Lisbon (Portugal) vs Tbilisi (Georgia)

Lisbon (Portugal) vs Tbilisi (Georgia): rent, cost of living, climate, safety and country-level context (taxes, visas) side by side — every figure with its source.

Verified Jul 4, 2026

Lisbon (Portugal)Tbilisi (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.

Tbilisi leads on 4 of 8

	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$1,166/mo i INE — Household Budget Survey 2022/2023 (Inquérito às Despesas das Famílias), single-person households, CPI-uplifted Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jun 30, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method INE 2022/2023 single-person (<65) household average spending €18,121/year = €1,510/month (incl. housing); CPI-uplifted to mid-2026 (×≈1.072 over 2024–2026 HICP) → €1,618/month; the rent/imputed-rent portion of the COICOP-2018 housing division (41.7% of the basket) removed while keeping utilities, then summed by category and converted at 1.1399 USD/EUR (ECB 2026-07-02) → ≈ $1,166/month excluding rent. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price level for household consumption (Portugal 2024 = 85.0, EU27=100 — ~15% below the EU average). Notes National average; Lisbon runs higher. Derived by summing the itemized cost-breakdown categories; see cost-breakdown for the split.	★$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)	$1,367/mo i idealista — Portugal rental market report, May 2026 (Lisboa city asking rent €/m²) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of May 31, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method idealista city-wide asking rent for Lisboa (município) May 2026 = €21.8/m² (−2.7% y/y). A ~55 m² 1-bedroom ≈ €1,199/month ≈ $1,367 at 1.1399 USD/EUR (ECB 2026-07-02, per data/fx-rates.json). City-wide-per-m² basis for cross-city comparability. Notes City-wide €/m² × 55 m² — the criterion's robust comparison figure. Central historic parishes run higher; an independent Portuguese reference (ricavida.pt, 2026) puts the average listed T1 at ~€1,539/month, which skews above this because listing averages include larger and premium units. Lisbon is the most expensive rental market in Portugal (national median €16.3/m², Porto €16.4/m²); asking rents fell ~2.7% y/y in May 2026. idealista is the major national listing portal (asking, not transacted, prices).	★$540/mo i ss.ge / korter.ge listing samples Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method City-average 1-bedroom asking rent (portals quote USD): central ≈ $600, outside ≈ $480 → city avg ≈ $540. Small listing sample; indicative.
Freelancer tax burden	30% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Autoridade Tributária + Segurança Social) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme pt-ifici-20 (IFICI 20% flat, NHR successor) at €60,000 revenue: social security 21.4%×70%×60,000 = €8,988; category-B simplified taxable income 0.75×60,000 = €45,000; IFICI IRS 20%×45,000 = €9,000; total €17,988 → 29.98% ≈ 30.0%. IFICI requires being a new resident (not resident in Portugal in the prior 5 years) in an eligible activity (IT/ICT qualifies) — realistic for an incoming remote worker. Without IFICI the same profile under the simplified 0.75 regime (progressive IRS) is ~34.4%.	★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	★0.68/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, 2024 (Eurostat crim_off_cat). Portugal has trended down since 2013 (1.37) to 0.68 in 2024 — among the lowest in the EU.	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	★40 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Portugal Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method M-Lab NDT daily country medians for Portugal cluster at ≈ 39–42 Mbps (2024). Recorded as 40 Mbps. WebFetch truncates the JSON to ~mid-January, so the full-year median should be re-aggregated from the M-Lab BigQuery dataset next cycle. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Portuguese fibre retail speeds are far higher) — comparable only within this criterion. Value should be re-verified against the full 2024/2025 M-Lab aggregate.	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	★Very high i EF EPI 2025 — Portugal rank 6/123, score 612 (Very High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Portugal ranks 6th of 123 countries (score 612, 'Very High'). English is broadly workable in cities, tourism, tech and services; less consistent in local government/administration.	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	$650/yr i Médis / Multicare / AdvanceCare / Allianz comprehensive (with-hospitalization) plans — market midpoint; insurers quote on request Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Comprehensive private plans that include inpatient/hospital cover (outpatient + hospitalization) for a healthy 35-year-old run ≈ €35–60/month across the main Portuguese insurers (Médis, Multicare, AdvanceCare/AdvanceCare-network, Allianz, Generali Tranquilidade). Midpoint ≈ €47.5/month ≈ €570/year ≈ $650 at 1.1399 USD/EUR (range ≈ $547–$752). Premiums are quoted on request, so this is a curated market midpoint, not a public engine quote. Notes Residents are covered by the public SNS; private insurance is optional/supplementary. Cheaper outpatient-only plans start ≈ €10–20/month but exclude hospitalization — this figure is the with-inpatient comprehensive tier, chosen for cross-country comparability. Insurers repriced ~+10% for 2026.	★$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.
Air quality (PM2.5)	no verified data	15.1 µg/m³ i IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report Research Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.

