricey coworking Wi-Fi passes or unreliable cafe networks, Georgia’s plug-and-play connectivity is a blessing.
You can video call clients in New York from a mountain lodge in Kazbegi or upload big files from a seaside café in Batumi without a hiccup. Reliable internet “is abundant in Georgia, particularly in its main cities” – and it doesn’t require Silicon Valley salaries to afford.
The coworking scene, too, delivers great bang for your buck. Tbilisi in particular has seen an explosion of modern coworking spaces tailored to a new wave of entrepreneurs, IT workers, and creatives. At spaces like Terminal, Impact Hub, or Fabrika, a day pass costs only about $8–15 and monthly memberships start around $100–200 – significantly less than similar hot desks in Western capitals.
Yet the facilities don’t skimp: expect ergonomic chairs, meeting rooms, free coffee, and events where you can network with both locals and fellow nomads. Even smaller cities are getting in on the action; Batumi now hosts a handful of quality coworking spots, and prices outside the capital are 20–30% lower than in Tbilisi.
Of course, you don’t even need a formal office to work here – café culture in Georgia is thriving, with countless coffee shops offering free Wi-Fi and a welcoming vibe for those who sip and script code for hours. From chic loft-style work hubs to cozy backstreet tea houses, Georgia gives you first-class work environments at economy-class prices.
Beyond the infrastructure itself, Georgia’s supportive ecosystem adds extra value. Need to open a bank account? Georgia’s banks are known for being foreigner-friendly and efficient. Feeling entrepreneurial? The country ranks 7th globally for ease of doing business and 2nd for ease of starting a company, so setting up a freelance entity or LLC is refreshingly quick.
Taxes are another sweet spot: as a foreign freelancer you can opt to register as an individual entrepreneur under Georgia’s “small business” regime and enjoy a flat 1% tax on your business turnover (up to about $185,000 USD in earnings). That’s not a typo – one percent, compared to the 20–30% income tax you might pay back home.
With no double-taxation on many foreign incomes and a crypto-friendly stance (yes, Bitcoin ATMs exist in Tbilisi), the financial infrastructure is quietly tailored to savvy nomads. The bottom line: Georgia equips you with the tools to work efficiently and keep more of your money, which in turn elevates your day-to-day quality of life without elevating your expenses.
A Rich Life for Little Cost
Perhaps the most rewarding “cheap” aspect of Georgia is the vibrant life you get to live outside of work. The country’s social scene and cultural riches are disproportionately accessible given how little you’ll spend. Tbilisi, for instance, is “a young city full of bars, restaurants and co-working spaces” where you can dine out or go clubbing without the hefty price tag of, say, Berlin or London.
A feast of authentic Georgian dishes – think herb-laden salads, hearty stews, and of course wine by the jug – might cost you the same as a single cocktail in New York.
Speaking of wine, Georgia’s 8,000-year-old wine heritage isn’t just a historical brag; it’s a present-day steal. Visiting a winery in the Kakheti region for a day of tasting and farm-to-table food is eminently affordable, and wine is an essential part of Georgian culture that locals happily share with guests.
Even in Tbilisi, trendy wine bars pour excellent local vintages for a few euros a glass amid atmospheres as sophisticated as any in Western Europe.
The expat and nomad community in Georgia further amplifies the bang-for-buck lifestyle. Thanks to the easy visa and low cost of living, people from all over have made Tbilisi their home, creating a diverse expat scene. And unlike in some places where foreigners stick to themselves, here the communities mix.
It’s common to see Georgian students, relocated tech workers from Russia, American freelancers and European NGO staff clinking glasses together at a rooftop bar. Organized meet-ups happen weekly – from tech networking nights to language exchanges to hiking groups – and they’re usually free or very low cost to join.
On any given week, you might find a digital nomad meet-up planning a weekend trip to the vineyards, an impromptu coworking crawl through hip cafés on Rustaveli Avenue, or a group of expats heading to an open-air electronic music festival.
Georgia’s famed hospitality plays a role too: there’s a local saying that “every guest is a gift from God,” and many nomads recount instances of Georgians welcoming them like old friends. One writer who moved to Tbilisi was “feted with wine and food by people he had only just met,” finding it easy to integrate and form friendships across cultures.
In daily life, this means you’re never lonely for long – community is essentially free here, ready to greet you with a glass of wine or a trip to the mountains.
Crucially, enjoying Georgia’s rich culture and recreation doesn’t require an expensive membership or tour package. The country itself feels like a vast (and largely free) playground.
Sixteen national parks and multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites beckon nature lovers and history buffs alike. Hiking trails up remote Caucasus peaks are open to all, and a two-hour marshrutka (minibus) ride for a few dollars can take you from city buzz to alpine bliss.
