Armenia vs Georgia

Armenia is ahead on housing. Georgia is ahead on taxes, money & crypto, language, infrastructure. Full criterion-by-criterion data below.

Verified Jul 4, 2026

Armenia Georgia

Scoreboard

The key numbers head-to-head — the stronger side is marked. The overall score stays decoration; what matters is which facts fit you.

Georgia leads on 3 of 7

	Armenia	Georgia
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$187/mo i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used.	$220/mo i Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.
Rent: 1-bedroom (city avg)	★$406/mo i Triangulation: Armstat State Cadastre average Yerevan apartment value (426,800 AMD/m², 2024) × region-cited citywide gross rental yield (≈7.8%), cross-checked against Yerevan market reporting (Armenian Mirror-Spectator, agent-quoted) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Mar 31, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armenia's cadastre registers rental transaction COUNTS but not prices (Armstat 'Housing stock and communal economy 2024'), and Numbeo/Expatistan are forbidden, so a city-average is triangulated. (A) Official yield method: 45 m² × 426,800 AMD/m² (Armstat State Cadastre citywide average apartment value, 2024) × 7.8% gross rental yield ÷ 12 = ~124,800 AMD/mo (~$338), a citywide figure dragged down by cheap outer districts. (B) Market report (Armenian Mirror-Spectator, Mar 2025, quoting a Yerevan letting agent): 130,000–140,000 AMD ($331–356) 'the norm' for basic apartments; tiny 1-room ~110,000 AMD ($298); standard 2-room Arabkir ~250,000 AMD ($637). A standard (not center-luxury, not dormitory) 1-bedroom sits mid-band → 150,000 AMD/mo → $406 at 369.34 AMD/USD (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR). Notes Yerevan city-average asking rent for a standard 1-bedroom; central Kentron asking runs materially higher (city-center 1-brs commonly $550–900+), outer districts lower. Curated market estimate, not an official price (Armenia publishes no official rent price series). Rents post-2022 are volatile; re-verify from List.am/MyRealty.am aggregates or an updated market report next cycle. Numbeo/Expatistan not used.	$532/mo i ss.ge / korter.ge listing samples (Tbilisi + Batumi) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method City-average 1-bedroom asking rent (portals quote USD): Tbilisi ≈ $540, Batumi ≈ $485; population-weighted (Tbilisi 1.33M, Batumi 0.24M) ≈ $532. Small listing samples — indicative. Notes Asking prices from active listings, not transacted rents; Batumi swings sharply with the summer tourist season (winter long-term rates are lower). Georgian portals count total rooms, so a '2-room' listing ≈ a 1-bedroom — mapped accordingly.
Freelancer tax burden	10.8% i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively).	★1% i SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%.
Homicide rate	2.21/100k i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle.	★2.03/100k i UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2019 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes 2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published.
Internet speed	★16 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Armenia (2023 daily stats) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 30,840 download tests, 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Same methodology as other SettleMetric countries. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Ookla reported ~57 Mbps for Armenia in Jan 2025) — the two are not comparable and must not be mixed within this criterion. This is the low-consistent-methodology figure; real-world fibre in Yerevan is considerably faster.	16 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 47,852 download tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; the 2024 file is only Jan–Mar, and 2025/2026 are not yet published). Georgia sits under continent code AS in M-Lab. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cross-check: the World Bank's July-2024 median of ~20 Mbps (Ookla-derived, so not citable here) is consistent with this once the M-Lab-reads-low offset is accounted for. Speeds are trending up (~10%/yr: M-Lab yearly medians ran 9.7 in 2020 → 15.8 in 2023), so multi-year pooling would understate current speed; the latest full year is used instead. GNCC/comcom.ge publishes operator quality-of-service measurements (e.g. Magticom fixed ~56 Mb/s advertised-tier average, 2025/26) but no national measured median, and its own speed commentary relies on the same Ookla data we can't redistribute.
English proficiency	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language.	★High i EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood.
Private healthcare cost	$352/yr i Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance package (with-inpatient), as published by Repat Armenia Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance (VHI): 130,000 AMD/year per adult under 65 (family of 3+ discounted 30% to 91,000 AMD), coverage limit 7,000,000 AMD. Comprehensive with-inpatient package — covers outpatient care, doctor consultations, tests, hospitalization, surgery, chronic-disease monitoring, plus dental and (after a 9-month wait) pregnancy. 130,000 AMD ÷ 369.34 AMD/USD = $352/year (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR, CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Comparable to the other countries' comprehensive (with-inpatient) basis. Private VHI is optional; Armenia is phasing in a mandatory Universal Health Insurance system (2026). This is a specific published individual premium (Nairi via Repat Armenia), not a market median — other insurers (Rosgosstrakh-Armenia, SIL, INGO, RESO, Armenia Insurance) quote on request. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and waiting periods apply. Insurers supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.	$450/yr i Georgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Midpoint of comprehensive local plans: Ardi Medi Premium from ~$340/yr up to market comprehensive ~$795/yr (converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD). Expat international plans run higher ($1,000–2,000/yr). Notes Georgian insurers quote by callback rather than public age-rated engines, so this is a curated market midpoint for local comprehensive cover, not a bound quote.