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.

A close call for this plan

	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Freelancer tax burden	30% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Autoridade Tributária + Segurança Social) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme pt-ifici-20 (IFICI 20% flat, NHR successor) at €60,000 revenue: social security 21.4%×70%×60,000 = €8,988; category-B simplified taxable income 0.75×60,000 = €45,000; IFICI IRS 20%×45,000 = €9,000; total €17,988 → 29.98% ≈ 30.0%. IFICI requires being a new resident (not resident in Portugal in the prior 5 years) in an eligible activity (IT/ICT qualifies) — realistic for an incoming remote worker. Without IFICI the same profile under the simplified 0.75 regime (progressive IRS) is ~34.4%.	★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	★40 Mbps i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Portugal Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method M-Lab NDT daily country medians for Portugal cluster at ≈ 39–42 Mbps (2024). Recorded as 40 Mbps. WebFetch truncates the JSON to ~mid-January, so the full-year median should be re-aggregated from the M-Lab BigQuery dataset next cycle. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Portuguese fibre retail speeds are far higher) — comparable only within this criterion. Value should be re-verified against the full 2024/2025 M-Lab aggregate.	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	★Very high i EF EPI 2025 — Portugal rank 6/123, score 612 (Very High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Portugal ranks 6th of 123 countries (score 612, 'Very High'). English is broadly workable in cities, tourism, tech and services; less consistent in local government/administration.	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)	$1,166/mo i INE — Household Budget Survey 2022/2023 (Inquérito às Despesas das Famílias), single-person households, CPI-uplifted Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jun 30, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method INE 2022/2023 single-person (<65) household average spending €18,121/year = €1,510/month (incl. housing); CPI-uplifted to mid-2026 (×≈1.072 over 2024–2026 HICP) → €1,618/month; the rent/imputed-rent portion of the COICOP-2018 housing division (41.7% of the basket) removed while keeping utilities, then summed by category and converted at 1.1399 USD/EUR (ECB 2026-07-02) → ≈ $1,166/month excluding rent. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price level for household consumption (Portugal 2024 = 85.0, EU27=100 — ~15% below the EU average). Notes National average; Lisbon runs higher. Derived by summing the itemized cost-breakdown categories; see cost-breakdown for the split.	★$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	Good i CTT Correios de Portugal — express delivery times, coverage and Collectt/Locky network (official service pages) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method National operator CTT offers next-day ('Expresso Para Amanhã') and 2-day express nationwide, with the Collectt pickup network (CTT shops + Payshop agents + Locky 24/7 parcel lockers) and real-time tracking. Private carriers DPD, GLS, DHL, UPS, Chronopost and Seur operate nationwide. Rated 'good' — 1–3 day delivery is the norm and lockers exist in cities, but locker density and universal next-day are below the best-in-class (e.g. Poland's InPost).	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.

