Tax Rate
#4
of 124 cities
1%
Current value (lower is better)
Georgia
How do salaries and expenses in Tbilisi compare to San Francisco?
This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Tbilisi compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.
Community Insights
NewTbilisi is highly praised by the Reddit community as a remote work hub, primarily due to its unbeatable tax framework (1% for entrepreneurs) and high purchasing power for those earning international salaries. Remote software engineers find that their USD or EUR goes incredibly far, affording a very comfortable lifestyle in a city globally celebrated for its safety, food, and hospitality.
However, tapping into the local tech economy is strongly discouraged. Redditors warn that local IT salaries are quite low compared to western standards, and the local recruiting culture can be a nightmare for incoming businesses. Expats are universally advised to bring an international remote job rather than seek local employment.
While safety is a massive highlight, daily urban infrastructure leaves much to be desired. Residents heavily criticize the horrendous traffic, poor air quality (ranking poorly on global pollution indexes), and the inescapable presence of public smoking. Furthermore, rapidly rising rents and nightly noise from stray dogs chip away at the otherwise cozy quality of life.
Rankings
Tax Rate
#4
of 124 cities
1%
Current value (lower is better)
Purchasing Power
#6
of 124 cities
Home Affordability
#15
of 124 cities
≈2.9 yrs to buy 80m²
Current value
How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Tbilisi compared to San Francisco?
Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Tbilisi to maintain the same standard of living.
Moving to Georgia is notably straightforward due to some of the most liberal immigration policies in the world, allowing many nationalities to stay and work for a full year visa-free. Setting up as an individual entrepreneur to access the famous 1% tax regime is fast and highly optimized for digital nomads. While the Georgian language is famously difficult, English is widely spoken among the younger generation and in the tech community. The city hosts a massive expat community, though it is currently somewhat fragmented into distinct linguistic and cultural bubbles.
Ideal for: Fully remote software engineers and digital nomads earning USD/EUR who want to maximize their net income with ultra-low taxes while enjoying a safe, culturally rich, and naturally beautiful base.
Avoid if: You need a high-paying local tech job, are highly sensitive to air pollution and cigarette smoke, or prefer highly walkable cities with strictly regulated traffic.
Updated 2/28/2026
0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.
Tbilisi has 0 Luma events listed.
100% fewer events than San Francisco.
Cost of Living
#19
of 124 cities
27/100
Current value (lower is better)
Safety Index
#20
of 124 cities
74/100
Current value
Comfortable Weather
#54
of 124 cities
46/100 weather score
Current value
Net Income
#66
of 124 cities
$53,293/yr
Current value
Pollution Score
#106
of 124 cities
71.9/100
Current value (lower is better)
Community Events
#122
of 124 cities
0 events on luma
Current value