Money in Georgia

The lari, and where to change money

Georgia uses the Georgian lari (GEL), a freely floating and fully convertible currency with no controls on bringing cash in or taking it out — check the current rate before you travel rather than working from a figure in a guide, since it moves. Changing money is genuinely easy: licensed exchange booths, signed savaluto, sit on what feels like every corner in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, and the widely traded currencies change at competitive rates, frequently with no commission at all. Rates at Tbilisi airport are fair but usually a little below what the city offers, so change a small amount on arrival and the rest once you are in town. If you hold a currency that is less widely traded internationally, converting to a major currency before departure will get you a noticeably better result than presenting it at a Georgian booth, where it may not be quoted at all.

Cash machines reach further than you expect

Georgia has exceptional cash-machine coverage for a country of its size. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia are worth knowing by name here — not as a recommendation, but because their machines are the ones you will actually find in the smaller places, including Mtskheta, Telavi in the wine country, Gori, Zugdidi, Stepantsminda below Kazbegi and Mestia in Svaneti. International Visa and Mastercard withdrawals work reliably, and most machines offer a choice of lari or a major foreign currency. The limit of all this is worth planning around: past the last town with a bank, in the high valleys and on the trekking routes, there are no machines at all. Withdraw what you need in Mestia or Stepantsminda before heading up, not after.

Cards work across the cities, cash still runs the villages

Georgia is more cashless than most visitors expect. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at the large majority of restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and hotels in Tbilisi and Batumi, contactless is standard, and Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported through the Georgian banks, so a phone alone covers most city spending. Outside the cities the picture reverses, and it reverses sharply rather than gradually: village guesthouses, rural wine cellars, mountain lodges, market stalls and — importantly — marshrutka minibus fares are cash businesses. Since the marshrutka is how most people move between towns, being caught without small notes is a practical problem rather than an inconvenience. Carry small lari denominations whenever you leave a city, and top up before you head into the mountains.

Costs are low, and the tipping norm is modest

Georgia is among the better-value destinations in the wider region, and the gap shows up most in the things that dominate a travel budget — eating out, guesthouse accommodation, intercity transport and wine, all of which cost markedly less than they would in Western Europe. Tbilisi is the most expensive place in the country and is still inexpensive by that comparison; the regions are cheaper again. Prices move, so treat any figure you find published as indicative and check current costs when you plan. Tipping exists but is genuinely modest and nobody will chase you for it: rounding up or leaving around a tenth of the bill at a sit-down restaurant is normal and appreciated, a similar proportion is a generous gesture for a guide who has given you a full day, and minibus drivers and market sellers do not expect anything.