Georgia (Tbilisi): Buying Costs and Property Taxes in 2026

Round-trip buying costs in the country of Georgia run to 4.9%, the lowest in our comparison group. Here is where the money goes and how rent is taxed.

Most buyers compare Tbilisi with Lisbon or Warsaw on the square-metre price and stop there. The figure that changes the arithmetic sits in the paperwork. The Glopra snapshot of 23 July 2026, methodology v3, puts the full round-trip transaction cost in Georgia at 4.9% of the purchase price, the lowest number in the group of markets we track side by side.

What do you actually pay to close a purchase in Georgia?

That 4.9% is a round-trip figure. It covers the buying side and the eventual sale together, not just the day you sign. The reason it stays under five per cent is largely the registry: title passes at the National Agency of Public Registry, the procedure is quick and the fee is small against the price of a flat. Agency commission and, if you appoint one, a lawyer account for most of the rest.

Notarisation is not the fixed hurdle it is across much of continental Europe, so a clean apartment purchase can complete in days. Budget separately for a survey and for having the registry extract read by someone who does not work for the seller.

How much tax does a landlord pay on rental income?

An individual letting residential property is taxed at 5% on the gross rent, provided no expenses are claimed. PwC's Georgia tax summaries describe this as the standard route, and it is most of the reason the country reads as cheap on a spreadsheet. The alternative is the general 20% personal income tax rate on a net basis after deductible costs, which only wins where costs are unusually heavy.

The honest range is therefore 5% to 20%, and where you land is a choice rather than a given. A non-resident should put the specific facts of their case to a Georgian tax adviser before pencilling in the 5% rate.

Is there an annual property tax to plan for?

For most owners, no. Households below an income threshold fall outside the annual property tax entirely. Above the threshold a municipal property tax applies at rates reaching 1% of value, which is modest by regional standards but not nothing if your household income is substantial.

Does a 7.42% yield survive contact with the price level?

The same Glopra snapshot puts the Tbilisi average at 1,925 USD per square metre, with medium confidence in the underlying sample, and the gross rental yield at 7.42%. Prices measured in dollars rose 6.1% over the preceding twelve months. Against a 4.9% round-trip cost that is a rare piece of arithmetic: one year of gross rent covers the entire cost of getting in and out again.

Gross is not net. Vacancy, management, the 5% rent tax and the currency gap between lari income and a dollar valuation all take a share. The price-to-income ratio of 12.1 says local buyers are stretched, which limits how far domestic demand alone can push prices. Glopra's bubble score for Georgia is 36 out of 100, inside the moderate band.

Can a foreign buyer own the property outright?

Foreign nationals may hold apartments and commercial premises directly, with no local partner or holding company required. Agricultural land is the exception and is restricted, so a plot with a farmhouse raises a different legal question from a flat in Vake.

If you are already shortlisting units, order the registry extract for each one and take it, together with a written note of your own tax residency, to a Georgian adviser before you make an offer. That conversation decides whether your rent is taxed at 5% or at 20%.

This article is for information only and is not legal, tax or investment advice.

Sources

Glopra snapshot 2026-07-23, methodology v3 — glopra.com

PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Georgia — taxsummaries.pwc.com

National Agency of Public Registry, Georgia — napr.gov.ge

Market data: Georgia