Nestled between Turkey, Russia, and Armenia, this former Soviet Union country has a lot to offer. The Republic of Georgia often slips under the radar as it is far away from many popular destinations. However, Georgia is vibrant, with friendly locals, cheap cost of living, great internet, and friendly to business opportunities. Georgia offers citizens from 98 countries to visit and star in the country as a tourist for up to a year! Meaning no visa application or fees, further reducing costs.
While current events may be deterring you from this region. Once we see the world calm down, Georgia should be added to your list of potential destinations. Not many places allow tourists to stay more than 6 month. This is great if you are someone who wants close proximity to both Europe and Asia. Istanbul’s incredible airport not too far away.
Tbilisi
Staying in the capital city, Tbilisi, is a great option as Georgia is a cheap country with great services. A single person can easily live on $1000 per month based on the date from Numbeo. With that in mind, remote workers unrestricted by timezone, Georgia is a no brainer. But if you want to take an extended vacation, or sabbatical, saving up roughly $25,000 would be plenty of cushion. A year is plenty of time to discover a place. You can compare the cost of living to a place like Mexico. You will be able to fall into a new routine, discover the best places to eat, get groceries, socialize and build relationships.
Tbilisi has plenty to offer. The city itself is not particularly large with approximately 1.5 million people. We at Where to Expat have visited many large metropolises such as Tokyo, Mexico City, and New York City. We love huge sprawling cities for the variety they bring, however, medium sized cities offer just as much without many of the problems found in mega cities. There are tradeoffs, but depending on what you want in your life, a slower (but not too slow) pace is a balancing act.
One obstacle is actually getting to the country, it’s far away! From what I can find, there are no direct flights from the US to Georgia, so there is plenty of opportunity to see a few places on the way! After a one year visit, and you decide Georgia is the perfect place for you, you can pursue a temporary residence visa. The temporary visa is renewable for up to six years. After six years you may apply for citizenship.