Prices in Batumi in 2026: food, taxi, groceries, apartments — a week's budget

Batumi is inexpensive by European standards: an Adjarian khachapuri costs 14–25 lari (5–10 US dollars), a Bolt ride across the centre 5–10 lari, a city bus under 1 lari, dinner for two with wine 80–140 lari, and a studio apartment from about 40 dollars a night in low season. A week for two without accommodation comes to roughly 1,000 lari (about 400 dollars) on a budget and 2,000–2,300 lari (800–900 dollars) with restaurants every day. Prices below are as of November 2026, at 1 USD ≈ 2.60 ₾ and 1 EUR ≈ 2.90 ₾ (National Bank of Georgia, 3 November 2026).

	Price in lari	≈ USD
Adjarian khachapuri in a café	14–25 ₾	5–10
Khinkali, per piece	1–2.5 ₾	0.4–1
Lunch for one in a simple café	20–40 ₾	8–15
Dinner for two with wine, mid-range	80–140 ₾	30–55
Cappuccino	7–9 ₾	3–3.5
Local beer 0.5 l in a bar	5–8 ₾	2–3
Bakery khachapuri or lobiani to go	3–7 ₾	1–3
Bread / milk 1 l / eggs 12	2 ₾ / 3–5 ₾ / 7 ₾	0.8 / 1.5 / 2.7
Chicken fillet 1 kg / sulguni cheese 1 kg	16–18 ₾ / 15–26 ₾	6.5 / 6–10
Bottle of Georgian wine in a shop	15–40 ₾	6–15
City bus	0.30 ₾ with a Batumi Card, about 1 ₾ with a bank card	0.1–0.4
Bolt / Yandex Go, 3–5 km in the city	5–10 ₾	2–4
Bolt from the airport to the centre	12–20 ₾	5–8
Train to Tbilisi, 2nd class	35 ₾	13.5
Argo cable car, return	39 ₾ (children 5–11: 9 ₾)	15
Botanical Garden	20–25 ₾	8–10
Dolphinarium show	30 ₾	11.5
Sun lounger and umbrella, a day	5–15 ₾ (the beach itself is free)	2–6
Tourist SIM with data, 7–15 days	10–30 ₾	4–11.5
Studio apartment, a night, low season	from about 105 ₾ (40 $)	40
Three-star hotel double room, a night	100–200 ₾	40–75

Money: lari, cards and tips

The currency is the Georgian lari (GEL, ₾). Cards work almost everywhere — supermarkets, cafés, Bolt, the cable car — and ATMs are on every main street; keep 50–100 ₾ in cash for markets, a street taxi and small bakeries. Exchange offices on the Boulevard and around the port change dollars, euros and most European currencies at close to the bank rate. Restaurants often add a service charge of 10–18 % to the bill; if it is there, no tip is expected, and if not, 10 % is normal. There is no tourist tax in Georgia. Since 1 January 2026 foreign visitors must have health and accident insurance for the whole stay (Georgian or foreign, paper or electronic) — a week's travel policy costs a few dollars, and the border police can ask to see it.

Eating out

Georgian food is the best value in the city. An Adjarian khachapuri — the boat-shaped one with an egg — is 14–25 ₾ in a café and feeds one hungry person or two as a starter; khinkali are 1–2.5 ₾ each, and five to six of them are a meal. A lunch in a simple café is 20–40 ₾ per person; a dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant with a bottle of local wine is 80–140 ₾ (30–55 $) before the service charge. A cappuccino is 7–9 ₾, a draught local beer 5–8 ₾, a glass of house wine 8–15 ₾. Along the Boulevard and in the hotel towers prices are a third higher than three streets inland.

Our favourite trick: the fish market on the way to the port. You buy fish or seafood by weight and take it to one of the small kitchens next door, which grill or fry it for about 5–8 ₾ per dish and add bread, sauce and salad — a seafood dinner for two for 50–70 ₾ including a bottle of wine from the shop next door.

Restaurant prices rose about 8 % in the year to May 2026 (khachapuri 12 %), so expect the ranges above to creep up by the summer.

Groceries and the market

The big supermarkets — Carrefour in the malls, Nikora, Spar and Magniti on the streets — have Western prices on imported goods and low prices on local food: bread 2 ₾, milk 3–5 ₾ a litre, a dozen eggs about 7 ₾, chicken fillet 16–18 ₾ a kilo, sulguni cheese 15–26 ₾ a kilo, tomatoes 3–6 ₾ a kilo in season, a decent bottle of Georgian wine 15–40 ₾. The central market (the "bazaar" behind the bus station) is the place for fruit, nuts, churchkhela, honey, spices and cheese: cheaper and better than the supermarket, and bargaining is expected in a friendly way. Cooking in the apartment, two people spend about 300–400 ₾ a week on food and still eat out a few times.

