If you own an apartment in central Tbilisi, the question is rarely whether it will let. It is what to ask for it, and what you lose by asking too much. An apartment priced $200 over the market sits empty for two months, which costs more than the $200 ever earned.
Here are the current rent levels in the districts where long-term demand is strongest, what a tenant is actually paying for, and when in the year to put your property on the market.
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Rent by district, late 2026
Long-term rent for a finished, furnished apartment, in US dollars per square metre per month. The third column is what that works out to for a typical 100 m² apartment.
| District | Rent per m² | 100 m² apartment | Who rents here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vake | $14.2 | $1,420 | Expatriate families, diplomats, embassies |
| Mtatsminda | $12.7 | $1,270 | Short stays, remote professionals, landmark addresses |
| Sololaki | $12.7 | $1,270 | Consultants, creative professionals, long-stay visitors |
| Vera | $12.0 | $1,200 | Couples and families wanting calm near the centre |
| Saburtalo | $11.3 | $1,130 | Students, hospital staff, young professionals |
| Tbilisi, citywide average | $9.9 | $990 | — |
Outside these five districts, long lets are usually agreed per property rather than per square metre. In Chugureti, a furnished two-bedroom typically lets at $500 to $1,100 a month depending on size and condition. In the hill districts rent is quoted per house: a large furnished family house with a garden and pool in Tsavkisi typically lets at $3,000 to $5,000 a month, usually to embassies and international organisations on long leases.
Why Vake is the most expensive, and why that is not the whole story
Vake carries the highest rents in the city because the demand there is institutional rather than individual: embassies, international organisations and companies relocating staff, who need a specific standard in a specific area and are not price-sensitive in the way a private tenant is. The international schools and Vake Park do the rest.
But the highest rent per square metre is not the same as the best return. Entry prices in Vake are roughly a third above Saburtalo while rents are only a quarter higher, which is why investors buying for yield tend to look at Saburtalo and Chugureti instead. If you already own in Vake, you are in the strongest rental position in Tbilisi. If you are choosing where to buy, the arithmetic points elsewhere.
What a tenant is actually paying for
Two apartments of the same size on the same street can be $300 apart. These are the differences that do it, roughly in order of how much they move the rent:
- Furnished, and furnished well. The international long-let market in Tbilisi is a furnished market. An unfurnished apartment competes in a much smaller, much cheaper pool.
- A working lift. Above the second floor this stops being a preference and becomes a filter, especially for families and older tenants.
- Parking. A dedicated space can add $100 or more per month in Vake, Vera and Sololaki. Most buildings there have none.
- Heating that is cheap to run. Central gas heating against electric convectors is a real difference in a Tbilisi January, and experienced tenants ask.
- The entrance and the stairwell. The first thing a tenant sees, and the thing owners most often ignore. A clean, lit entrance is worth more than new kitchen units.
- A balcony or terrace, and what it looks at. Outdoor space is heavily valued, and a view is paid for.
- Air conditioning in every room, not just the living room. Tbilisi summers settle this quickly.
- Fast, installed internet. Remote professionals treat this as non-negotiable and will not wait a week for an installation.
When to put it on the market
Tbilisi long-let demand is seasonal, and the seasonality is sharp enough to be worth planning around.
- July to September is the peak. Expatriate families move before the international school year, and this is when the best tenants and the firmest prices are available.
- October to December is steady, with more individual tenants and fewer families.
- January and February are the thinnest months of the year. An apartment launched in January often takes twice as long to let, at a lower rent.
- Short-stay demand runs on a different calendar, peaking in late spring and early autumn with the tourist season.
If your tenant is leaving in March, it is usually worth a shorter bridging arrangement to bring the next lease start into the summer window rather than accepting a weak winter tenant for a full year.
Long let or short stay?
Short-stay rental can gross more per month in the old town, Sololaki and Mtatsminda. It is also a business rather than an investment: cleaning between guests, laundry, guest communication at all hours, platform fees, higher wear, and income that collapses in low season. Tax is the same 5% on gross either way.
For an owner living abroad, a long let to a well-screened tenant on a twelve-month lease is almost always the better trade: lower gross, far higher net, and vastly less to go wrong at a distance. How letting from abroad works in practice.
Questions owners ask
What rent can I ask for my apartment in Vake?
At the district average, around $14.2/m² per month, so roughly $1,420 for 100 m². Parking, a lift, a park view and a recent renovation push it above that; no lift above the second floor, electric heating or an unfurnished flat pull it below.
Is Vera cheaper than Vake for a tenant?
Slightly. Vera averages around $12.0/m² against $14.2 in Vake, for a quieter, greener setting ten minutes’ walk from the centre. Many tenants who look in Vake first end up signing in Vera.
How long will it take to find a tenant?
Two to six weeks for a well-presented, correctly priced furnished apartment in a central district, in season. In January, expect longer. The asking price at launch matters more than anything else: an apartment that sits for a month and is then reduced lets for less than one priced correctly on day one.
Should I furnish before letting?
For the international market in the central districts, yes. The furnished segment is where the tenants with budgets are, and a sensible furnishing budget is usually recovered within the first year of the higher rent.
What is the agency fee for finding a tenant?
One month’s rent, paid once, when the lease is signed. Nothing is due before that.
How much tax do I pay on rent in Georgia?
For residential property let to individuals, a flat 5% of the gross rent, provided you claim no expense deductions. It applies to long lets and nightly rentals alike. More on Georgian property tax.
Who deals with the tenant if I live abroad?
Either you, by phone and across time zones, or someone local who is accountable for it. Property care in Tbilisi gives your tenant one local number and sends you a photo report after every visit.
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Indicative district averages, Caucasus Elite Estate market data, updated November 2026. Every property is assessed individually.
Market figures reviewed and verified by Alain Lavit, Caucasus Elite Estate, Tbilisi. Drafted with AI assistance.