Lisbon fits better — 3 of 5

	Lisbon	Tbilisi
International schools	★11 i IB / Cambridge / AEFE / German Auslandsschulwesen accreditor evidence for the Lisbon metro (curated union) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Curated count of internationally-accredited schools in the Lisbon metro (Lisboa, Cascais, Sintra, Oeiras). Directly verified against their accreditor networks: Lycée Français Charles Lepierre (AEFE directly-managed establishment, aefe.gouv.fr) and Deutsche Schule Lissabon (German Auslandsschule under ZfA/Auswärtiges Amt, auslandsschulwesen.de). IB World Schools identified in the metro by name from IB 'by country' data and corroborating sources: St. Julian's (Carcavelos), St. Dominic's International (São Domingos de Rana), Carlucci/CAISL (Sintra), United Lisbon International, TASIS Portugal (Sintra), International Sharing School–Taguspark (Oeiras), Oeiras International School, PaRK International, plus The Lisboan (Cambridge + IB). Count = 11 named, accreditor-attributable schools. Notes ±3 uncertainty. The live IB World Schools finder and the Cambridge 'Find a Cambridge school' registry both returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this cycle, so individual IB/Cambridge authorizations were confirmed from official-adjacent sources rather than each read directly against the accreditor's live registry; AEFE and the German school were verified directly. Portugal has ~16 IB World Schools in total, most clustered in the Lisbon metro, so the true metro count of all-accreditor international schools is likely somewhat higher than 11 (aggregator guides list 30+ 'international' schools, but many lack a recognised accreditor). Re-verify each authorization against the IB and Cambridge registries from a browser next cycle.	3 i IB World Schools directory / IB Georgia association Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method IB World Schools in Tbilisi: New School (PYP+MYP+DP), Newton Free School, European School. At least 3; the ibo.org finder blocked automated access (±1). Notes ~16 international schools operate in Tbilisi; 3 are IB-authorized.
Homicide rate	★0.68/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, 2024 (Eurostat crim_off_cat). Portugal has trended down since 2013 (1.37) to 0.68 in 2024 — among the lowest in the EU.	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	$650/yr i Médis / Multicare / AdvanceCare / Allianz comprehensive (with-hospitalization) plans — market midpoint; insurers quote on request Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Comprehensive private plans that include inpatient/hospital cover (outpatient + hospitalization) for a healthy 35-year-old run ≈ €35–60/month across the main Portuguese insurers (Médis, Multicare, AdvanceCare/AdvanceCare-network, Allianz, Generali Tranquilidade). Midpoint ≈ €47.5/month ≈ €570/year ≈ $650 at 1.1399 USD/EUR (range ≈ $547–$752). Premiums are quoted on request, so this is a curated market midpoint, not a public engine quote. Notes Residents are covered by the public SNS; private insurance is optional/supplementary. Cheaper outpatient-only plans start ≈ €10–20/month but exclude hospitalization — this figure is the with-inpatient comprehensive tier, chosen for cross-country comparability. Insurers repriced ~+10% for 2026.	★$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.
Air quality (PM2.5)	no verified data	15.1 µg/m³ i IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report Research Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.
English proficiency	★Very high i EF EPI 2025 — Portugal rank 6/123, score 612 (Very High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Portugal ranks 6th of 123 countries (score 612, 'Very High'). English is broadly workable in cities, tourism, tech and services; less consistent in local government/administration.	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.

Tbilisi fits better — 1 of 3

	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Crypto regulation	Legal friendly i Autoridade Tributária — Criptoativos: conceito fiscal e tributação (folheto informativo) Official source Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Legal for individuals; regulated under EU MiCA/CARF. Since Law 24-D/2022: capital gains on crypto held ≥365 days are tax-EXEMPT (declared in Anexo G1); gains on assets held <365 days are taxed at a 28% autonomous rate (Category G, option to aggregate); crypto-to-crypto swaps are deferred (not taxed at the swap). Frequent/professional trading may be reclassified as Category B (general rates). Classified legal-friendly for the explicit long-term-holding exemption; short-term gains are still fully taxed.	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 ASAE — cash-payment limits (Art. 63.º-E Lei Geral Tributária); euro-area free movement of capital Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: euro-area member, no currency or capital controls, EUR fully convertible; free movement of capital guaranteed by the EU Treaty (Art. 63 TFEU). Non-resident bank accounts routinely available. Standard EU CRS/DAC reporting via banks; no FBAR-style personal foreign-account self-declaration for individuals. Cash-payment limit €2,999.99 for residents (natural persons) and €9,999.99 for non-residents not acting as merchants (Art. 63.º-E LGT) — a limit on cash, not on bank money movement. Rated 'low' state control over personal money flows.	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	30% i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Autoridade Tributária + Segurança Social) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme pt-ifici-20 (IFICI 20% flat, NHR successor) at €60,000 revenue: social security 21.4%×70%×60,000 = €8,988; category-B simplified taxable income 0.75×60,000 = €45,000; IFICI IRS 20%×45,000 = €9,000; total €17,988 → 29.98% ≈ 30.0%. IFICI requires being a new resident (not resident in Portugal in the prior 5 years) in an eligible activity (IT/ICT qualifies) — realistic for an incoming remote worker. Without IFICI the same profile under the simplified 0.75 regime (progressive IRS) is ~34.4%.	★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.

