Georgia’s Taxi Fares Rank Second Highest Among Its Neighbors

A one-kilometer taxi ride in Georgia now runs 71 cents, cheaper than Turkey but pricier than every other country on its border. That is the new finding from Numbeo, the crowdsourced cost-of-living database that just compared metered taxi tariffs across 99 countries. Georgia lands 76th globally. Turkey, the only neighbor that costs more to hail a cab in, sits at 68th.

The regional pecking order matters more than the global one. Georgia has spent a decade selling itself to backpackers and remote workers as the cheap, visa-free alternative to Western Europe. That pitch gets harder to make when Armenia, a smaller economy right next door, charges nearly 40% less per kilometer.

Georgia Costs More Than Three of Its Four Neighbors

Numbeo’s ranking, last refreshed in mid-2026, puts a clear price ladder across the Caucasus and its edges. Turkey tops it. Georgia is second. Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia all undercut it, with Armenia the cheapest of the group.

Numbeo, which tracked one-kilometer taxi rates in 99 countries, builds the list from fares its users report city by city, then averages them into a national figure. Azerbaijan sits roughly 17% below Georgia. Russia comes in more than a third cheaper. Neither is close to matching Armenia’s discount.

Turkey’s Fares Reflect a Deeper Inflation Problem

Turkey’s lead isn’t about wealth. It’s about years of runaway prices that merchants, including taxi drivers, have had to price around.

Turkey’s annual inflation cooling to 32.11% in June from 32.61% in May still sits nowhere near the central bank’s own 24% year-end target. Housing costs there are climbing more than 45% a year. The central bank has kept monetary conditions tight, pushing its overnight lending rate to 40%, and is still waiting for prices to catch up with reality. A taxi meter in Istanbul or Ankara reflects that grind as much as it reflects demand for rides.

Even so, Turkey isn’t expensive by world standards. Ranked 68th of 99, it sits closer to the cheap end of Numbeo’s global list than the costly one. Its taxis just happen to be the priciest thing going in its own neighborhood.

Armenia Undercuts Georgia’s Budget-Travel Pitch

Armenia’s 43 cents a kilometer is about 39% below Georgia’s rate. For a region where countries compete hard for the same pool of backpackers, remote workers and Gulf and European tourists, that is not a small gap.

The two countries aren’t just price rivals. They’re also each other’s customers. Armenia sent 720,114 visits to Georgia in the first nine months of 2025, making it one of Georgia’s top four source markets even as those numbers slipped slightly year over year. Turkish visits to Georgia fell further, down 9.1% over the same stretch, even while Georgia’s overall arrivals kept climbing. Russia, not Turkey or Armenia, has been doing the heavy lifting.

A Tourism Record Meets Rising Transport Costs

Georgia had its biggest tourism year on record in 2025. The country logged nearly 6.9 million international visits, a 6.2% rise from 2024, according to the National Tourism Administration. Revenue kept pace.

• 6.2% – Georgia’s GDP growth in April 2026, with the first four months of the year averaging 8.3%
• 15.1% – annual transport inflation in May 2026, up from 10.3% in April
• 6.86 million – international visits Georgia recorded in 2025, a record
• $4.69 billion – tourism revenue Georgia earned last year, a 6% increase

That growth is arriving alongside inflation that has stayed stubbornly above target. The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) held its refinancing rate at 8.25% in June, even as annual inflation ran at 5.7%, nearly double its 3% target. Transport has been running hotter than the headline number. Georgia’s transport costs jumping 15.1% in May outpaced almost every other spending category the government tracks.

Some of that April growth figure has drawn its own scrutiny. Separate reporting on a refinery-driven rebound behind April’s headline number found the strong monthly print owed more to one sector’s swing than to broad consumer demand, a distinction that matters when a currency and its price level are read as signs of overall strength.

Where Georgia Sits on the Global Ladder

Zoom out from the Caucasus and the picture flips. Switzerland is the most expensive country in the world for a metered ride, and it isn’t close.

1. Switzerland – $4.70 per kilometer
2. Luxembourg – $4.06
3. Albania – $3.67
4. Bahrain – $3.45
5. Mauritius – $3.19
6. Japan – $3.08
7. Netherlands – $3.03
8. Germany – $2.86
9. Belgium – $2.75
10. Mexico – $2.72

Against that field, a 71-cent fare barely registers. Georgia’s taxis cost roughly one-sixth of Switzerland’s and less than a third of Mexico’s, the cheapest country on the world’s top ten. The story only turns unflattering when the frame narrows to the four countries Georgia actually borders.

Is Georgia Still a Bargain for Travelers?

Yes, in the global picture. Georgia’s 76th-place finish out of 99 countries means roughly three in four nations Numbeo tracks charge more for a cab ride, and a $0.71 fare still reads as cheap next to Western Europe or the Gulf. The catch sits closer to home, where Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan all now do better.

That distinction has not stopped visitors from showing up. Georgia’s tourism sector kept setting records through 2025 even as domestic transport costs climbed, suggesting price alone isn’t steering travelers away yet. Whether that holds if transport inflation keeps outrunning the rest of the economy is a separate question from the one Numbeo just answered.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Numbeo’s Taxi Index Actually Measure?

It tracks the standard metered tariff for a one-kilometer ride rather than negotiated or app-based pricing. Numbeo built the index from crowdsourced fare data that users submit city by city, mixing official tariffs with real-world rates paid, then rolls it up into a single national average.

Which Country Has the World’s Cheapest Taxi Rides?

The Philippines currently holds the lowest average worldwide at $0.23 per kilometer. India follows at $0.26, then Egypt and Iran at $0.30 each, with Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Moldova, China and Indonesia rounding out the ten cheapest countries Numbeo tracks.

Do Ride-Hailing Apps Change the Picture in Tbilisi?

Numbeo’s figures cover standard metered street taxis, not app-based fares. Bolt and Yandex Go both run in Tbilisi as everyday alternatives to hailing a cab on the street, but neither publishes a fixed per-kilometer rate that slots cleanly into a cross-country comparison like this one.

How Often Does Numbeo Update Its Rankings?

Numbeo rebuilds its country rankings on a rolling basis from data collected over the trailing 12 months rather than issuing one annual report, so positions can shift within months. A September 2025 snapshot covering 127 countries had Kyrgyzstan, not the Philippines, sitting in the cheapest slot, a reminder that the list moves as new contributor data comes in and as country coverage changes.

When Does Georgia’s Central Bank Next Review Interest Rates?

The NBG’s Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to meet again on July 29, 2026, after holding its refinancing rate at 8.25% in June with inflation still running at 5.7%, well above its 3% target.