Apartments in Batumi and on the coast

Batumi is the second market in the country by demand and the first by illusions. Almost nobody buys here to live: the apartment is bought to be let. So the real question is not what a metre costs but what the apartment will earn — and that is exactly where the figures diverge most from the brochures.

What a metre costs

Colliers puts the average price per square metre of residential property in Tbilisi and Batumi at around $1,500 and expects no decline in 2026: part of the construction-boom stock is reaching the resale market, but banks cut financing for new projects in 2025, and the two forces offset each other.

Within the city the spread is wide. New builds by the New Boulevard run roughly $1,300–1,600 per metre in bare-shell condition, resale in the centre and Old Batumi $1,600–2,300, and right by the water the price climbs above $2,000. These are estimates from Batumi agencies rather than official statistics, so treat them as a reference: on a specific property the price depends on the floor, the view, and what gets built opposite.

Who buys here

The structure of demand in Batumi differs fundamentally from the capital. According to Colliers, 90% of buyers in Tbilisi are Georgian citizens, while in Batumi locals are only half: 16% are Russian, 9% Ukrainian, the rest other foreign nationals.

The practical meaning is simple: the Batumi market depends far more on external demand and on what happens outside Georgia. Tbilisi is the steadier of the two.

Seasonality — the figure the brochures leave out

Yield in Batumi is usually quoted as a nightly rate in high season. But AirROI data shows around 3,500 active listings, average occupancy of 35.5%, an average rate of $57 a night and average revenue of roughly $3,700 a year per listing. Other measurements for September 2024 to August 2025 give occupancy near 57% and about $8,000 a year.

The spread has one explanation: more than 80% of Batumi’s annual revenue is earned in July and August, and winter occupancy falls into the low double digits. Computing payback from the August rate is the most common buyer’s mistake. Compute it over the year, and subtract utilities, management, wear and vacancy.

For comparison, the average gross yield on long-term letting across Georgia in Q1 2026 was 7.42%. Long-term letting in Batumi earns less than short-term in a good year, but it is level and needs no management.

First line and sea view

"Sea view" is the most elastic phrase on this market. Three things are worth checking: the real walking distance to the water rather than the straight line; what stands between the building and the sea and what may legally be built there; and from where exactly in the apartment that view opens — sometimes only from a corner of the balcony.

Vacant development land along the coast is normal, and the view you paid a premium for closes behind a new block two years later. We look at the planning situation around a property before the deal, because a premium paid for a view is the first thing to evaporate.

Aparthotel or ordinary apartment

These are two different models and worth keeping apart. With an ordinary apartment you find guests yourself or pay a management company; income depends on your work and the season. With a room in an aparthotel run by an international chain the operator does the work, some contracts include guaranteed payments, but the entry price is higher and you have less freedom.

The tax is the same either way — usually 5% of gross income for an individual. The guide covers taxes in detail.

What we have on the coast

We work the coast selectively: we take projects we are prepared to answer for, not everything on offer.

What to know before buying

A foreigner buys in Batumi on general terms: the only restriction in Georgia concerns agricultural land. There is no transfer tax, and the residence-permit threshold is an appraised value from $150,000.

Buyer's guide →