Lisbon fits better — 2 of 4

	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Homicide rate	★0.68/100k i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, 2024 (Eurostat crim_off_cat). Portugal has trended down since 2013 (1.37) to 0.68 in 2024 — among the lowest in the EU.	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.
Air quality (PM2.5)	no verified data	15.1 µg/m³ i IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report Research Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean.
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)	$1,166/mo i INE — Household Budget Survey 2022/2023 (Inquérito às Despesas das Famílias), single-person households, CPI-uplifted Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jun 30, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method INE 2022/2023 single-person (<65) household average spending €18,121/year = €1,510/month (incl. housing); CPI-uplifted to mid-2026 (×≈1.072 over 2024–2026 HICP) → €1,618/month; the rent/imputed-rent portion of the COICOP-2018 housing division (41.7% of the basket) removed while keeping utilities, then summed by category and converted at 1.1399 USD/EUR (ECB 2026-07-02) → ≈ $1,166/month excluding rent. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price level for household consumption (Portugal 2024 = 85.0, EU27=100 — ~15% below the EU average). Notes National average; Lisbon runs higher. Derived by summing the itemized cost-breakdown categories; see cost-breakdown for the split.	★$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.
Climate comfort	★10/12 mo i SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (IPMA Lisboa/Instituto Geofísico 1991-2020) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precipitation < 150mm: Jan (15.1°C, 103.8mm), Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov (18.1°C, 133.9mm), Dec = 10. Only Jul (TX 28.2°C) and Aug (TX 28.8°C) miss, exceeding the 28°C max cap; no month exceeds the 150mm precipitation cap.	4/12 mo i SettleMetric computation over climate-normals Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precip < 150mm: Apr, May, Sep, Oct = 4. June (28.7°C) and Jul–Aug (~32°C) are too hot.

