How much does a trip to Georgia cost? Daily budgets for backpackers, mid-range and comfort travellers (2026 prices)

A backpacker travelling independently through Georgia in 2026 should budget roughly €25-35 (about $28-39, 73-102 GEL) per day for a dorm bed, street food and marshrutka rides. A mid-range traveller staying in guesthouses or boutique hotels, eating in sit-down restaurants and mixing taxis with trains should plan on €70-90 a day ($78-101, 204-262 GEL). A comfort traveller booking boutique or 5-star hotels, private transport and guided days will spend €200-300+ a day ($224-336, 582-873 GEL). These ranges use the National Bank of Georgia’s reference rate for 27 October 2026 (1 EUR = 2.9082 GEL, 1 USD = 2.5966 GEL, so roughly 1 EUR = 1.12 USD); check the current rate before you convert larger amounts, since the lari moves daily.

Georgia remains inexpensive by Western European standards, but prices vary sharply by season and region. Tbilisi, Batumi in July-August and Gudauri or Bakuriani in ski season can run 20-30 percent above the averages below, while Kakheti, Imereti and most of the regions stay close to list price year-round. The figures in this guide are conservative 2026 averages gathered from hotel listings, restaurant menus and our own operating costs; where a government fee or regulated fare is likely to change, we link the official source so you can confirm the current number before you travel. For a live, dated reference, see our own price table at gtour.ge/data.

Accommodation by city and tier

Room rates below are per night, typically for a double unless marked as a dorm bed. Expect Tbilisi and Batumi to sit at the top of the range in July, August and over New Year, and guesthouses in Kazbegi, Mestia and Sighnaghi to rise during the short autumn and winter holiday peaks.

In mountain regions such as Svaneti and Tusheti, guesthouses usually charge per person on a half-board basis (breakfast and dinner included), typically €25-40 per person per night, since there is little alternative dining nearby.

Food and drink

Georgian food is one of the cheapest parts of any trip. A plate of five to eight khinkali at a neighbourhood cellar costs €4-7; a wedge of khachapuri is €4-7. A casual supra-style meal for one, with a salad, a hot dish and a glass of house wine, runs €10-16. A sit-down dinner in a mid-range Tbilisi or Batumi restaurant with a bottle of Georgian wine shared between two is typically €20-35 per person; wine-country tasting menus in Kakheti can reach €50 or more per person. A glass of house wine is usually €2-4, a shop-bought bottle of regional wine €5-12, and a restaurant bottle €15-35 depending on the producer. Draught beer is around €2-3.5. If you want a formally hosted feast with live polyphonic singing rather than a casual dinner, a welcome supra with singers is priced from €65 per person for groups of 15 or more through our events and groups services.

Getting around: metro, marshrutka, train and private car

City transport is inexpensive: a single Tbilisi metro ride on a Metromoney card is about 1 GEL, and city buses use the same card. Shared marshrutka minibuses between towns are the backbone of independent travel; Tbilisi to Kutaisi or Telavi typically costs 10-20 GEL, Tbilisi to Batumi or Mestia 25-45 GEL, paid in cash to the driver, with no fixed online booking. Georgian Railway runs day and overnight trains between Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi; fares and timetables are published on the operator’s own site and are worth checking before you plan a sleeper journey, since schedules change seasonally.

Ride-hailing apps (Bolt and Yandex Go) cover Tbilisi and Batumi with short rides from €2-5. For day trips, regional transfers or multi-day touring, a private car with an English-speaking driver is the most flexible option and is priced per car, not per person, which brings the per-person cost down for groups of three or more:

Full details, including per-kilometre extras and the Kutaisi and Batumi airport routes, are on our airport transfers and car with driver pages, and current road conditions for mountain routes are tracked on our road status page.

Entrance fees, SIM cards and tips

Most monasteries and churches are free to enter with a modest donation box; ticketed sites run by the state heritage agency, such as Uplistsikhe, Vardzia and Prometheus Cave, typically charge the equivalent of €5-10 per adult, with reduced rates for students and children. Fees are reviewed periodically, so check the current list on heritagesites.ge or museum.ge before you budget a multi-site day. The Tbilisi cable car to Narikala and the Gudauri and Mestia ski lifts are priced separately by season.

A tourist SIM card (Magti, Geocell or Beeline) with a generous data allowance costs roughly 15-25 GEL for seven to thirty days and is sold at kiosks in both airport arrivals halls and in city centres; bring your passport to register it. Tipping is not obligatory in Georgia: round up taxi fares, and leave 5-10 percent in restaurants only if a service charge has not already been added to the bill.

Three worked daily budgets

These per-person daily totals assume two people travelling together and sharing rooms and private transport where relevant; a solo backpacker’s costs are similar, while a solo comfort traveller pays more for a private car.

Seven-day totals

Multiplying the daily figures above across a one-week trip gives the following rough totals per person, before any long-distance flight into Georgia:

For comparison, a fully organised week with a licensed guide, private driver, curated hotels and all entrance fees arranged in advance, such as Georgia in 7 Days — The Classic Grand Tour, costs €1,290 per person for two travellers across seven days and nights, which works out close to the mid-range to comfort band above but removes all planning and currency juggling.

Where private guiding and cars pay off

Independent travel is cheapest for Tbilisi, Kakheti and Kutaisi, where marshrutkas and trains run frequently. It becomes less practical for single-day loops to places with limited public transport, such as Uplistsikhe, Vardzia, David Gareji or the Martvili and Okatse canyons, where a shared seat on a small-group day tour, from €128-150 per person in a group of three or more, is often cheaper and faster than piecing together transfers yourself. Multi-day regions with rough roads, including Tusheti, Svaneti and winter mountain passes, require a 4×4 or an experienced local driver; booking this through a licensed operator also covers you if a road is closed, which you can check in advance on our road status page.

Practical summary

• Backpacker: roughly €25-35 ($28-39, 73-102 GEL) per day; hostel dorm, khinkali, metro and marshrutka.
• Mid-range: roughly €70-90 ($78-101, 204-262 GEL) per day; guesthouse or boutique hotel, restaurant meals, trains and taxis.
• Comfort: €200-300+ ($224-336, 582-873 GEL) per day; boutique or 5-star hotels, private driver, guided days.
• Use the National Bank of Georgia’s daily rate to convert larger budgets; rates move day to day.
• Carry some cash lari for marshrutkas and rural guesthouses; cards are widely accepted in cities.
• Check current ticket prices for heritage sites and museums before a multi-stop day, since fees are reviewed periodically.
• For a fixed, all-in weekly cost with no planning, compare our ready-made tours and private car and guide rates at gtour.ge/data.

Sources

• Georgia National Tourism Administration
• Official travel and practical information
• Heritage site tickets and opening hours
• Georgian Railway passenger information
• Consumer prices and statistics
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel information