I have always liked Georgia
I have been here as a tourist many times. By the atmosphere, Tbilisi is my city, I understood it right away. I moved here a year ago. There are no problems with legalization for the first two years of life, then I will look at the circumstances.
About visas and obtaining a residence permit: you can live for a year and not grieve
Russian citizens can stay in the country without a visa for a whole year, and then cross the border, for example, with Armenia, and return to live for another year. There are even special flights for such “riders”: in the morning the bus leaves the bus station, the journey takes about 2.5 hours, then, after crossing the border, you stay there for about half an hour and return back. The cost of such a trip is about 2000 rubles. Then I will think about a residence permit, the easiest way to get it is to have real estate here. .ru/sized/f550x700/du/rn/durno0s5kvwcwwsks40wos8kw.jpg” media=”(max-width: 549px)”> Of course, living with a residence permit will be much more convenient, Georgia has a well-developed electronic document management system in cooperation with all government agencies. In the meantime, I have to take a “live” queue, but in any case, in our country, bureaucratic red tape is much more difficult. But with card payments, even in Tbilisi, everything is not very good, it is better to always have cash with you, not all stores have terminals. Settlements in the local currency are lari, but large purchases (apartments, cars) are mostly in dollars, most people have foreign currency accounts here. The largest district of Tbilisi is Saburtalo, there is housing for every taste and budget. It is very expensive in the center, many apartments are old, I don’t really like such atmospheric dwellings. There are chats in Telegram where people who have been living in Tbilisi for several years share information. There is a large Russian community here: you will definitely not be left without friends and acquaintances, there will always be people who will help. The locals are very friendly, for a year I have not met with any kind of open aggression on a national basis against me. It feels like there are a lot of Russians here, more, perhaps, only emigrants from Iran. I first met Iranians in Georgia, many of them work as realtors, we rented an apartment just from them. After February 2022, apartment prices have risen very strongly, so we hope that our landlord will not scam us. Utility bills are cheaper than in Russia, but there is a nuance – this is heating. There is no central one here, so most often people install a gas boiler for themselves. 
About bureaucracy and payments
They are more willing to rent apartments through acquaintances
About emigrants from Iran and attitude towards Russians
Work
I work remotely, in a Russian company. It is not easy to find a job in Georgia with a visa – they look for work here most often through word of mouth. I tried to write to many companies, sent resumes, but did not receive a response. But you can open an individual entrepreneur and your own small business, as many Russians who come here do. I didn’t dare: my own business means risks, and I don’t have a budget for them. The average salary in Georgia is about 40,000 rubles. With such a monthly income, you can live in peace, but this does not include renting an apartment.
Public transport here is inexpensive, but not very convenient. But a very cheap taxi: trips around the city 50–150 RUB.
Shops
Prices for clothes are about the same as in Moscow, there are brands of popular brands that we are all used to. But the absence of Ikea was surprising for me, especially when it was necessary to furnish the apartment. I got so used to all these Gultarpas, Budbins and Sandsbergs that I even got confused. But there is a Danish counterpart to Yusk, a chain of home goods stores. Everything you need was found, the prices are about the same as in Ikea.
A few cons: prices for rent and medicine
I have already traveled around Georgia, even when I came here as a tourist, so for the first year I calmly settle down, arrange my life, there is almost no time for sightseeing trips. So far, everything suits me: mentality, attitude, quality of life. Of the problems I can name only medicine. An ambulance comes to non-citizens here only for a fee (about 1500 RUB). Insurance for foreigners is not cheap, but in any case it is more budgetary than paying for a doctor's visit every time. And also, just like about work, you can learn about the best doctors only by word of mouth. Yes, and sign up to him – also only through “their own”.
What else to read on the topic
- Why living in Tbilisi is really not very good: 7 weighty arguments
- 12 amazing features of life in Georgia
- 3 easy Georgian recipes for those who miss traveling
