← Part of the Georgia money guide
Georgiachecked Aug 2026StraightforwardStaying connected in Georgia.
Georgian data is cheap enough that the decision takes about a minute: buy a SIM in the arrivals hall for the price of a couple of coffees. The part worth planning is the mountains, where no plan helps.
At a glance
Coverage
Strong in Tbilisi, Batumi, main roads
Carrier roaming
$10 to $12 a day
Cheapest
An airport SIM, $4 to $9
Signal gaps
Svaneti, Tusheti, high Caucasus
Coverage is strong in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and along the main roads, and thin in Svaneti, Tusheti and the high Caucasus valleys. The cheap answer is local: a Magti or Silknet SIM at Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport costs about 4 to 9 dollars for plenty of data over a week or a month, needs your passport, and takes a few minutes. Your US carrier charges about 10 to 12 dollars a day (AT&T and Verizon day passes, and Georgia is on AT&T's covered list), though AT&T caps its Day Pass at 10 daily fees per line per bill period, about 120 dollars, and covers the rest of that bill period on land, so the daily arithmetic stops past day 10, and T-Mobile's mid and upper tiers include 5GB to 30GB of high-speed data abroad before slowing to 256kbps. A Nomad eSIM is a few dollars per gigabyte and is the better call if you land at 4am, which in Tbilisi is common. Before a mountain drive, download offline maps: the Tusheti road and the upper Svaneti valleys lose signal entirely. Never roam pay-per-use, at about 2 dollars a megabyte.
The airport SIM costs about as much as lunch
Both Magti and Silknet have counters at Tbilisi airport, and Magti generally has the stronger network outside the cities. A tourist pack is roughly 4 to 9 dollars for a generous allowance over a week or a month, with your passport at purchase. It is one of the better value data markets in the region.
The comparison with the alternatives is lopsided: a week of AT&T or Verizon day passes is 70 to 84 dollars, and a travel eSIM is a few dollars per gigabyte, so several times the local pack for less data. We earn a commission on eSIMs and nothing on a Magti SIM, and for a week in Georgia the SIM is the right buy.
The mountains are where it stops
Georgia is small and mountainous, and the network follows the valleys people live in. Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Signagi and the Kakheti wine roads are comfortable, with fast 4G and 5G in the capital. Then it stops: the Abano pass road into Tusheti, one of the more serious mountain drives in Europe, has effectively nothing, and upper Svaneti beyond Mestia, the Kazbegi side valleys and the trekking routes are patchy to absent.
So a mountain day is an offline day whatever you buy. Download offline maps and your guesthouse details, and if you are driving the Tusheti road or trekking Mestia to Ushguli, tell somebody the plan. This is a coverage problem, not a price one, and no eSIM or SIM changes it.
When roaming or an eSIM is the better answer
Confirmed on this check because it changes the advice: Georgia is on AT&T's covered-destination list, so the day pass applies at about 10 to 12 dollars a day rather than pay-per-use, and AT&T caps its Day Pass at 10 daily fees per line per bill period, about 120 dollars, and covers the rest of that bill period on land, so the daily arithmetic stops past day 10. T-Mobile's current tiers include roughly 5GB on Experience More, Magenta MAX and Go5G Plus, 15GB on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next and 30GB on Better Value.
The honest case for a Nomad eSIM here is the arrival time: a lot of flights into Tbilisi land between midnight and 5am, and having data before you negotiate a taxi is worth something. It is a few dollars per gigabyte, more than the local SIM, and it is a convenience purchase. This guide is written for US travelers departing the US. For more, see cash or card in Georgia, taxis and apps in Georgia, and the Georgia money guide.
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much is a SIM card in Georgia?
About 4 to 9 dollars for a Magti or Silknet tourist pack with a generous allowance, bought with your passport at Tbilisi or Kutaisi airport. That is less than one day of US carrier roaming.
Which network is best in Georgia?
Magti generally has the stronger network outside the cities, with Silknet competitive in Tbilisi and Batumi. Neither reaches Tusheti or the upper Svaneti valleys, where coverage is absent on any network.
Will I have signal in the Georgian mountains?
Not in the high valleys. The Abano pass road into Tusheti has effectively nothing, and upper Svaneti beyond Mestia, the Kazbegi side valleys and the trekking routes are patchy to absent. Download offline maps before a mountain day and tell somebody your plan.
How much does it cost to use my US phone in Georgia?
About 10 to 12 dollars a day on an AT&T or Verizon day pass, and Georgia is on AT&T's covered-destination list so the day pass applies rather than pay-per-use. AT&T caps its Day Pass at 10 daily fees per line per bill period, so about 120 dollars covers the rest of that bill period on land, while Verizon's TravelPass has no equivalent cap and keeps billing daily. T-Mobile is worth checking first.
More on Georgia
The little money things nobody warns you about.
- 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.
- What does getting sick in Georgia cost?Georgia is the one country on this site where the insurance question is already settled for you: since January 2026 you cannot enter without cover. That changes the useful question from whether to buy a policy to whether the one you bought covers what you are actually going to do.
Sources, and how this was checked
Last checkedAug 2026
- T-Mobileinternational roaming pages listing the high-speed data allowance by plan tier
- Verizoninternational travel pages, the TravelPass daily rate and what it includes
- AT&TInternational Day Pass details, the daily rate and the 10-fee cap per bill period
- AT&Tthe International Day Pass destination list, which includes Georgia
- US State DepartmentGeorgia country information, including mountain road conditions
Our own readChecked Aug 2026. Georgia inclusion on AT&T's covered-destination list was verified against AT&T's own list on this check. The mountain coverage picture is the desk's read from operator footprints and traveler accounts rather than a single official source, and the Tusheti road in particular is reported as no-signal consistently enough to state plainly. Local pack pricing moves with promotions and the lari, so treat the 4 to 9 dollar range as a current shape rather than a fixed price. We earn on eSIM links and nothing on a Magti SIM.
How we checkHow every guide is researched, checked and dated