Getting around

Batumi is flat and compact: the Old Town, the Boulevard and the beach are within a 30-minute walk of each other, and the long seafront is best by bicycle. City buses cost 0.30 ₾ with a Batumi Card (2 ₾ at a terminal or a kiosk) and about 1 ₾ if you tap a foreign bank card at the validator; cash is not accepted on board. Bolt and Yandex Go show the price before you confirm: 5–10 ₾ for a ride across the centre, 12–20 ₾ from the airport, 8–12 ₾ to the railway station. A street taxi without an app costs more; agree on the price in lari before the car moves. Public bicycles (BatumVelo) start with a 20 ₾ card that includes 10 ₾ of rides; a rented scooter is 35–45 ₾ a day in low season and 70–100 ₾ in summer. The train to Tbilisi is 35 ₾ — see Batumi to Tbilisi.

Sights and the beach

The beach is free; a sun lounger with an umbrella costs 5–15 ₾ a day depending on the stretch and the month. The Argo cable car is 39 ₾ return for adults and 9 ₾ for children aged 5–11; the Botanical Garden is 20–25 ₾ for foreign visitors plus 10 ₾ for the electric bus inside; the dolphinarium show is 30 ₾; the Ferris wheel on the Boulevard went up from 10 to 15 ₾ in 2026; the Alphabet Tower is about 20 ₾. A shared boat trip along the coast is 20–50 ₾ per person. Walking the Boulevard, the Old Town, Europe Square and the dancing fountains costs nothing — see what to see in Batumi.

Phone and internet

A tourist SIM or eSIM from Magti, Silknet or Cellfie costs 10–30 ₾ for 7–15 days with several gigabytes or unlimited data; the airport kiosks and city shops sell them against a passport in five minutes. Wi-Fi is free in cafés and in most apartments (in ours, up to 65 Mbps).

Accommodation

This is the item that varies most by season. In November–March a clean studio apartment in a new building costs from about 40 $ a night (ours start at 40–42 $), and a three-star hotel double is 100–200 ₾. In July and August the same apartments cost two to three times more and the best ones sell out by May. For a month or longer, apartments drop to a monthly rate — in our studios automatically from 28 nights — and a furnished one-bedroom flat on a long lease is about 1,300 ₾ a month in the centre. Booking directly with the owner, as on this site, usually saves the 15–20 % platform commission.

A week for two, without accommodation

	Budget	Mid-range
Food	700–750 ₾: cooking in the apartment, one café meal a day	1,400–1,500 ₾: café breakfast, lunch, dinner with wine
Transport	100–150 ₾: buses, one Bolt a day, the airport both ways	150 ₾: Bolt whenever you want
Sights	150–200 ₾: the cable car, the garden, loungers on three days	300–350 ₾: all of the above plus the dolphinarium, a boat and the wheel
SIM	15–30 ₾	30 ₾
Total	about 1,000–1,100 ₾ (≈ 400 $)	about 2,000–2,300 ₾ (≈ 800–900 $)

Add the apartment: a week in a studio is about 700–750 $ in low season at our rates, and from about 1,000 $ in summer.

Our studios

Our two studios are on the 33rd floor of Blue Sky Tower, across the street from Black Sea Mall — a Carrefour, a food court and a cinema on the ground floor, the bazaar fifteen minutes on foot, the beach seven. Each has a kitchen with everything for cooking, a washing machine, a work desk and a door code instead of a check-in desk, so the budget column above is easy to keep. Prices on this site are the final price, with no platform fee; weekly and monthly rates apply automatically. You book directly with us: see the studios.

Questions and answers

Is Batumi expensive?

No. Eating out, taxis and public transport cost a third to a half of Western European prices: a khachapuri 14–25 ₾ (5–10 $), a Bolt ride 5–10 ₾, a bus under 1 ₾, dinner for two with wine 80–140 ₾. Accommodation in July–August is the one thing that gets close to European prices.

How much money do I need for a week in Batumi?

For two people without accommodation: about 1,000 ₾ (400 $) if you cook and eat out once a day, 2,000–2,300 ₾ (800–900 $) with restaurants every day and all the sights. Add the apartment: from about 700 $ a week in low season, from about 1,000 $ in summer.

How much is a khachapuri in Batumi?

An Adjarian khachapuri is 14–25 ₾ (5–10 $) in a café or restaurant, 3–7 ₾ for a small one from a bakery. Khinkali are 1–2.5 ₾ each.

How much is a taxi in Batumi?

In Bolt or Yandex Go, 5–10 ₾ for a ride across the centre, 12–20 ₾ from the airport and 8–12 ₾ to the railway station, with the price shown before you confirm. A street taxi costs more — agree on the price in lari first.

Can I pay by card in Batumi?

Almost everywhere: shops, cafés, taxis through an app, the cable car and the train. Keep 50–100 ₾ in cash for the market, small bakeries and a street taxi. ATMs are on every main street and accept foreign cards.

Is there a tourist tax in Georgia?

No. There is no tourist tax or city tax in Batumi or anywhere in Georgia. Since 1 January 2026 foreign visitors must, however, have health and accident insurance for the whole stay.

Sources: National Bank of Georgia — exchange rates, Numbeo — cost of living in Batumi, Madloba — food prices in Georgian cafés, Madloba — public transport fares in Batumi, Argo cable car — tickets, Batumi Dolphinarium, Visit Ajara — Botanical Garden, Magti — SIM cards for tourists, Wander-Lush — Georgian SIM cards, Georgia Today — restaurant prices up 7.6 % in May 2026, Consular Department of Georgia — entry rules and insurance. Checked in November 2026.