How much money you need for Georgia in 2026

How much does Georgia cost per day in 2026?

A day in Georgia costs about 90 to 140 GEL per person on a budget, 200 to 300 GEL mid-range and 400 to 650 GEL in comfort, at October 2026 prices. That covers a bed, food, city transport and a few tickets. Intercity trips, day tours and insurance are added in the 5, 7 and 10-day totals below. The mid-range and comfort figures assume two people sharing a room.

Georgia is inexpensive for most visitors. By Numbeo's figures of 15 October 2026, everyday prices in Tbilisi without rent are about 61 per cent lower than in New York. Rooms in summer, Batumi in August and the ski resorts at New Year are where the money goes.

• Budget, 90 to 140 GEL (35 to 55 USD). A hostel bed or a simple guesthouse, bakeries and cheap cafés, the metro and marshrutka minibuses.
• Mid-range, 200 to 300 GEL (75 to 115 USD). A 3-star hotel or a good guesthouse, two restaurant meals with a glass of wine, Bolt taxis and a few entry tickets.
• Comfort, 400 to 650 GEL (155 to 250 USD). A boutique or 4 to 5-star hotel, restaurants with wine, taxis everywhere, a private room at the sulphur baths.
• A couple at mid-range spends about 400 to 600 GEL (155 to 230 USD) a day together. A solo traveller pays for the whole room, so add 70 to 100 GEL a day.
• A family of two adults and two children at mid-range spends about 500 to 800 GEL (190 to 310 USD) a day, with a family room or an apartment. Children eat less, under-6s go free at many paid sights, and older children pay a few lari.

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How much money do you need for 5, 7 and 10 days?

For one person without flights, a mid-range trip to Georgia costs about 1,200 to 1,900 GEL for 5 days, 1,700 to 2,600 GEL for 7 days and 2,400 to 3,700 GEL for 10 days. The totals add the daily budget, travel between towns, two to four day trips, a SIM card and insurance. They are our own sums from the prices in this guide, rounded.

• 5 days, Tbilisi with day trips to Kazbegi and Kakheti. Budget 550 to 850 GEL (210 to 330 USD), mid-range 1,200 to 1,900 GEL (460 to 730 USD), comfort 2,300 to 3,900 GEL (890 to 1,500 USD).
• 7 days, adding a night in Kazbegi and Kutaisi or Borjomi. Budget 750 to 1,200 GEL (290 to 460 USD), mid-range 1,700 to 2,600 GEL (650 to 1,000 USD), comfort 3,200 to 5,400 GEL (1,230 to 2,080 USD).
• 10 days, adding Batumi or Svaneti. Budget 1,100 to 1,700 GEL (420 to 650 USD), mid-range 2,400 to 3,700 GEL (920 to 1,420 USD), comfort 4,600 to 7,700 GEL (1,770 to 2,960 USD).
• Couples and families. A couple pays about twice the per-person total. A family of four at mid-range should plan on 4,000 to 6,500 GEL (1,550 to 2,500 USD) for a week.
• Reserve. Keep 10 to 20 per cent on top for a taxi at night, a dinner you did not plan and souvenirs such as wine and churchkhela. For a day-by-day route, see our 7-day itinerary.

How much do hotels and guesthouses cost?

A double room in a 3-star hotel in Georgia costs about 140 to 200 GEL (55 to 75 USD) a night in 2026, a hostel bed 25 to 40 GEL and a boutique or 5-star room 390 to 570 GEL (150 to 220 USD). Accommodation is the cost that rises fastest in summer. The ranges come from 2026 travel guides that track Booking.com and local sites, checked in June and September 2026.

• Hostel dorm bed. 25 to 40 GEL (10 to 15 USD).
• Guesthouse double room. 60 to 110 GEL (25 to 40 USD) in quieter places, 120 to 160 GEL (45 to 60 USD) in Kazbegi, Mestia and on the coast in summer.
• Mountain guesthouse with dinner and breakfast. About 50 to 80 GEL per person in Kazbegi and 60 to 90 GEL in Mestia.
• 3-star hotel. 140 to 200 GEL (55 to 75 USD) for a double room.
• Apartment. 170 to 260 GEL (65 to 100 USD) in Tbilisi and Batumi, 90 to 130 GEL (35 to 50 USD) in Kutaisi.
• Boutique or 5-star hotel. 390 to 570 GEL (150 to 220 USD), better value outside summer.
• Village guesthouses usually want cash. For July and August, book Kazbegi and Mestia 4 to 8 weeks ahead.

How much do meals cost, and should you tip?

