Tbilisi and the Regions: Where Are Wages Highest in Georgia?

Key Takeaway

Georgia’s average monthly nominal wage reached GEL 2,389.3 in Q2 2026, but the national figure masks a wide regional spread. Tbilisi recorded the highest average at GEL 2,758.5 – about 15.5% above the national average. Mtskheta-Mtianeti ranked second at GEL 2,279.8, while Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti had the lowest figure at GEL 1,235.4. According to calculations by BTU researchers, the Tbilisi average was roughly 2.23 times the lowest regional figure, a monthly gap of GEL 1,523.1.

The significance of this gap goes beyond pay itself. Regional wage differences are also a signal of where higher-value economic activity, corporate headquarters and better-paid professional jobs are concentrated. Yet the data have an important limitation: Geostat notes that some enterprises and organisations are assigned geographically according to the location of their head office. Regional wages therefore should not be read as an exact measure of the income of all residents in a region.

The national average does not describe most regions

The national average of GEL 2,389.3 is a useful headline benchmark, but it does not represent the wage level seen across most of Georgia. Among the regional values reported by Geostat, only Tbilisi stands above the national average. Mtskheta-Mtianeti is 4.6% below it, Adjara is 12.8% lower and Kvemo Kartli is 13.5% lower. In several other regions, the gap exceeds 30%.

This does not mean that every worker in Tbilisi earns more than workers elsewhere. Average earnings depend heavily on the mix of jobs. Regions with fewer high-paid sectors, managerial roles or large employers will tend to show lower averages. Conversely, the concentration of finance, technology, professional services, public administration and corporate headquarters can push the average higher.

Tbilisi’s wage premium also reflects economic concentration

A useful piece of context is the geography of economic output. According to Geostat’s regional GDP data, Tbilisi accounted for 53.1% of Georgia’s GDP in 2024. That does not prove that GDP concentration causes the wage gap, but it shows the scale of the capital’s economic weight. When a large share of corporate activity, professional services, finance, real estate and construction is concentrated in one city, a higher concentration of better-paid jobs is also more likely.

At the same time, Tbilisi’s wage figure may partly reflect statistical location rather than only the incomes of people who live there. A company headquartered in the capital may have operations across the country while being recorded under its head-office location. Regional wage data are therefore best interpreted as an indicator of where economic activity is registered and structured, not as a complete measure of household living standards.

The second-highest region still trails Tbilisi significantly

Mtskheta-Mtianeti’s average wage of GEL 2,279.8 is the second-highest regional figure, yet it is about 21% below Tbilisi. Proximity to the capital, commuting patterns and the regional composition of employers may all be relevant context, but the wage data alone do not establish causality. These factors should therefore be treated as possible explanations rather than proven drivers.

Adjara’s average wage was GEL 2,082.8 and Kvemo Kartli’s GEL 2,067.0, both around 13% below the national average. Their economic structures differ substantially, which is precisely why a single national compensation benchmark can be misleading for employers operating across regions.

The lowest wage regions raise a development question

The gap becomes more pronounced in the lower half of the distribution. Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti recorded GEL 1,653.5, Guria GEL 1,616.7, Imereti GEL 1,592.3, Shida Kartli GEL 1,592.1, Kakheti GEL 1,506.3 and Samtskhe-Javakheti GEL 1,473.6. Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti was lowest at GEL 1,235.4, 48.3% below the national average.

According to an assessment by BTU researchers, the practical implication is that regional development cannot be judged only by the number of jobs created. If employment expands mainly in low-productivity and low-paid activities, the number of jobs may improve without materially closing income gaps. The more difficult objective is to spread higher-productivity firms, professional services, technology-enabled work and export-oriented activity beyond the capital.

Wage gaps can reinforce labour mobility

When average earnings in one area are more than twice those in another, the economic incentive to move toward higher-paying labour markets becomes stronger. This may take the form of commuting, relocation or young workers leaving smaller regions. Wage data alone cannot show how many people move or why; answering that question would require combining wage statistics with internal migration, education, age and occupation data.

For employers, the regional gap is a two-sided signal. Tbilisi offers a larger pool of specialised labour but also comes with higher wage costs. Regions may offer lower labour costs, but firms can face thinner talent pools, infrastructure constraints or weaker access to specialised suppliers and services. Lower average pay alone is therefore not a sufficient reason to invest in a region.

Nominal wages are not the same as living standards

Regional wage comparisons also need a price dimension. GEL 2,000 in Tbilisi and GEL 2,000 in a smaller region may not buy the same basket of housing, transport and services. The evidence used here does not include a regional consumer price index, so this article does not calculate real wages by region. Applying one national inflation rate mechanically to every region would create a false level of precision.

Average earnings are also not median earnings. A relatively small number of high-paid positions can raise a regional average even if many workers earn less. A fuller assessment of regional living standards would therefore require wage data to be combined with employment, median income, local prices, housing costs and social indicators.

What this means for business

For companies, regional wage data are useful for compensation planning, but they should be treated as a starting point rather than a pay rule. Businesses operating in both Tbilisi and the regions may need different benchmarks for the same broad job family, depending on occupation, skills scarcity, sector competition and the possibility of remote work.

Remote and hybrid work may also reduce part of the geographic wage divide. If a digital or professional role no longer requires physical presence in Tbilisi, a specialist living in a region can potentially access jobs linked to the capital or international clients. That opportunity, however, depends on skills, connectivity, employer practices and the type of work.

What policymakers should watch

Closing regional wage gaps sustainably is unlikely to come from administratively lifting pay alone. A more durable route is to raise the productivity and sophistication of regional economic activity: stronger local firms, better vocational and digital skills, transport and connectivity, business services and investment that creates qualified jobs outside the capital.

There is no single regional model. Adjara’s economic structure differs from Kakheti’s; Kvemo Kartli’s differs from Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti’s. Regional policy therefore needs to reflect sector structure, skills, infrastructure and market access. Average wages are a useful diagnostic indicator, but they are not a complete diagnosis.

Conclusion

In Q2 2026, Tbilisi had Georgia’s highest average monthly nominal wage at GEL 2,758.5, 15.5% above the national average. Mtskheta-Mtianeti, the second-highest region, was already 4.6% below the national average. At the other end, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti recorded GEL 1,235.4 – meaning Tbilisi’s average was roughly 2.23 times higher.

The deeper conclusion is not simply that the capital pays more. Regional wage differences reflect the spatial concentration of economic activity and the uneven distribution of higher-value jobs. The policy question is therefore not only how many jobs are created outside Tbilisi, but what kind of jobs they are and how productive they are. At the same time, the wage figures should not be overstated: regional prices, employment composition, median income and head-office registration effects all matter for a full interpretation.

Data and Main Sources

National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) – Average Monthly Nominal Earnings of Employees, Q2 2026. Geostat — Q2 2026 wages

National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) – Wages data module, including quarterly regional wages. Geostat — Wages

National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) – Regional Gross Domestic Product, 2024. Geostat — Regional GDP 2024

Prepared by the academic team of Business and Technology University and the BTUAI Research Team, Tbilisi, Georgia.