Details

Taxes

Criterion	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Freelancer tax burden% effective burden at €60k/year self-employed profile	30 i SettleMetric tax engine over official 2026 rules (Autoridade Tributária + Segurança Social) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Best eligible scheme pt-ifici-20 (IFICI 20% flat, NHR successor) at €60,000 revenue: social security 21.4%×70%×60,000 = €8,988; category-B simplified taxable income 0.75×60,000 = €45,000; IFICI IRS 20%×45,000 = €9,000; total €17,988 → 29.98% ≈ 30.0%. IFICI requires being a new resident (not resident in Portugal in the prior 5 years) in an eligible activity (IT/ICT qualifies) — realistic for an incoming remote worker. Without IFICI the same profile under the simplified 0.75 regime (progressive IRS) is ~34.4%. 5.0	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	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Remote-work legalization ease	Dedicated nomad visa i AIMA — residence authorization for remote professional activity (Nómadas Digitais, Art. 88.º/1 Law 23/2007) Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Portugal has a dedicated digital-nomad route (D8): a residence visa for remote professional activity carried out for entities outside Portugal (in force since 2022, Law 18/2022), leading to a 2-year residence permit renewable for 3 years and to permanent residence/citizenship after 5 years. A temporary-stay variant (under 1 year) also exists. Income requirement 4× the national minimum wage (4 × €920 = €3,680/month in 2026). 10.0	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	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)USD/month, single person, excluding rent	1,166 i INE — Household Budget Survey 2022/2023 (Inquérito às Despesas das Famílias), single-person households, CPI-uplifted Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jun 30, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method INE 2022/2023 single-person (<65) household average spending €18,121/year = €1,510/month (incl. housing); CPI-uplifted to mid-2026 (×≈1.072 over 2024–2026 HICP) → €1,618/month; the rent/imputed-rent portion of the COICOP-2018 housing division (41.7% of the basket) removed while keeping utilities, then summed by category and converted at 1.1399 USD/EUR (ECB 2026-07-02) → ≈ $1,166/month excluding rent. Cross-checked against Eurostat comparative price level for household consumption (Portugal 2024 = 85.0, EU27=100 — ~15% below the EU average). Notes National average; Lisbon runs higher. Derived by summing the itemized cost-breakdown categories; see cost-breakdown for the split. 6.9	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	Lisbon i INE — Household Budget Survey 2022/2023 (COICOP-2018 structure), CPI-uplifted Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jun 30, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method INE 2022/2023 COICOP-2018 expenditure shares (food 13.0%, transport 11.3%, restaurants & accommodation 8.3%, furnishings 4.4%, health 4.2%, information & communication 3.8%, personal care/misc 3.4%, recreation 2.9%, alcohol/tobacco 1.7%, clothing 1.2%; housing 41.7% split into ~9% utilities/upkeep kept and rent excluded) applied to the CPI-uplifted single-person monthly total (€1,618) and converted at 1.1399 USD/EUR. Categories sum to the ~$1,166/mo excl-rent aggregate. National average. Notes Structure is the all-household COICOP-2018 split (INE does not publish a full single-person COICOP table); applied to the single-person total as a transparent approximation. Housing utilities are kept; rent/imputed rent is excluded per the cost-of-living definition.	Tbilisi 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 beverages	$240	—
Transport	$208	$26
Utilities (electricity, gas, water) & upkeep	$166	—
Restaurants & eating out	$153	—
Food & non-alcoholic drinks	—	$88
Household goods & equipment	$81	—
Health (out-of-pocket)	$77	—
Information & communication	$70	—
Personal care & misc goods	$63	—
Recreation, sport & culture	$53	—
Restaurants, recreation & communications	—	$41
Clothing & footwear	$22	$13
Alcohol & tobacco	$31	—
Healthcare (out-of-pocket)	—	$25
Utilities & energy	—	$18
Household goods	—	$12
Education	—	$7
Total (excl. rent)	$1,164/mo	$230/mo

Housing

Rent by apartment type

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

Apartment	Lisbon i idealista — Lisboa city asking rent €/m² (May 2026), derived by dwelling size and central/outside multiplier Curated by SettleMetric Data as of May 31, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Base: idealista Lisboa city-wide asking rent €21.8/m² (May 2026). Applied typical dwelling sizes (studio 35 m², 1BR 55 m², 2BR 80 m², 3BR 110 m²) and a central/outside multiplier (central historic/central parishes ×1.15, outer parishes ×0.85), converted at 1.1399 USD/EUR (ECB 2026-07-02). E.g. 1BR center = 55×21.8×1.15×1.1399 ≈ $1,572. Notes ALL cells are DERIVED — idealista's public report gives only a single city-wide €/m² for Lisboa, not a room-count × district matrix (idealista's granular per-district report pages returned HTTP 403 on fetch). Both the dwelling sizes and the ±15% central/outside spread are transparent assumptions, not observed values; treat the matrix as indicative and re-derive from a directly fetched idealista Lisboa district report next cycle. Only the city-wide €21.8/m² base is directly observed.	Tbilisi i ss.ge / korter.ge listing samples (Tbilisi) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Typical asking-rent medians from active listings (portals quote USD), central = Vake/Saburtalo/Old Tbilisi, outside = outer districts. Small samples — indicative ranges. Georgian portal room counts mapped (a '2-room' listing ≈ a 1-bedroom). Notes Asking, not transacted; indicative from small listing samples. Room-count convention: Georgian portals count total rooms, mapped to Western studio/1BR/2BR/3BR.
Studio	$1,000 ($739)	$450 ($300)
1-bedroom	$1,572 ($1,162)	$600 ($480)
2-bedroom	$2,286 ($1,690)	$900 ($650)
3-bedroom	$3,144 ($2,323)	$1,400 ($1,000)

