Batumi vs Tbilisi: where to buy an apartment as a foreigner

Legally, the Batumi vs Tbilisi choice changes almost nothing: buying, registration and taxes work the same way in both cities. What differs is the apartment's life after the purchase. In Batumi its year follows the beach season. In Tbilisi it follows work and business in the capital, which carry on through the winter. We work only in Batumi and along the Adjara coast, so in Tbilisi other people would handle the transaction and the renovation for you.

Batumi vs Tbilisi: what is legally the same

The rules for foreigners are the same across the country. You can freely buy apartments, commercial premises and non-agricultural land, but not agricultural land, apart from narrow exceptions such as inheritance. You become the owner once the purchase is registered with the Public Registry. The registration fee is the same in both cities, and there is no tax on the transfer of ownership.

Taxes on rental income and on sales are also the same nationwide: 5% of gross income from renting out housing for people to live in, if you are registered as a landlord, and no tax when you sell a home after 2 years of ownership. A residence permit through property has one threshold everywhere: a market value above 150,000 US dollars, confirmed by an accredited valuer. Property tax is the one that can differ. The household income threshold is the same, 100,000 GEL a year, but above it the rate, up to 1%, is set by the municipality, so Batumi and Tbilisi may charge different rates.

The season and rental demand

Batumi runs on the tourist calendar. Most visitors come between July and September, and short-term rental by the sea is planned around those months. In winter short-term demand drops, so owners here switch their apartments to a mixed pattern: by the night in summer, by the month in winter. The income comes in unevenly, and you need to work it out month by month, not from the summer price per night.

In Tbilisi people live and work all year round, and demand for long-term rentals depends less on the time of year. Short-term rentals exist there too, but the beach season doesn't drive them. An owner in the capital is more likely to count on a tenant who rents for months at a time, and chooses the apartment with that tenant in mind.

Climate and apartment upkeep

Batumi is humid. It gets more than 2,400 mm of precipitation a year, average monthly humidity on the coast is between 73 and 84%, and salt from the sea speeds up the corrosion of metal. An apartment here needs ventilation that works, moisture-resistant materials in the bathroom and on the balcony, stainless fixings and dehumidifying in winter if nobody lives in it.

Tbilisi is drier. It gets several times less precipitation, the summers are hotter, and there are frosts in winter. An owner there worries about other things: air conditioning for the summer, heating and insulation for the winter. Damp happens in Tbilisi too, but an apartment that stays closed for months suffers less from it than one by the sea.

Which apartment to buy in each city

In Batumi you choose an apartment for a particular use. For seasonal letting, what matters is the sea nearby, the view and a small floor area that is quick to clean between guests. For living here all year, other things matter more: a quiet courtyard, dry walls and what stays open near the building in winter, when the tourists have gone. These are two different apartments, and one apartment rarely does both jobs well.

Tbilisi has no sea, and there is usually only one use: a home for yourself or for a long-term tenant. The deciding factors are transport, travel time to work and school, the condition of the building and the heating. We don't go into Tbilisi districts and prices: we don't work there, and we won't pass on other people's figures.

If you are buying from abroad

In both cities you can buy an apartment without travelling to Georgia, and the rules are the same. Since 20 October 2023, if the power of attorney was signed abroad, the transaction can only be registered through a notary, which adds the notary's fee and a translation to the registry fee. The harder part starts after the purchase: the handover, renovation, furniture and letting. From far away, all of this depends on people on the ground.

In Batumi and on the Adjara coast, we can be those people. The pre-purchase check, the transaction, renovation and rental management are all handled by one team, and you follow the renovation through a photo and video report every week. For Tbilisi, it is better to find such people before you buy, not after.