Verdict

Each lens weighs only the facts that matter to that plan, and names the side it favours.

Contract or freelance in tech, billing clients abroad.

Georgia fits better — 3 of 5

	Armenia	Georgia
Freelancer tax burden	10.8% i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively).	★1% i SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%.
Internet speed	★16 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Armenia (2023 daily stats) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 30,840 download tests, 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Same methodology as other SettleMetric countries. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Ookla reported ~57 Mbps for Armenia in Jan 2025) — the two are not comparable and must not be mixed within this criterion. This is the low-consistent-methodology figure; real-world fibre in Yerevan is considerably faster.	16 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 47,852 download tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; the 2024 file is only Jan–Mar, and 2025/2026 are not yet published). Georgia sits under continent code AS in M-Lab. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cross-check: the World Bank's July-2024 median of ~20 Mbps (Ookla-derived, so not citable here) is consistent with this once the M-Lab-reads-low offset is accounted for. Speeds are trending up (~10%/yr: M-Lab yearly medians ran 9.7 in 2020 → 15.8 in 2023), so multi-year pooling would understate current speed; the latest full year is used instead. GNCC/comcom.ge publishes operator quality-of-service measurements (e.g. Magticom fixed ~56 Mb/s advertised-tier average, 2025/26) but no national measured median, and its own speed commentary relies on the same Ookla data we can't redistribute.
English proficiency	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language.	★High i EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$187/mo i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used.	$220/mo i Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.
Domestic delivery quality	Basic i HayPost (national postal operator) service network + private courier presence Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method HayPost operates the national branch network with domestic parcel and EMS delivery; private couriers (local same-day services in Yerevan, plus international DHL/FedEx/UPS agents) cover the capital well. Reliable but not a dense next-day parcel-locker market like the EU leaders; delivery is mostly to-door or branch pickup, typically a few days outside Yerevan. Classified 'basic'. Notes Curated classification from the national operator's coverage and courier presence; no official nationwide next-day SLA or parcel-locker density figures were obtained. Re-verify with HayPost service standards next cycle.	★Good i Georgian Post + courier service pages (composite) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Georgian Post ~500 branches nationwide (1–3 day domestic parcels, some lockers/pickup points); Wolt Drive and Glovo last-mile in Tbilisi/Batumi; DHL/FedEx/UPS present. Dense and reliable in cities; locker density and nationwide same-day coverage thinner than EU leaders → good, not excellent.

Relocating with a partner and school-age children.

Georgia fits better — 2 of 3

	Armenia	Georgia
Homicide rate	2.21/100k i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle.	★2.03/100k i UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2019 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes 2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published.
Private healthcare cost	$352/yr i Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance package (with-inpatient), as published by Repat Armenia Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance (VHI): 130,000 AMD/year per adult under 65 (family of 3+ discounted 30% to 91,000 AMD), coverage limit 7,000,000 AMD. Comprehensive with-inpatient package — covers outpatient care, doctor consultations, tests, hospitalization, surgery, chronic-disease monitoring, plus dental and (after a 9-month wait) pregnancy. 130,000 AMD ÷ 369.34 AMD/USD = $352/year (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR, CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Comparable to the other countries' comprehensive (with-inpatient) basis. Private VHI is optional; Armenia is phasing in a mandatory Universal Health Insurance system (2026). This is a specific published individual premium (Nairi via Repat Armenia), not a market median — other insurers (Rosgosstrakh-Armenia, SIL, INGO, RESO, Armenia Insurance) quote on request. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and waiting periods apply. Insurers supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.	$450/yr i Georgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Midpoint of comprehensive local plans: Ardi Medi Premium from ~$340/yr up to market comprehensive ~$795/yr (converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD). Expat international plans run higher ($1,000–2,000/yr). Notes Georgian insurers quote by callback rather than public age-rated engines, so this is a curated market midpoint for local comprehensive cover, not a bound quote.
English proficiency	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language.	★High i EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood.

