No match. See all guides.
Money in Georgia, sorted.
A calm, current plan for the money side of your trip: what you can tap (most of Tbilisi and Batumi), the cash worth carrying for markets and the mountains, the lari in plain terms, and the two entry rules that surprise first-timers, a full year visa-free but insurance now required.
From 1 January 2026, Georgia requires every foreign tourist to hold travel insurance covering the whole stay, with at least 30,000 GEL (about 11,000 dollars) of medical and accident cover. Most standard US travel insurance policies meet this, but carry proof (a PDF or printout in English), since border officers can ask for it, and travelers without it can be turned away or fined about 300 GEL. Enforcement is still settling in, so treat it as a real requirement and buy a policy before you fly.
The three things people ask
Will my card work? Do I need cash? Are ATMs easy?
The quick read for a first trip.
Your card
Works across the cities
Visa and Mastercard are taken almost everywhere in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, contactless is common, and Apple Pay and Google Pay work widely. Bank of Georgia and TBC are the main banks. A no-foreign-fee card covers most of a city trip. Amex is patchier, so carry a Visa or Mastercard backup.
Check yours →Cash
For markets, minibuses and rural areas
You can go nearly cashless in the cities, but keep some lari for markets, bakeries, small vendors and tips, for rural guesthouses that prefer cash, and for the shared marshrutka minibuses, which are cash only. Carry small notes, since change for large ones can be scarce outside the cities.
How much to bring →ATMs
Easy, but choose lari
Bank of Georgia and TBC ATMs are everywhere in the cities and dispense lari. Many are low-fee, though some charge a small amount and standalone machines can push a poor "pay in dollars" rate. Choose lari, use a bank machine, decline any dollar conversion, and pull enough before heading into the mountains, where machines thin out.
See ATMs in Georgia →(opens in a new tab)Cash or card
The cities are strongly card-first. Keep a little cash for markets, minibuses and the mountains.
A rough feel for everyday spending. Cards and contactless work almost everywhere in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, in shops, restaurants, cafes and taxis. The cash you want is for markets, bakeries, small vendors, rural guesthouses, tips, and the shared marshrutka minibuses, which take cash only.
See what the trip really costs →Your money plan
Four steps and you're set.
Before you go
- Buy travel insurance that covers Georgia with at least 30,000 GEL (about 11,000 dollars) of medical and accident cover. Since 1 January 2026 it is required to enter, and most standard policies qualify. Save a PDF or printout in English to show at the border.
- Bring a no-foreign-fee Visa or Mastercard for nearly everything, plus a backup from a different bank.
- Add a fee-free ATM debit card (Charles Schwab refunds ATM fees worldwide; Wise and Revolut are low-fee) for pulling lari.
- You need very little cash to start, so plan to pull a small amount of lari once you land rather than buying it at home.
At the airport
- Have your insurance proof ready in case a border officer asks for it.
- If you want cash, use a Bank of Georgia or TBC ATM in the terminal and decline "convert to dollars," so you are charged in lari.
- Install Bolt for taxis, which is the easy, fair-priced way from Tbilisi airport into the city.
- Set up an eSIM before you land, or grab a cheap local SIM (Magti or Silknet) with your passport, for maps and ride apps.
Day to day
- Tap your card for almost everything in the cities: shops, restaurants, cafes and taxis.
- Keep a little cash for markets, bakeries, tips, rural guesthouses and the shared marshrutka minibuses.
- Choose lari on every card terminal and ATM screen, never dollars or euros.
- Use Bolt for city taxis, and agree the fare first with any street taxi that has no meter.
A golden rule
- Always pay in lari, never in dollars or euros. Choosing your home currency (dynamic currency conversion) on a terminal or ATM quietly adds a few percent, and standalone machines can be worse. Let your own bank do the exchange.
- Carry your insurance proof and choose bank ATMs. The insurance is an entry rule now, and a Bank of Georgia or TBC machine is cheaper and safer than a standalone one.
Staying connected
Will my phone work here? And what will it cost?
Strong across Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi and most towns, where 4G is near-universal and 5G is growing, and thinner in the high Caucasus (Svaneti, Kazbegi and remote valleys). The carriers are Magti, Silknet and Cellfie, all inexpensive. A local prepaid SIM is cheap and needs your passport, and travel eSIMs from Airalo, Nomad or Holafly work well too. You do not need mobile data to pay by card, but you will want it for maps, ride apps and calls. Most hotels and guesthouses have Wi-Fi. The cost is where people get caught out, and on most US plans it lands in one of two buckets.
Your plan may already include it
Often, do nothing
Some US plans include slow data abroad at no extra cost. If that is you, the honest move is to leave it alone.
we earn nothing
Or it charges quietly, after the fact
The bill lands later
On pay-per-use plans the cost runs in the background while you travel, and the charge can show up weeks after you are home. Forgetting to switch off data roaming is the classic one. For a week or more, an eSIM is usually cheaper and keeps you in control.
