Your Tbilisi move checklist

Unusually easy. US citizens (and many others) can stay in Georgia up to 365 days visa-free with NO income requirement — many long-termers simply do a quick border 'reset' to start a fresh year, though perpetual resets are a gray-area habit, not formal residency. For genuine settling, a Temporary Residence Permit is first issued for 6-12 months and renewable; common grounds include owning Georgian real estate (historically a modest value threshold, but rules tightened in 2025-2026 — verify the current minimum). There's no retirement visa, but for a retiree on pension/investment income the visa-free year is often all that's needed. New for 2026: 30+ day stays require health insurance (min ~30,000 GEL). Use a local advisor for a formal permit, as criteria are in flux.

Functional and very cheap, but a clear notch below Western Europe — for serious cases expats fly out. Care for foreigners is overwhelmingly private 'multiprofile' clinics: MediClub Georgia (English-speaking doctors, 24/7 emergency, good expat reputation), the Evex network, Aversi, and American Hospital Tbilisi (AHT), where English is a working language. GP visits ~$15-30, specialists ~$30-80, private insurance ~$50-100/mo. Public facilities are weaker and more Russian/Georgian-speaking. The honest ceiling: complex surgery, advanced oncology or rare conditions often mean medical travel to Istanbul, Germany or Israel. Since Jan 2026, 30+ day stays require health insurance (min ~30,000 GEL).

Among the most retiree-friendly regimes here. Georgia runs a territorial system: foreign-source income — including US Social Security, private pensions and foreign investment income — is effectively NOT taxed by Georgia, resident or not (residency triggers at 183 days). Only Georgian-source income is taxed, at a flat 20%. There is NO US-Georgia tax treaty, but since pensions generally aren't earned income and Georgia isn't taxing them, the practical result for a pension-funded retiree is usually no Georgian tax at all. You still file with the IRS. Confirm specifics with a cross-border advisor.

Among the farthest, least convenient here. No nonstop US service from Tbilisi (TBS); you connect through Istanbul (Turkish), a European hub, or the Gulf. Realistic NYC-Tbilisi travel is ~16-18h with one or two stops, often $1,000-1,400+ round trip, and the time-zone gap (8-9h ahead of US East Coast) is large. Well linked to Istanbul, the Gulf and Europe, but a long haul to the States — best for retirees who rarely fly home.

Personal safety in Tbilisi is genuinely good — violent crime is rare and Georgia ranks high on global safety indices (Tbilisi ~49th of 380 on Numbeo, mid-2026), with a US State Dept Level 1 advisory. Everyday risks are minor: pickpocketing in crowded Old Town spots and taxi scams (use the Bolt app over street taxis). Women mostly feel safe, but harassment reports cluster around late-night bars. The serious exceptions are geographic and political: the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (kidnappings have occurred near those boundary lines — don't approach the Russian land border), plus periodic protests in central Tbilisi tied to Russia/EU tensions.

A genuine four-season, mildly continental climate. Summers are hot — July/Aug regularly 30°C+/86°F+, with frequent June thunderstorms easing later. Winters are cold-ish: January averages ~3°C/38°F with some snow Dec-Feb, though milder than Georgia's mountains. Spring and autumn are the sweet spots (~20°C/68°F). Expect a real winter and a hot summer, not eternal spring — but four distinct, walkable seasons.

A fast-growing, tight-knit but still modest expat/nomad scene that ballooned after 2022 (Russian, Ukrainian and Western remote-worker influx). It's very social — meetups, coworking and events, with Vera and Vake as hubs — but skews younger/nomad, not retiree. English is common among Georgians under ~35, but the older generation leans Russian/Georgian and signage is often Georgian-script only. A US retiree will find community, but younger and more transient than Mexico's retiree enclaves.