Optimising tax, banking and crypto rules.

Georgia fits better — 2 of 3

	Armenia	Georgia
Crypto regulation	Legal regulated i Central Bank of Armenia — Law on Crypto-Assets (in force 2025-07-04) and first regulatory package (effective 2026-01-31) Official source Data as of Jan 31, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Holding and trading crypto is legal for individuals; not legal tender. A comprehensive Law on Crypto-Assets (modelled on the EU's MiCA) entered into force 2025-07-04; the Central Bank of Armenia is the sole licensing authority for crypto-asset service providers, with the first subordinate regulations effective 2026-01-31 and a licensing deadline of 2027-01-31 for existing providers. Leans crypto-friendly (non-entrepreneurial individual crypto gains are widely reported as untaxed), but classified 'legal-regulated' given the new MiCA-style licensing/AML framework.	★Legal friendly i National Bank of Georgia — Virtual Asset Service Providers Official source Data as of Jul 1, 2023 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Individuals pay 0% income tax on crypto gains (Minister of Finance Public Decision N201, 2019 — crypto is not Georgian-source income for individuals) and crypto↔fiat exchange is VAT-exempt. Service providers must register as VASPs with the NBG (regime since 1 July 2023). Very favourable for individual holders, hence legal-friendly.
Financial control level	Low i PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Armenia (no currency/capital controls; AMD convertible) + Central Bank of Armenia FX regime Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: the Armenian dram (AMD) is freely convertible with no capital or currency controls on personal funds; non-residents can open bank accounts and hold foreign-currency accounts; foreigners can register a sole proprietorship and bank easily; no FBAR-style foreign-asset disclosure regime for residents. Classified 'low' state control over personal money flows. Inputs: PwC Armenia tax summaries and Central Bank of Armenia foreign-exchange rules. Notes Armenia has been a notably open banking destination for relocating remote workers since 2022. No IMF AREAER capital-control flags of note for personal transfers were found; re-verify against AREAER next cycle.	Low i US State Dept 2025 Investment Climate Statement (Georgia) / trade.gov Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method GEL freely convertible (float since 1998; IMF Article VIII since 1996); no capital controls; funds transfer abroad freely (except sanctioned destinations); no routine cash caps or resident foreign-account exit restrictions. Notes Caveat: since Georgia joined CRS (2024) and post-2022 de-risking, non-resident bank account onboarding has become notably stricter (source-of-funds documentation, some rejections). The FX regime itself is open; the friction is at bank KYC.
Freelancer tax burden	10.8% i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively).	★1% i SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%.

Prioritising safety, air, and an easy daily life.

Georgia fits better — 1 of 2

	Armenia	Georgia
Homicide rate	2.21/100k i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle.	★2.03/100k i UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2019 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes 2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$187/mo i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used.	$220/mo i Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate.

Details

Taxes

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Freelancer tax burden% effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile	10.8 i SettleMetric tax engine over Armenia's official 2026 rules (High-Tech turnover-tax law + Tax Code Art. 258 + funded-pension rules) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme am-it-hightech-1 (registered high-tech IT sole proprietor, 1% turnover tax) at €60,000 = 25,260,600 AMD turnover (ECB/CBA 421.01): high-tech turnover tax 1% = 252,606 + mandatory funded pension 10%×(income−3,000,000) = 2,226,060 + health contribution 129,600 + military stamp duty 120,000 = 2,728,266 AMD of levies → 10.8%. The pension is charged on GROSS turnover (not profit) and dominates the burden, so the real cost is far above the headline 1%. Modelled with the pension uncapped (no individual-entrepreneur ceiling confirmed in official sources); a ceiling, if it applies, would lower this figure. Notes Micro-business 0% is unavailable to IT/consulting/professional services (excluded since July 2025). The turnover-tax 10% and general 20% regimes give higher burdens (~19.8% and ~27.8% at €60k respectively). 8.8	1 i SettleMetric tax engine over Tax Code (Small Business Status) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme ge-small-business-1pct at €60,000 = 180,738 GEL (NBG 3.0123 GEL/EUR), below the 500,000 GEL threshold → 1% turnover tax = 1,807 GEL, no mandatory social/pension. Effective burden ≈ 1.0%. 10.0

