Georgia on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes: Georgia is ideal on a budget, with a realistic minimum of about ₾95 per person per day (bed ₾40, food ₾35, sights ₾10, transport ₾10). Guesthouses, marshrutkas and cheap food make long trips affordable.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | ₾40 | ₾100 | ₾300 |
| Food & drink | ₾35 | ₾70 | ₾150 |
| Sights & tickets | ₾10 | ₾40 | ₾100 |
| Local transport | ₾10 | ₾40 | ₾120 |
| Per person, per day | ₾95 | ₾250 | ₾670 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Georgia day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walk the old town of Tbilisi, Abanotubani and the waterfall gorge behind the baths
- Cross the Bridge of Peace and walk Rike Park and Rustaveli Avenue
- Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta
- The hike from Stepantsminda to Gergeti Trinity Church
- Sighnaghi's 18th-century walls and the view over the Alazani valley
- Batumi Boulevard and the Ali and Nino statues
Cheap eats
- Khinkali, about ₾1–1.50 each
- Imeretian khachapuri with pkhali in Kutaisi, about ₾25–40 for two
- Adjarian khachapuri in Batumi, about ₾15–25
- Lobio (bean stew) with mchadi cornbread in a local restaurant, a few lari
- Fresh bread from a tone (clay oven) bakery, about ₾1–2
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in family guesthouses in Sololaki and around the old town in Tbilisi, in Kutaisi's centre and in Stepantsminda, at about ₾60–110 a double with breakfast. Hostels such as Fabrika in Tbilisi have dorm beds for less.
Getting around cheaply
Use the Tbilisi metro and buses (about ₾1), marshrutkas between towns (Tbilisi–Kazbegi about ₾20–25, Tbilisi–Kutaisi ₾15–25) and the train to Batumi (₾30–50). From Tbilisi airport, bus 337 runs to the centre for about ₾1; Bolt is cheap too.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Abanotubani, the waterfall gorge and the walk up to Narikala (free) or the cable car (about ₾2.50)
- Lunch: Khinkali and a salad, about ₾15–20
- Afternoon: Old town, Bridge of Peace and Rike Park (free), Georgian National Museum (about ₾15)
- Evening: Guesthouse dinner or a cheap restaurant with house wine, about ₾25
- Total: about ₾95 including a shared guesthouse double
More ways to save
- Visit Kutaisi on low-cost flights from Europe, which often makes Georgia cheaper to reach.
- Walk up to Gergeti instead of paying for a 4x4 if you are fit.
- Share drivers with other travellers met at guesthouses for Kakheti or the canyons.
- Try the public sulphur baths rather than private rooms if you want the experience cheaply.
- Travel in May–June or September–October for good weather without peak prices.
- Buy fruit, cheese and bread at markets for picnics on mountain days.
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Common questions
Can you travel Georgia on a budget?
Yes: about ₾95 a day per person with guesthouses, marshrutkas and local food.
What is the cheapest way to get to Kazbegi?
A shared minibus from Didube station, about ₾20–25 and roughly 3 hours.
Is Kutaisi a cheap entry point?
Often yes: low-cost airlines fly to Kutaisi from Europe, and the city has cheap guesthouses.