Even within Tbilisi, affordable leisure abounds: for just a few lari (the local currency), you can spend a relaxing afternoon at the historic sulfur bathhouses or ride the funicular up Mtatsminda Park for a panoramic picnic.
Museums, galleries, and theaters in Georgia are not only culturally enriching but also light on the wallet – a stark contrast to many cities where high culture comes at a high price.
In Tbilisi, a ticket to the opera or a classical concert might run you under $10, and wandering the centuries-old streets of the Old Town (with its colorful wooden balconies and hidden courtyards) is completely free. Georgia’s affordable public transport and cheap intercity travel (think $10 train rides or $5 shared taxis between regions) mean that on a remote worker’s salary, you can regularly indulge in the kind of weekend adventures that would be special-occasion splurges elsewhere.
Whether it’s skiing in Gudauri, wine-tasting in Kakheti, or exploring ancient cave monasteries, the country’s most memorable experiences come at a fraction of the cost you’d pay in more touristic destinations. The result is that a nomad’s life in Georgia feels full – packed with social events, outdoor excursions, and cultural delights – yet remains budget-friendly.
Remote Work Revolution
It’s impossible to talk about Georgia’s current allure without noting how things have evolved since 2020. The pandemic that sent remote work into overdrive also put Georgia on the map as a haven for digital nomads.
While many countries closed borders, Georgia famously started the “Remotely from Georgia” initiative in mid-2020, inviting remote workers to come reside for up to a year provided they met modest income criteria. This bold move not only kept a trickle of tourism revenue coming in during the crisis, but also kick-started Georgia’s reputation as a remote work-friendly nation.
By 2024, the global digital nomad population had surged past 40 million, and a noticeable number of those footloose professionals chose Georgia – drawn by that unique mix of low living costs, lenient entry rules, and ready-to-use infrastructure. Tbilisi and Batumi quickly became two of the world’s fastest-growing remote work hubs, as seen in rising co-working openings and swelling expat meetups.
Of course, rapid growth hasn’t come without growing pains. The sudden influx of high-earning foreigners did contribute to inflation in certain sectors – notably housing.
Longtime Tbilisi residents saw rents spike, especially after war in Ukraine in 2022 drove tens of thousands of Russians (many IT workers among them) to seek refuge in Georgia. Some locals moved out of city centers to rent their apartments at rates that, while cheap to expatriates, were unprecedentedly high for Georgia. By 2023, it wasn’t unusual to hear of landlords asking $700 or $800 for apartments that were half that price a couple years prior.
These shifts have stirred debates about how long Georgia can remain the ultra-affordable darling of nomads. Political rumblings – such as questions about the country’s EU aspirations and its complex relationship with Russia – add another layer of uncertainty. Yet, despite these challenges, Georgia’s core attractions haven’t fundamentally changed.
Visa policies are still generous, the internet still fast and cheap, and Georgians by and large remain incredibly hospitable and proud to share their culture with newcomers. The government hasn’t signaled any intent to slam the door on foreign remote workers; if anything, new initiatives (like special residence permits for IT professionals) suggest continued support for bringing in global talent.
In the grand scheme, Georgia is navigating the same dilemma many nomad hotspots face: how to welcome the economic boost of long-term visitors without losing its soul or pricing out locals.
For now, the balance still heavily favors the digital nomad. You get a safe country (crime here is low and streets feel secure), a stable day-to-day life with modern conveniences, and an exciting cross-cultural milieu – all at bargain rates compared to virtually anywhere else offering a similar package.
Tbilisi in 2025 might not be quite as dirt-cheap as it was a decade ago, but it remains a place where a frugal freelancer can live comfortably, and where even a well-heeled remote professional feels no need to overspend.
The Hidden Currency of Georgia: Value
In Georgia, being “cheap” is not about cutting corners or sacrificing quality – it’s about discovering that some of the best things for a remote-working life come included or at a discount.
It’s the everyday ease that impresses: the landlord who throws in free monthly cleaning, the SIM card that costs less than a cup of coffee, the co-working membership that also unlocks a social circle, and the knowledge that you can stay as long as you like without visa anxiety.
Georgia offers a lifestyle rich in experiences – from the urbane pleasures of Tbilisi to the natural splendors of its mountains and coast – at a cost that empowers you to actually enjoy it all, not just grind away for the next paycheck.
For digital nomads and long-term travelers, the country delivers strong value for money in ways that guidebooks don’t always mention. It turns out the true “cheapness” of Georgia isn’t about the literal price of khachapuri or a hostel bed; it’s in the less obvious perks – the freedom, the community, the culture, the convenience – that come gratis or at minimal cost.
In an age where many so-called nomad paradises are getting pricey or overstretched, Georgia still hits that sweet spot: it makes you feel like you’ve hit the productivity and lifestyle jackpot, without having to break the bank to cash in.