Legalization

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Remote-work legalization ease	Long stay path i Migration and Citizenship Service of Armenia (Ministry of Internal Affairs) — residency status and visa Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes No dedicated digital-nomad visa. Realistic long-stay route: register as an individual entrepreneur (no minimum income) and obtain a temporary residence permit on entrepreneurship grounds — issued for up to 1 year, renewable, leading to permanent residence. Most Western and CIS nationals also get 180 days visa-free per year as a standing rule. A new fully-digital 'On Foreigners' system takes effect 2026-08-01. 6.0	Long stay path i Government Ordinance N255 — visa-free entry Official source Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Exceptionally easy in practice: ~94 nationalities (incl. all EU, US, UK, Ukraine, Russia) may stay visa-free for a full year and register an Individual Entrepreneur with 1% Small Business Status the same day — no residence permit needed. Scored as a long-stay path; there is no formal 'digital nomad visa' and the year of visa-free stay does not itself build toward permanent residence. 6.0

Cost of living

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)USD/month, single person, excluding rent	187 i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditures, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure, urban communities = 66,245 AMD (Table 3.5/3.6, 'Household Income, Expenditures, and Basic Food Consumption', poverty_2025_en_3.pdf). The urban basis is used because Yerevan is fully urban. The Armenian ILCS consumption basket contains NO rent line (housing appears only as Utilities 10,646 AMD; owner-occupancy dominates and paid rent is not captured), so the figure already excludes rent — no subtraction needed. CPI-uplifted from 2024 to mid-2026 by ×1.045 (Armenia inflation ≈0.3% in 2024, ≈2.7–3.9% through 2025, 3% CBA target for 2026) → 69,226 AMD → $187 at 369.34 AMD/USD. FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR = 369.34 AMD/USD (CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Per-capita ILCS basis (one adult's non-rent consumption), not a separate one-person-household survey (Armstat does not publish the latter for a single-person basket). National per-capita total is 60,941 AMD; the urban figure (66,245 AMD) is used as the Yerevan-relevant basis. Numbeo/Expatistan (forbidden) were not used. 10.0	220 i Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Geostat 2025 average per-capita monthly consumption (603 GEL) split by the survey's COICOP category shares, with the imputed-housing portion removed, converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD (NBG 2026-07-02). Categories sum to this figure. Geostat has no clean single-person-excl-rent basket, so treat as a curated estimate. 10.0

Monthly spending by category (excl. rent)

Category	Armenia i Armstat — Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) 2024, per-capita consumption expenditures by category, urban communities Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Armstat ILCS 2024 urban per-capita consumption expenditure by category (Table 3.5/3.6, pre-2012 COICOP): Food 28,208 (incl. eating-out 2,293) + Non-food 12,835 + Utilities 10,646 + Health 4,475 + Tobacco 2,692 + Education 1,882 + Other services 1,861 + Communications 1,777 + Transport 1,585 + Alcohol 252 + Culture/legal 32 = 66,245 AMD. Each line CPI-uplifted ×1.045 and converted at 369.34 AMD/USD; categories sum to the ~$187/mo aggregate (Culture/legal rounds to $0 and is omitted). Rent excluded (not in the ILCS basket).	Georgia i Geostat — Households Expenditures survey 2025 (category shares) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Geostat 2025 per-capita consumption shares (food 38.7%, transport 11.4%, healthcare 11.0%, etc.) applied to the ~$220/mo excl-rent base and converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD. Georgia's very high food share is characteristic of the income level. National average — rent shown separately.
Food & non-alcoholic drinks	—	$88
Food & non-alcoholic (incl. eating out)	$80	—
Restaurants, recreation & communications	—	$41
Non-food goods	$36	—
Utilities (water, electricity, gas, fuel)	$30	—
Transport	$4	$26
Healthcare (out-of-pocket)	—	$25
Utilities & energy	—	$18
Health (out-of-pocket)	$13	—
Clothing & footwear	—	$13
Education	$5	$7
Household goods	—	$12
Tobacco	$8	—
Communications	$5	—
Other services	$5	—
Alcoholic beverages	$1	—
Total (excl. rent)	$187/mo	$230/mo

Housing

Rent by apartment type

Asking rent, central price with outside-centre in parentheses ($/mo).

