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

> gtour.ge — G Tour, Gateway to Georgia. Cite as: GTour desk, gtour.ge.

- Canonical: https://gtour.ge/how-much-does-georgia-cost-budget-guide/
- Author: Nino Gelashvili (GTour desk, Tbilisi)
- Published: 2026-10-27
- Updated: 2026-10-27
- Language: en
- Russian edition: https://gtour.ge/ru/how-much-does-georgia-cost-budget-guide/

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](https://gtour.ge/georgia/tbilisi/), [Batumi](https://gtour.ge/georgia/batumi/) in July-August and [Gudauri](https://gtour.ge/georgia/gudauri/) or [Bakuriani](https://gtour.ge/georgia/bakuriani/) in ski season can run 20-30 percent above the averages below, while [Kakheti](https://gtour.ge/georgia/kakheti/), [Imereti](https://gtour.ge/georgia/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](https://gtour.ge/georgia/mestia/) and [Sighnaghi](https://gtour.ge/georgia/sighnaghi/) to rise during the short autumn and winter holiday peaks.

| Tier | Tbilisi | Batumi | [Kutaisi](https://gtour.ge/georgia/kutaisi/) / regions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hostel dorm bed | €8-13 | €7-11 | €6-10 |
| Family guesthouse, double | €25-42 | €25-38 | €22-40 |
| Boutique hotel, double | €60-110 | €55-95 | €45-80 |
| 5-star hotel, double | €150-320 | €140-270 | €100-180 |

In mountain regions such as [Svaneti](https://gtour.ge/georgia/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.

*Image: Delisi metro entrance with street vendors, illustrating Tbilisi's low-cost metro transport. Photo: BillRodgers99 (talk) (Uploads) / Wikimedia Commons, CC0*

### 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](https://gtour.ge/georgia/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:

| Service | Vehicle | Price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Day around Tbilisi, Kakheti, [Mtskheta](https://gtour.ge/georgia/mtskheta/), [Gori](https://gtour.ge/georgia/gori/) or Kazbegi | Sedan (up to 3) | €150/day |
| Day around Tbilisi | Minivan (up to 7) | €190/day |
| Day around Tbilisi | 4×4 (up to 4) | €220/day |
| Multi-day touring, per day | Sedan / Minivan / 4×4 | €160 / €200 / €230 |
| Tbilisi airport transfer | Sedan (1-3) / Minivan (4-7) | €45 / €58 |
| Tbilisi ↔ Batumi, one way | Sedan / Minivan | €220 / €270 |
| Tbilisi ↔ Kazbegi, one way | Sedan / Minivan or 4×4 | €150 / €180 |

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](https://gtour.ge/today/) 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.

*Image: Minibuses line up in downtown Tbilisi with the Caucasus mountains in the background. Photo: Kober / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0*

### 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.

| Category | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accommodation | €10 (hostel dorm) | €35 (guesthouse/boutique, shared) | €120 (boutique/5-star, shared) |
| Food and drink | €8 | €25 | €60 |
| Transport | €3 (metro/marshrutka) | €8 (train/taxi) | €40 (private car share) |
| Entrance fees | €2 | €8 | €20 (incl. guide share) |
| SIM, tips, extras | €2 | €4 | €10 |
| Daily total, per person | €25 / $28 / 73 GEL | €80 / $90 / 233 GEL | €250 / $280 / 727 GEL |

### 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:

| Style | EUR | USD | GEL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Backpacker | €175 | $196 | 509 GEL |
| Mid-range | €560 | $627 | 1,629 GEL |
| Comfort | €1,750 | $1,960 | 5,089 GEL |

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](https://gtour.ge/georgia/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.

Travel with GTour

If this guide is part of a trip you are planning, our [Georgia Classic in 7 Days — Tbilisi, Kazbegi, Kakheti and Mtskheta](https://gtour.ge/tour/georgia-classic-7-days/) and [Georgia Essentials in 3 Days — Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kazbegi and Kakheti](https://gtour.ge/tour/georgia-in-3-days-essentials/) cover the places it describes with a private guide and driver; a GTour travel expert adapts the route to your dates.

[See the tour](https://gtour.ge/tour/georgia-classic-7-days/)   [Plan my trip](/plan-your-trip/)

### 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](https://gnta.ge/en)

- [Official travel and practical information](https://georgia.travel/en)

- [Heritage site tickets and opening hours](https://heritagesites.ge/en)

- [Georgian Railway passenger information](https://railway.ge/en)

- [Consumer prices and statistics](https://www.geostat.ge/en)

- [Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel information](https://mfa.gov.ge/en)

Ask the desk

Questions this guide does not answer? Write to [info@castle.ge](mailto:info@castle.ge) or WhatsApp [+995 577 41 63 14](https://wa.me/995577416314) — a person in Tbilisi replies. See also our [travel services](https://gtour.ge/services/) and [all guides](https://gtour.ge/guides/).

Yellow marshrutka minibuses, a cheap way to get around Tbilisi, wait near Dinamo Arena. · Photo: Florian Höfer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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