Food in Georgia costs about 40 to 60 GEL a day on a budget, 80 to 130 GEL mid-range and 150 to 250 GEL with good restaurants and wine. A meal in an inexpensive restaurant is about 29 GEL and a three-course dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant about 100 GEL without drinks, according to Numbeo on 15 October 2026.

Bakery khachapuri costs 3 to 5 GEL, a khinkali 1 to 2 GEL, an Adjaruli khachapuri 10 to 25 GEL, a cappuccino about 9 GEL, half a litre of local beer about 7 GEL and a glass of wine 6 to 12 GEL. A mid-range bottle of wine in a shop is about 20 GEL. What to order is in our Georgian food guide.

Tip about 10 per cent, but check the bill first. Many restaurants add a service charge of 10 to 18 per cent, shown as service or მომსახურება, and then no tip is needed. In cafés and taxis people round up, and Bolt lets you tip in the app. A guide on a day tour usually gets 10 to 20 GEL per person if you enjoyed it. Marshrutka drivers and guesthouse hosts do not expect tips.

How much is transport in and between cities?

A ride on the Tbilisi metro or bus costs 1 GEL and a marshrutka or bus between towns 2 to 50 GEL, at autumn 2026 prices. A rental car is about 30 USD a day off-season and 40 to 45 USD in summer, plus fuel.

• Tbilisi metro and buses. 1 GEL a ride with a Metromoney card (the card is 2 GEL), valid 90 minutes with free changes. A day pass is 3 GEL.
• From Tbilisi Airport. Bus 337 costs 1 GEL (about 1.50 GEL on a foreign card). Bolt or Yandex Go to the centre costs 25 to 35 GEL by day and 30 to 40 GEL after midnight, and the official airport taxi a fixed 40 GEL. Drivers who approach you in arrivals ask 50 to 100 GEL, so ignore them, the apps work at the airport. Details are in our airport guide.
• Bolt in Tbilisi. 7 to 12 GEL within the centre and 15 to 20 GEL across the city, more at rush hour and in the rain.
• Marshrutkas from Tbilisi. Mtskheta 2 GEL, Sighnaghi 15 GEL, Borjomi 12 to 15 GEL, Kazbegi 20 GEL, Kutaisi 20 to 35 GEL, Batumi 25 to 50 GEL by minibus or bus. You pay in cash.
• Train. Tbilisi to Batumi takes about 4 hours and costs from about 35 GEL in second class. In summer buy a week ahead, see Tbilisi to Batumi.
• Flight to Mestia. About 90 GEL one way from Natakhtari near Tbilisi.
• Rental car. About 30 USD a day off-season and 40 to 45 USD in summer. Petrol cost 3.60 to 3.80 GEL a litre in September 2026, and a return trip to Kazbegi uses 25 to 30 litres. Both choices are compared in rent a car or hire a driver.
• Private transfer. The price is per car, not per person, so it pays off for families and groups rather than a solo traveller on a budget, who travels far cheaper by marshrutka and train. A family of four compares one car with four tickets.
• With TravelAroundGeorgia the price is fixed in advance and includes fuel, child seats are free, and you pay the driver after the trip in cash or by card. At the airport the first 60 minutes of waiting are free. The live price for each car is in the booking card, for example on the Tbilisi Airport transfer page. Book on the site or in our Telegram bot.

How much do day tours and entry tickets cost?

A group day tour from Tbilisi costs about 30 to 70 USD (80 to 180 GEL) per person in 2026, and most churches, monasteries and national parks in Georgia are free. Paid sights cost foreigners 15 to 40 GEL, and the boats in the canyons and the cave cost extra.

• Free. Narikala, Svetitskhoveli and Jvari in Mtskheta, Gergeti Trinity, the David Gareja Lavra, Bodbe, Gelati and Kazbegi National Park.
• 15 GEL. Uplistsikhe, Vardzia, the Stalin Museum in Gori and Gonio fortress near Batumi.
• Canyons and caves near Kutaisi. Martvili 40 GEL plus 20 GEL for the boat, Okatse 30 GEL, Prometheus Cave 40 GEL plus 30 GEL for the boat. See Martvili and Okatse.
• Batumi. The Botanical Garden 25 GEL, the Argo cable car 39 GEL return.
• Tbilisi. The Narikala cable car 2.5 GEL one way, the Mtatsminda funicular 10 GEL plus a 2 GEL park card. The sulphur baths cost 6 to 10 GEL in a public hall or 70 to 300 GEL an hour for a private room shared by your group, see the sulphur baths guide.
• Skiing. A day pass cost 70 GEL in Gudauri and 55 GEL in Bakuriani in the 2025/26 season.

How much are a SIM card and the compulsory insurance?

A local SIM with a week of unlimited data costs about 20 GEL in town, and the health insurance every tourist has needed since 1 January 2026 costs about 2 to 4 GEL a day from Georgian insurers. Both prices were checked in October 2026.