Apartment	Armenia i SettleMetric — population-weighted average of covered cities (Yerevan) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Population-weighted mean of the rent-breakdown matrices of Yerevan; each cell averages the cities that report it. See each city page for its exact local matrix.	Georgia i SettleMetric — population-weighted average of covered cities (Batumi, Tbilisi) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Population-weighted mean of the rent-breakdown matrices of Batumi, Tbilisi; each cell averages the cities that report it. See each city page for its exact local matrix.
Studio	$460 ($300)	$450 ($303)
1-bedroom	$680 ($435)	$592 ($471)
2-bedroom	$950 ($610)	$892 ($635)
3-bedroom	$1,350 ($810)	$1,370 ($970)

Safety

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Homicide rateintentional homicides per 100,000/year	2.2 i UNODC intentional-homicide series for Armenia (via World Bank / Our World in Data mirror) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes UNODC national series: 2.21 per 100k (2023), down from 2.74 (2022) and 3.14 (2021). Figures are UNODC-sourced; the World Bank/OWID mirror was used because the UNODC data portal is an interactive app. Re-verify the exact latest year directly at data.unodc.org next cycle. 6.8	2 i UNODC (via World Bank mirror) — intentional homicide, Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2019 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes 2019 is the latest year UNODC publishes for Georgia. Low by global standards (world average ≈ 5.8); Georgia is widely regarded as very safe for residents. No city-level series is published. 7.0

Healthcare

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Private healthcare costUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old	352 i Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance package (with-inpatient), as published by Repat Armenia Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Nairi Insurance voluntary health insurance (VHI): 130,000 AMD/year per adult under 65 (family of 3+ discounted 30% to 91,000 AMD), coverage limit 7,000,000 AMD. Comprehensive with-inpatient package — covers outpatient care, doctor consultations, tests, hospitalization, surgery, chronic-disease monitoring, plus dental and (after a 9-month wait) pregnancy. 130,000 AMD ÷ 369.34 AMD/USD = $352/year (FX from data/fx-rates.json: 421.01 AMD/EUR ÷ 1.1399 USD/EUR, CBA/ECB 2026-07-03). Notes Comparable to the other countries' comprehensive (with-inpatient) basis. Private VHI is optional; Armenia is phasing in a mandatory Universal Health Insurance system (2026). This is a specific published individual premium (Nairi via Repat Armenia), not a market median — other insurers (Rosgosstrakh-Armenia, SIL, INGO, RESO, Armenia Insurance) quote on request. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and waiting periods apply. Insurers supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia. 10.0	450 i Georgian insurers (Ardi, GPI, Imedi L) — comprehensive-tier plans Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Midpoint of comprehensive local plans: Ardi Medi Premium from ~$340/yr up to market comprehensive ~$795/yr (converted at 2.6431 GEL/USD). Expat international plans run higher ($1,000–2,000/yr). Notes Georgian insurers quote by callback rather than public age-rated engines, so this is a curated market midpoint for local comprehensive cover, not a bound quote. 10.0

Money & crypto

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Crypto regulation	Legal regulated i Central Bank of Armenia — Law on Crypto-Assets (in force 2025-07-04) and first regulatory package (effective 2026-01-31) Official source Data as of Jan 31, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Holding and trading crypto is legal for individuals; not legal tender. A comprehensive Law on Crypto-Assets (modelled on the EU's MiCA) entered into force 2025-07-04; the Central Bank of Armenia is the sole licensing authority for crypto-asset service providers, with the first subordinate regulations effective 2026-01-31 and a licensing deadline of 2027-01-31 for existing providers. Leans crypto-friendly (non-entrepreneurial individual crypto gains are widely reported as untaxed), but classified 'legal-regulated' given the new MiCA-style licensing/AML framework. 8.0	Legal friendly i National Bank of Georgia — Virtual Asset Service Providers Official source Data as of Jul 1, 2023 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Individuals pay 0% income tax on crypto gains (Minister of Finance Public Decision N201, 2019 — crypto is not Georgian-source income for individuals) and crypto↔fiat exchange is VAT-exempt. Service providers must register as VASPs with the NBG (regime since 1 July 2023). Very favourable for individual holders, hence legal-friendly. 10.0
Financial control level	Low i PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Armenia (no currency/capital controls; AMD convertible) + Central Bank of Armenia FX regime Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: the Armenian dram (AMD) is freely convertible with no capital or currency controls on personal funds; non-residents can open bank accounts and hold foreign-currency accounts; foreigners can register a sole proprietorship and bank easily; no FBAR-style foreign-asset disclosure regime for residents. Classified 'low' state control over personal money flows. Inputs: PwC Armenia tax summaries and Central Bank of Armenia foreign-exchange rules. Notes Armenia has been a notably open banking destination for relocating remote workers since 2022. No IMF AREAER capital-control flags of note for personal transfers were found; re-verify against AREAER next cycle. 10.0	Low i US State Dept 2025 Investment Climate Statement (Georgia) / trade.gov Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method GEL freely convertible (float since 1998; IMF Article VIII since 1996); no capital controls; funds transfer abroad freely (except sanctioned destinations); no routine cash caps or resident foreign-account exit restrictions. Notes Caveat: since Georgia joined CRS (2024) and post-2022 de-risking, non-resident bank account onboarding has become notably stricter (source-of-funds documentation, some rejections). The FX regime itself is open; the friction is at bank KYC. 10.0