Safety

Criterion	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Homicide rateintentional homicides per 100,000/year	0.7 i Eurostat — police-recorded intentional homicide (ICCS 0101) Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Police-recorded intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, 2024 (Eurostat crim_off_cat). Portugal has trended down since 2013 (1.37) to 0.68 in 2024 — among the lowest in the EU. 9.6	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

Climate

Criterion	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Climate comfortpleasant months/year	10 i SettleMetric computation over climate-normals (IPMA Lisboa/Instituto Geofísico 1991-2020) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precipitation < 150mm: Jan (15.1°C, 103.8mm), Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov (18.1°C, 133.9mm), Dec = 10. Only Jul (TX 28.2°C) and Aug (TX 28.8°C) miss, exceeding the 28°C max cap; no month exceeds the 150mm precipitation cap. 9.0	4 i SettleMetric computation over climate-normals Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2020 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method Months with mean daily max 15–28°C and precip < 150mm: Apr, May, Sep, Oct = 4. June (28.7°C) and Jul–Aug (~32°C) are too hot. 4.0
Air quality (PM2.5)µg/m³, annual mean PM2.5	no verified data	15.1 i IQAir 2024 World Air Quality Report Research Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Notes Attribution: IQAir (aggregator of ground stations + validated sensors). About 3× the WHO 2021 guideline (5 µg/m³); within the current EU limit (25). Georgia's official NEA portal publishes only real-time readings, not an annual mean. 6.0

Healthcare

Criterion	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Private healthcare costUSD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old	650 i Médis / Multicare / AdvanceCare / Allianz comprehensive (with-hospitalization) plans — market midpoint; insurers quote on request Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Comprehensive private plans that include inpatient/hospital cover (outpatient + hospitalization) for a healthy 35-year-old run ≈ €35–60/month across the main Portuguese insurers (Médis, Multicare, AdvanceCare/AdvanceCare-network, Allianz, Generali Tranquilidade). Midpoint ≈ €47.5/month ≈ €570/year ≈ $650 at 1.1399 USD/EUR (range ≈ $547–$752). Premiums are quoted on request, so this is a curated market midpoint, not a public engine quote. Notes Residents are covered by the public SNS; private insurance is optional/supplementary. Cheaper outpatient-only plans start ≈ €10–20/month but exclude hospitalization — this figure is the with-inpatient comprehensive tier, chosen for cross-country comparability. Insurers repriced ~+10% for 2026. 9.6	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	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Crypto regulation	Legal friendly i Autoridade Tributária — Criptoativos: conceito fiscal e tributação (folheto informativo) Official source Data as of Jan 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Legal for individuals; regulated under EU MiCA/CARF. Since Law 24-D/2022: capital gains on crypto held ≥365 days are tax-EXEMPT (declared in Anexo G1); gains on assets held <365 days are taxed at a 28% autonomous rate (Category G, option to aggregate); crypto-to-crypto swaps are deferred (not taxed at the swap). Frequent/professional trading may be reclassified as Category B (general rates). Classified legal-friendly for the explicit long-term-holding exemption; short-term gains are still fully taxed. 10.0	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 ASAE — cash-payment limits (Art. 63.º-E Lei Geral Tributária); euro-area free movement of capital Official source Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Composite: euro-area member, no currency or capital controls, EUR fully convertible; free movement of capital guaranteed by the EU Treaty (Art. 63 TFEU). Non-resident bank accounts routinely available. Standard EU CRS/DAC reporting via banks; no FBAR-style personal foreign-account self-declaration for individuals. Cash-payment limit €2,999.99 for residents (natural persons) and €9,999.99 for non-residents not acting as merchants (Art. 63.º-E LGT) — a limit on cash, not on bank money movement. Rated 'low' state control over personal money flows. 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	Lisbon	Tbilisi
Domestic delivery quality	Good i CTT Correios de Portugal — express delivery times, coverage and Collectt/Locky network (official service pages) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Dec 31, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method National operator CTT offers next-day ('Expresso Para Amanhã') and 2-day express nationwide, with the Collectt pickup network (CTT shops + Payshop agents + Locky 24/7 parcel lockers) and real-time tracking. Private carriers DPD, GLS, DHL, UPS, Chronopost and Seur operate nationwide. Rated 'good' — 1–3 day delivery is the norm and lockers exist in cities, but locker density and universal next-day are below the best-in-class (e.g. Poland's InPost). 7.0	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	Minor friction i European Commission — removal of the €150 customs duty exemption / temporary flat fee on low-value imports Official source Data as of Jul 1, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Intra-EU shipping is frictionless (single market, all major carriers). Non-EU imports: the €150 duty-free threshold was removed on 2026-07-01 — a temporary flat €3/item duty applies to ≤€150 consignments (until the 2028 EU Customs reform); import VAT has applied from €0 since 2021 (IOSS collects it at checkout). Predictable but no longer duty-free — hence minor-friction. 7.0	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	40 i M-Lab NDT country aggregates for Portugal Open data Data as of Dec 31, 2024 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method M-Lab NDT daily country medians for Portugal cluster at ≈ 39–42 Mbps (2024). Recorded as 40 Mbps. WebFetch truncates the JSON to ~mid-January, so the full-year median should be re-aggregated from the M-Lab BigQuery dataset next cycle. Notes M-Lab NDT is single-stream and reads well below Ookla-style figures (Portuguese fibre retail speeds are far higher) — comparable only within this criterion. Value should be re-verified against the full 2024/2025 M-Lab aggregate. 3.8	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	Lisbon	Tbilisi
English proficiency	Very high i EF EPI 2025 — Portugal rank 6/123, score 612 (Very High band) Research Data as of Nov 1, 2025 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Notes Own band informed by EF EPI (attribution: EF Education First). Portugal ranks 6th of 123 countries (score 612, 'Very High'). English is broadly workable in cities, tourism, tech and services; less consistent in local government/administration. 9.0	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