The insurance must cover every day of the stay with at least 30,000 GEL. At 2 to 4 GEL a day that is 10 to 40 GEL for a 5 to 10-day trip. A policy from home also counts if it meets the rule, see Georgia entry requirements.

• Magti SIM or eSIM. 10 GEL, then unlimited data for 10 GEL a week or 35 GEL a month. Magti usually works best in the mountains.
• Silknet tourist packages. 15 GEL for 7 days or 30 GEL for 15 days, both with unlimited data.
• At the airport. Desks sell 15-day packages for 15 to 30 GEL, with less data than the same money buys in town.
• eSIM apps. Airalo, for example, sells 3 GB for 7 days for about 11 USD.
• You need your passport for any SIM or eSIM.

Is it better to pay cash or card in Georgia?

In Georgia pay by card in the cities and carry cash for the rest. Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay work in about nine out of ten shops, cafés and restaurants in Tbilisi and Batumi. Cash is needed for marshrutkas, markets, village guesthouses, family wineries, church candles and tips. If you pay mostly by card, 30 to 50 GEL of cash a day is enough in the cities.

Take lari from an ATM rather than carrying all your money. Basisbank and Cartu do not charge foreign cards and pay out up to about 2,000 GEL at a time. TBC and Bank of Georgia, the most common machines, charge a few lari, and Credo and Liberty charge more. The fee shows on screen before you confirm, and your own bank may add one. When an ATM or a card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose lari, because that conversion costs 3 to 5 per cent more.

There are no ATMs in Juta, Ushguli or Tusheti. Kazbegi and Mestia have only a few, and they can run out of cash on busy summer weekends, so take cash in Tbilisi, Kutaisi or Zugdidi first.

Exchange offices in town give better rates than the airport, where 2026 reports put the rate 2 to 8 per cent worse, so change only enough for the first day there. In the Old Town and on Rustaveli Avenue there is an exchange office on every block. Compare two boards and read the buy column, which is what you get for your dollars or euros. Ask how many lari you will receive for the whole amount before you hand it over, and count the money at the window.

Which currency should you bring, and do Russian cards work?

Bring US dollars or euros. On 19 October 2026 the National Bank of Georgia rate was 2.60 GEL to the dollar and 2.93 GEL to the euro, and the Rico Credit exchange chain bought both within 1 per cent of those rates. Prices in Georgia are in lari and shops do not take foreign cash, so change it or pay by card.

Cards issued by Russian banks do not work in Georgia. Russian Visa, Mastercard and Mir cards cannot pay or withdraw cash, and UnionPay cards of Russian banks are often declined. Zolotaya Korona (Korona Pay) stopped transfers to Georgia on 24 July 2026 after new EU sanctions, and Georgian banks stopped working with Unistream in July 2023. Russian visitors therefore bring dollars or euros in cash, or a card from a bank outside Russia. Cash over 30,000 GEL must be declared at the border. The road from Russia is covered in our Upper Lars guide.

• US dollars. 1 USD = 2.60 GEL, changed everywhere.
• Euros. 1 EUR = 2.93 GEL, changed everywhere.
• Russian rubles. 100 RUB = 3.09 GEL officially, but on 19 October 2026 Rico Credit paid 2.93 GEL, about 5 per cent less, and not every exchange office takes rubles.
• UAE dirhams. 10 AED = 7.07 GEL officially, but Rico Credit paid 6.53 GEL, about 8 per cent less. Visitors from the Gulf lose less with dollars or a card.
• British pounds. 1 GBP = 3.47 GEL.

When does a trip to Georgia cost more?

July and August are the dearest months in Georgia, followed by New Year and the ski season from late December. Book early for these dates. From November to March, outside New Year and the ski resorts, prices are lowest.

• July and August. Room prices peak, above all on the Black Sea. A simple guesthouse room in Batumi costs about 50 to 80 GEL in summer and 35 to 50 GEL in April or October. Rental cars cost 20 to 40 per cent more, and train tickets to Batumi should be bought a week ahead.
• New Year. From about 30 December to 13 January the ski resorts are at their busiest, and Tbilisi restaurants sell set New Year's Eve menus from mid-December. See New Year in Georgia.
• Ski season. Rooms in Gudauri and Bakuriani are dearest from late December to February, and you add a lift pass of 55 to 70 GEL a day and ski hire of about 40 to 50 GEL a day. See ski resorts in Georgia.
• Cheaper months. From November to February, New Year aside, rooms in Tbilisi cost about 15 to 30 per cent less than in summer. Spring and autumn bring good weather at lower prices, see the best time to visit.