Check what your own carrier charges before the trip, not after.
If an eSIM is the cheaper call, Nomad covers Georgia.
Get your Nomad eSIM for Georgia→(opens in a new tab)we may earn a commissionMedical cover
The one cost with no price tag.
Every other number on this page has a price you can look up. This one does not, and it can be the largest of them all. Most US health plans cover little or nothing once you leave the country, and Medicare covers essentially none of it abroad. A serious illness or injury is paid up front, and a medical evacuation runs from tens of thousands of dollars to past $100,000 if you are remote or an ocean from home.
First, you may not need to buy anything.
A cheap, refundable trip close to home does not need this. And if you are healthy, headed somewhere with good care, and one of the premium cards on the shortlist above already includes emergency medical and evacuation, you may be covered already. Check your card's benefits guide before you buy. Saying that costs us the commission, and it is still the right call.
How much cover matters here
Care in the main cities is good, but costs add up and reaching top care from a remote spot takes time, so it is worth a real look for a trip here.
If you do want cover, this is what it is for: the evacuation and the up-front hospital bill, the part no card limit is meant to absorb.
Enough for most trips
Faye, or a comparable whole-trip policy
Bundles trip protection with emergency medical, which is enough cover for most travelers on a typical trip.
The deeper end
A dedicated travel-medical plan built for serious care and evacuation abroad
Stronger on medical care and evacuation, for a remote or higher-risk trip where that is the real exposure.
If it happens
Call it first, then call your insurer's 24/7 assistance line, which is what confirms payment and arranges an evacuation. 112 reaches police, ambulance and fire from any phone, with a fluent English operator available 24/7, and dialing 911 redirects to the same 112 center.
TrueTripCosts explains the gap and points to options. It does not set your coverage amounts or act as your insurance advisor, and every policy carries its own exclusions, so read them before you buy. Emergency number checked Jul 2026. Confirm the current number before you travel, as local lines can change.
Currency basics
The lari, in plain terms.
Quick conversion
About 2.6 to 2.7 lari (GEL) to 1 US dollar in 2026, so lari prices are a little under half the same number in dollars: a 30 lari meal is about 11 dollars, and 100 lari is about 38. The lari is written with the symbol that looks like a curved capital L, and prices include 18% VAT.
Very card-friendly in cities
Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi are strongly card-first: Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere, contactless and Apple or Google Pay are common, and Bank of Georgia and TBC are the big banks. Cash takes over in villages, markets, bakeries and the shared marshrutka minibuses.
ATMs and the dollar trick
Bank of Georgia and TBC ATMs are everywhere in the cities and dispense lari. Many are low-fee, though some charge a small amount and standalone machines can push a poor pay-in-dollars rate. Choose lari, use a bank machine, and pull enough before heading into the mountains.
Tipping is light
Tipping is modest and often optional. Many Tbilisi restaurants add a service charge of about 10% to the bill; if it is there, that is the tip. Otherwise rounding up or leaving about 10% is generous, and there is no need to tip at bakeries or fast counters.
Real exchange rate
What your money is really worth here.
This is the mid-market rate, the one the banks trade at and the yardstick every other rate is measured against. Your card lands a little below it, and if a screen ever offers to bill you in dollars, that is worse again. So this is the number to expect, and how you spot a bad one.
1 US dollar is about 2.63 GEL
Taxes and the insurance rule
An 18% VAT in the price, and insurance now required to enter.
Georgia keeps tax simple for visitors. Prices include an 18% VAT, usually baked into what you see, and there is no per-person nightly tourist tax to hand over. There is no broad tourist VAT refund to count on. The change to know for 2026 is not a tax but an entry rule: from 1 January 2026 every foreign tourist must hold travel insurance for the whole stay, with at least 30,000 GEL (about 11,000 dollars) of medical and accident cover. Most standard US travel policies qualify, so this is usually a box you already tick, but carry proof in English (a PDF or printout), since it can be checked at the border and going without risks a fine of about 300 GEL or refused entry. Buy a policy before you fly. Healthcare in Tbilisi and Batumi is good and affordable by US standards, but the insurance is now a rule, not just a good idea.
Fees and taxes to double-check
The numbers most likely to change.
These are the fees and taxes that move on political timelines, so we track each one on its own. Every line shows the amount, whether it is in effect yet, the date we last checked it, and a primary source where a clean one exists.
Mandatory travel insurance (Decree 602)
Required for all tourists from 1 Jan 2026, at least 30,000 GEL of medical and accident cover
Visa-free stay for US citizens
Up to 365 days per entry, no visa
Before you book: passports, the six-month rule and whether you need a visa. Not a US citizen, or connecting through Europe? The rules can differ, and even a layover can need its own visa. See our passports and visas guide →
Watch out for
The small traps that catch first-timers.
