Buy in Batumi, let it 11 months, live 1 month: 2026 numbers

Rental income and yield

A 45 m² flat for $85,000 nets about 5.7% let by the night, close to a long let after costs. Your own month costs $240 in February and $870 in July. Seasonality, tax, apartment-hotel rules and a month-by-month model.

In brief

As of 1 November 2026, a 45 m² flat bought in mainstream Batumi for $85,000 and let by the night for 12 months would net about $4,800 a year in our illustrative model, 5.7% on the price. Taking July for yourself costs about $870 and leaves 4.7%; taking February costs about $240 and leaves 5.4%. A long let at the reported 7.4% gross would land close to 5.4% after costs and the landlord tax, with much less work, so in Batumi the holiday model is not an automatic win. These are arithmetic on stated assumptions, not forecasts.

Does the plan fit Batumi?

Batumi is a summer seaside city. The idea of keeping the flat for yourself for one month and letting it for eleven fits it because the cheapest months to take are the quiet ones, from November to April, when guests are few and rates are low. The catch is that you would then live in a sea resort in winter. If you want the beach, you take July or August and pay for it: those two months carry about a third of the year's revenue in our model.

It suits someone who already comes to Batumi, is comfortable with a market where there is no national licence for holiday lets, and treats the income as a contribution to the cost of owning rather than a salary. It does not suit a buyer who needs a high guaranteed yield: supply is growing, the data sources disagree widely, and a long let may earn nearly as much for far less effort.

Market signals are mixed. The Georgian National Tourism Administration puts Batumi at 2.6 million international visitors in 2025, 23% of all arrivals and 5% more than in 2024. AirDNA counted 9,791 active listings in June 2026, 16.7% more than a year earlier. BnbCalc reported for June 2026 that occupancy was down 15% on the year, nightly rates up 15% and revenue per listing down 31%. About 12,400 unsold flats were reported in surveyed projects at the end of 2025, up 14% on the year. More supply and more visitors at the same time: treat any single yield figure with caution.

Seasonality: when Batumi fills and empties

August is the busiest month for Airbnb hosts, then July (Airbtics). Its trailing-twelve-month data to August 2025 show occupancy of about 57%, an average rate of $43 and monthly revenue per listing ranging from $361 to $1,433, with an average of $663. The best month earns about four times the worst.
AirDNA gives Batumi a seasonality score of 71 out of 100, which it describes as fairly steady demand, and shows about 55% occupancy and revenue per available night of $24. Airbtics calls the market strongly seasonal. The two labels differ, the numbers sit close together.
AirROI shows a much weaker picture, about 35% occupancy and $283 a month per listing. The gap with Airbtics is large, and none of these trackers is official data.
Monthly figures for January or February are not published in the sources we found. Our monthly profile below is our construction: peak-to-low ratio of about four, as in the Airbtics revenue range, calibrated to 55% annual occupancy and an average rate of about $45.

Where to buy and what each budget gets

Our guide to what you can buy in Georgia for $50,000-250,000 and the best areas to buy in Georgia give the price data used here.

Old Batumi and the seafront: about $3,146 per m² (Galt & Taggart, March 2026). A 45 m² flat would cost about $141,600, so this is not our example. The premium buys position, not extra income per dollar.
Mainstream Batumi: reported at $1,500-1,950 per m² for new builds and completed flats. $80,000 buys about 42-53 m² and $150,000 about 79 m² at the middle of the range. This is where our example sits: 45 m² for $85,000, about $1,889 per m².
Outer areas: reported below $1,500 per m². Cheaper entry, but guests choose by walking distance to the sea.
Entry budget, $50,000-80,000: about 26-33 m² at $50,000 and 42-53 m² at $80,000 in mainstream Batumi, often in an unfinished building. Check completion before relying on income.
Middle and upper budgets, $80,000-150,000 and above: a proper one-bedroom or small two-bedroom, where a managed apartment-hotel programme from the developer becomes an option.