Infrastructure

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
Domestic delivery quality	Basic i HayPost (national postal operator) service network + private courier presence Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method HayPost operates the national branch network with domestic parcel and EMS delivery; private couriers (local same-day services in Yerevan, plus international DHL/FedEx/UPS agents) cover the capital well. Reliable but not a dense next-day parcel-locker market like the EU leaders; delivery is mostly to-door or branch pickup, typically a few days outside Yerevan. Classified 'basic'. Notes Curated classification from the national operator's coverage and courier presence; no official nationwide next-day SLA or parcel-locker density figures were obtained. Re-verify with HayPost service standards next cycle. 4.0	Good i Georgian Post + courier service pages (composite) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Georgian Post ~500 branches nationwide (1–3 day domestic parcels, some lockers/pickup points); Wolt Drive and Glovo last-mile in Tbilisi/Batumi; DHL/FedEx/UPS present. Dense and reliable in cities; locker density and nationwide same-day coverage thinner than EU leaders → good, not excellent. 7.0
International delivery ease	Significant friction i State Revenue Committee of Armenia — customs / import rules (de-minimis and clearance for parcels) Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Landlocked country with closed borders to two neighbours (Turkey, Azerbaijan); inbound goods route via Georgia or air. Major carriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) serve Yerevan, but customs clearance on personal imports involves paperwork and duties above a modest de-minimis, and many marketplaces do not ship directly to Armenia. Classified 'significant-friction'. The exact de-minimis threshold and clearance timelines were not extracted from the SRC customs pages in this pass — flagged to confirm the specific regulation next cycle. 4.0	Minor friction i Revenue Service of Georgia — customs procedures Official source Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Georgia is outside the EU/EAEU. Personal-import de minimis: 300 GEL (≈ $113) and ≤ 30 kg, once per calendar month, exempt; above that, 18% import VAT + 0–12% duty + a small customs fee. All major integrators (DHL, FedEx, UPS, Aramex) present. Predictable but the low monthly de-minimis cap adds friction. 7.0
Internet speedMbps, median fixed download	16.4 i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Armenia (2023 daily stats) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 30,840 download tests, 2023 — the latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API. Same methodology as other SettleMetric countries. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Ookla reported ~57 Mbps for Armenia in Jan 2025) — the two are not comparable and must not be mixed within this criterion. This is the low-consistent-methodology figure; real-world fibre in Yerevan is considerably faster. 0.8	15.8 i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Georgia Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2023 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Median of 343 daily country medians (download_MED), 47,852 download tests (2023 — latest full year in M-Lab's public stats API; the 2024 file is only Jan–Mar, and 2025/2026 are not yet published). Georgia sits under continent code AS in M-Lab. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures — comparable only within this criterion. Cross-check: the World Bank's July-2024 median of ~20 Mbps (Ookla-derived, so not citable here) is consistent with this once the M-Lab-reads-low offset is accounted for. Speeds are trending up (~10%/yr: M-Lab yearly medians ran 9.7 in 2020 → 15.8 in 2023), so multi-year pooling would understate current speed; the latest full year is used instead. GNCC/comcom.ge publishes operator quality-of-service measurements (e.g. Magticom fixed ~56 Mb/s advertised-tier average, 2025/26) but no national measured median, and its own speed commentary relies on the same Ookla data we can't redistribute. 0.7

Language

Criterion	Armenia	Georgia
English proficiency	Moderate i EF EPI 2025 — Armenia (score 515, rank 56/123, Moderate band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Score 515 falls in EF's 'Moderate' band. English is workable with younger people, in IT and the tourism/service sector in Yerevan, less so in government offices and outside the capital; Russian remains the stronger second language. 5.0	High i EF EPI 2025 (score 541, rank 35/123 — High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). English is workable in Tbilisi/Batumi tourism and the younger service sector; less so in government and older generations. Russian remains widely understood. 7.0

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