Tipping
Light, and often already on the bill.
Tipping in Georgia is light and often optional. At sit-down restaurants, many places in Tbilisi and Batumi add a service charge of about 10% to the bill, and if it is there, that is the tip, so check first. Where there is no service charge, rounding up or leaving about 10% for good service is generous. At cafes, bakeries and fast counters, nothing is expected, though you can drop small change in a jar. Round up a taxi fare rather than tipping a percentage, and with Bolt you can tip in the app if you like. For a guide, a few lari or a small note per person for a day tour is kind, more for a private or multi-day guide, and for a hotel porter or housekeeping, a lari or two is plenty. Tip in cash where you can, in small lari notes, so it reaches the person directly.
Common questions
Quick answers.
Do US citizens need a visa for Georgia?
No. US citizens can enter the country of Georgia visa-free and stay for up to 365 days per entry, one of the most generous policies in the world, for tourism, business or study. You need a passport valid for your stay, and since 1 January 2026 you must also carry travel insurance to enter. Border control at Tbilisi airport is usually quick.
Do I need travel insurance to enter Georgia in 2026?
Yes. From 1 January 2026, under Decree 602, every foreign tourist must hold travel insurance covering the whole stay, with at least 30,000 GEL (about 11,000 dollars) of medical and accident cover. Most standard US travel insurance policies meet this. Carry proof in English (a PDF or printout), since border officers can ask, and going without risks a fine of about 300 GEL or refused entry.
Do I need cash in Georgia, or can I use cards?
Cards cover most of a city trip. Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi are strongly card-first, with contactless almost everywhere. Keep some lari for markets, bakeries, small vendors, tips, rural guesthouses and the shared marshrutka minibuses, which take cash only. Pull lari from a Bank of Georgia or TBC ATM, and carry small notes outside the cities.
Should I pay in lari or dollars in Georgia?
Always lari. If a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in US dollars or euros, decline. That dynamic currency conversion adds a few percent, and standalone machines can be worse. Choosing lari lets your own bank handle the exchange at a better rate. Use a Bank of Georgia or TBC machine rather than a standalone one.
Is Georgia safe to visit, and what about the Tbilisi protests?
The country is at US State Department Level 1 (normal precautions), with a Do Not Travel warning only for the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Since late 2024 there have been demonstrations most evenings on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi; they are rarely aimed at tourists, but police have at times used tear gas or water cannon, so avoid the crowds and expect some evening traffic there. Batumi, Kutaisi and the countryside are unaffected. Check the current advisory before you go.
How much cash should I bring for a week in Georgia?
Not much, since the cities are card-first. For two travelers, very roughly 200 to 400 lari (about 75 to 150 dollars) in day-to-day cash across a week, beyond your card spending, covers markets, tips, minibuses and rural stops, pulled from a bank ATM once or twice. Carry small notes, and take out more before heading into the mountains, where machines are scarce.
What it really costs
What you'll really spend in Georgia.
Your flights if you want them counted, your room, your on-the-ground spending, the two fees most US cards add without telling you, and Georgia's tourist tax. One number, nothing waiting on the statement. No bank to pick, no sign-up, nothing saved.
Optional. Enter your round trip fare per traveler to fold flights into the total.
In Georgia, plan for about $0.
Realistically somewhere between $0 and $0.
Whether at an ATM or a card terminal in a shop or restaurant, always choose to be charged in the local currency, not dollars. Paying in dollars (called dynamic currency conversion) lets the machine set its own, worse, exchange rate on top of any fee.
Rough guide, not a quote. The percentage here is a blended stand-in for a typical US card's foreign fee, not your exact rate. The real number moves with the card you carry: one no-foreign-fee card can cover both sides, while a plain rewards credit card only removes the fee on what you buy, and cash still costs a little unless that card also waives ATM and foreign-cash fees. A debit card, or accepting the "pay in dollars" (dynamic currency conversion) offer at a till or ATM, can push it higher. Rates checked Jun 2026 and rounded.
How this estimate is built
These are the assumptions behind the number. Change the room price, nights, travelers, or travel style above, and every line here moves with them.
- Hotel
- Daily spending
- Flights
- Cash vs card
- ATM withdrawals
- Foreign fee
- The range
- Tourist tax
Not sure which card to bring? See my pick for Georgia.
Already carry a card with no foreign transaction fee? Then you are set for Georgia, and can skip this. There is nothing to buy.
If you are getting a card for Georgia, this is the pairing I would pick: a no-foreign-fee credit card for spending, and a fee-free ATM debit card for cash. We earn nothing on these today. Always confirm the current fee with the issuer before you apply. Checked Jun 2026.
Capital One charges no foreign transaction fee on any of its cards.