Education

Criterion	Lisbon	Tbilisi
International schoolsaccredited international schools, count	11 i IB / Cambridge / AEFE / German Auslandsschulwesen accreditor evidence for the Lisbon metro (curated union) Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 4, 2026 Verified Jul 4, 2026 Method Curated count of internationally-accredited schools in the Lisbon metro (Lisboa, Cascais, Sintra, Oeiras). Directly verified against their accreditor networks: Lycée Français Charles Lepierre (AEFE directly-managed establishment, aefe.gouv.fr) and Deutsche Schule Lissabon (German Auslandsschule under ZfA/Auswärtiges Amt, auslandsschulwesen.de). IB World Schools identified in the metro by name from IB 'by country' data and corroborating sources: St. Julian's (Carcavelos), St. Dominic's International (São Domingos de Rana), Carlucci/CAISL (Sintra), United Lisbon International, TASIS Portugal (Sintra), International Sharing School–Taguspark (Oeiras), Oeiras International School, PaRK International, plus The Lisboan (Cambridge + IB). Count = 11 named, accreditor-attributable schools. Notes ±3 uncertainty. The live IB World Schools finder and the Cambridge 'Find a Cambridge school' registry both returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this cycle, so individual IB/Cambridge authorizations were confirmed from official-adjacent sources rather than each read directly against the accreditor's live registry; AEFE and the German school were verified directly. Portugal has ~16 IB World Schools in total, most clustered in the Lisbon metro, so the true metro count of all-accreditor international schools is likely somewhat higher than 11 (aggregator guides list 30+ 'international' schools, but many lack a recognised accreditor). Re-verify each authorization against the IB and Cambridge registries from a browser next cycle. 7.7	3 i IB World Schools directory / IB Georgia association Curated by SettleMetric Data as of Jul 3, 2026 Verified Jul 3, 2026 Method IB World Schools in Tbilisi: New School (PYP+MYP+DP), Newton Free School, European School. At least 3; the ibo.org finder blocked automated access (±1). Notes ~16 international schools operate in Tbilisi; 3 are IB-authorized. 4.7