No foreign transaction fee
Fee-free ATM cash worldwide
Want one account that holds and spends in the local currency? A different job from the three above, and the one I reach for abroad. It is free to open; you can create a virtual card in the app and add it to your phone wallet in minutes, without waiting for the physical card; and you can convert US dollars into the local currency inside the account before you travel, then spend from that balance. Wise uses the mid-market rate plus a small conversion fee (around 0.4% and up), with no flat foreign fee.
The three picks above pay us nothing, and their tags say so. Wise is the only option here that can earn us a commission, and its tag says that too. Paid or not, the pick is still the pick.
Travelers, not touristsA few Georgian words go a long way
A few Georgian words go a long way
Georgian is its own language with its own beautiful alphabet, so nobody expects you to read it, but a warm gamarjoba and a toast at the table will delight your hosts. Georgians are famous for hospitality, where a guest is treated as a gift, and for a feast, the supra, built around wine and heartfelt toasts.
Say a few words
Tip: At a Georgian feast, the supra, a tamada (toastmaster) leads long, heartfelt toasts, and everyone drinks together to each one. Raise your glass and say gaumarjos, to victory, and pace yourself, because the wine and the toasts keep coming.
Know a story
The birthplace of wine
Georgia is where winemaking began. For roughly 8,000 years Georgians have made wine in the qvevri, a large egg-shaped clay vessel buried in the ground, where the juice, skins and stems ferment together into deep amber and red wines. The method is UNESCO-listed, and Kakheti in the east is the heart of it. A glass of Georgian wine is a taste of the oldest wine tradition on Earth.
Good to know: qvevri winemaking is around 8,000 years old
The supra and the toastmaster
The Georgian feast, the supra, is a ritual of food, wine and words. A tamada, or toastmaster, leads a series of toasts to peace, family, ancestors and guests, and the table drinks together to each. You may hear polyphonic singing, three voices weaving in harmony, another Georgian art the world treasures. To be a guest at a supra is to be honored.
Good to know: the toastmaster is called the tamada
Churches in the high Caucasus
Georgia was one of the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity, around the fourth century, and its ancient stone churches sit in some of the most dramatic places imaginable. The Gergeti Trinity Church, alone on a ridge beneath Mount Kazbek, is the picture of it. In the northwest, the medieval stone towers of Svaneti guard villages under snow peaks.
Good to know: Georgia adopted Christianity around 326 ADGeorgia calls itself Sakartvelo, and it is proud of things that are wholly its own: the cradle of wine, a unique alphabet, polyphonic song, and a hospitality so deep that the word for guest carries the sense of a gift from God. It is a small country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it wears its identity with warmth.
No links here, nothing to buy. This part is just to help you travel well.
Sources, and how this guide was checked
Last checkedJul 2026
Changed since last checkSources added on first publish. Confirmed that US citizens can stay visa-free for up to 365 days, that from 1 January 2026 all foreign tourists must carry travel insurance under Decree 602 with at least 30,000 GEL of medical and accident cover (most standard policies qualify), and the lari at about 2.6 to 2.7 to the US dollar. Prices include an 18% VAT. Overall the country is at US State Department Level 1, with a Do Not Travel warning only for the Russian-occupied regions.
- US State DepartmentGeorgia country information, including 365-day visa-free entry for US citizens
- Georgia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (geoconsul.gov.ge)the Decree 602 travel-insurance rule for tourists from 1 January 2026
- National Bank of Georgiathe official lari exchange rate
- US State Departmentthe Georgia travel advisory, Level 1 with occupied-region exceptions
Our own judgmentThe daily cash share, tipping habits, likely ATM behavior, and the note on the Tbilisi protests are our own read from advisories and recent traveler reports, not a single official table. The insurance rule's enforcement is still settling in, so confirm the current position before you travel.
More money guides in Europe
If you are also weighing up nearby destinations, each guide covers cards, cash, ATMs and the fees to expect.
Going deeper on Georgia
The money questions people ask on the ground.
Short, focused answers to the specific things that catch first-timers out in Georgia.
- Tipping in GeorgiaGeorgia has a light, emerging tipping culture. It was not traditionally expected, but about 10% is now common in Tbilisi and tourist restaurants. Check the bill for a service charge first. Here is what you actually owe.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Georgia?Short answer: no visa, and you can stay a whole year. The catch for 2026 is new and easy to miss: you now have to carry travel insurance to get in. Here is what you need and how to prove it.
- Do I need cash in Georgia, or can I use cards?Short answer: cards cover most of a city trip, but a little lari is worth carrying, and one habit saves you money at every terminal. Here is how to pay.
- Taxis and ride apps in GeorgiaGetting around Georgia's cities is cheap and easy once you have the right app. Here is what to install, how to handle a street taxi, and the way locals travel between towns.
This is how Georgia stands today.
Money rules move. We can let you know for free if that changes.