The numbers: one flat, 12 months of letting against 11

Everything below is our own illustration. The assumptions are:

Price $85,000 for a 45 m² flat, purchase costs about 1% ($850) when the seller pays the agent.
Occupancy by month: January 40%, February 40%, March 42%, April 48%, May 56%, June 66%, July 78%, August 82%, September 68%, October 54%, November 42%, December 46%. That is about 55% over the year.
Average nightly rate in dollars, January to December: 34, 34, 35, 38, 42, 48, 58, 62, 50, 40, 34, 36. The weighted average is about $45.
Costs: operator or manager 25% of revenue, linen, consumables and repairs 8%, income tax 5% of gross rent (the rate for landlords on the List of Landlords), building fee about $27 a month ($324 a year), utilities and internet $40 a month ($480 a year). VAT starts only above GEL 100,000 of business income in 12 months; our gross, about GEL 24,000 at 2.62 lari per dollar, is far below.

Gross revenue by month in dollars, January to December: 422; 381; 456; 547; 729; 950; 1,402; 1,576; 1,020; 670; 428; 513. The year is $9,095, or 10.7% of the price. After 38% of revenue for the manager, running costs and tax and $804 of fixed costs, the net is about $4,835: 5.7% on the price, 5.6% with purchase costs. June to September earns 54% of the gross, and July and August alone 33%.

Which month to take for yourself

The cost of the owner month is the net income you give up. In dollars, by month of the owner stay:

January about 260, February about 240, March about 280, November about 270, December about 320: almost free, but cold and out of the swimming season.
April about 340, May about 450, October about 415: shoulder months, which leave 5.2% to 5.3% net.
June about 590, September about 630: warm sea at a moderate cost.
July about 870, August about 980: the peak, costing about a fifth of the year's net.

With July for yourself the net is about $3,965, or 4.7%; with August about $3,860, or 4.5%; with September about $4,200, or 4.9%; with February about $4,600, or 5.4%. The sensible compromise is June or September, when the sea is warm and you give up about $600. Use the method in how to choose your month and calculate break-even with your own prices.

What if occupancy or rates fall, and what a long let would earn

With occupancy 10 percentage points lower in every month, the 12-month net falls to about $3,870 (4.6%), and to about $3,110 (3.7%) with July for yourself.
With rates 10% lower the net is about $4,270 (5.0%), and about $3,490 (4.1%) with July for yourself.
A long let is a real alternative. The reported gross yield in Batumi was 7.4% in 2025, down from 8.8% in 2024 (a figure from search summaries without a named primary source; see rental yield in Georgia). With one empty month and 10% management, as in our Tbilisi example, that is about 6.1% before building fees and tax, and about 5.4% after the 5% landlord tax and a $324 building fee. That is close to the 5.7% from short lets, and needs no calendar, no cleaning and no owner-month planning.

Rules and tax in Georgia

Our research found no national licence or registration regime for holiday lets, no cap on nights and no owner-occupancy requirement; confirm any municipal rule in Batumi. See short-term rental rules in Georgia. Advisers describe the tax as 5% of gross rent if the landlord is registered in the List of Landlords on the Revenue Service portal and otherwise 20% after approved expenses, with the 1% small-business status not available for rent. VAT of 18% applies above GEL 100,000 of business income in 12 consecutive months. One source reports that from 20 February 2026 a foreigner running a business activity needs a right to work in addition to residence; whether it touches passive rent is a question for a Georgian lawyer, which we have not verified.

Nothing we found taxes your own days in the flat separately; your home country may. See how the rent and your own days are taxed and capital gains tax when selling in Georgia.

Building rules, apartment-hotels and your own month

The practical limits come from the building. Many Batumi towers operate as apartment-hotels or are sold with a managed rental programme run by the developer. Such programmes differ on whether the owner may stay, for how many nights, whether the fee is charged on blocked nights and how the common areas are used. We did not research specific programmes. Ask for the terms in writing, and ask what happens to your income if the building's operator changes. See licences, condo rules and insurance for a home you live in and rent out.

Buying costs and who can buy

Foreigners can buy flats in Georgia; agricultural land is reserved for citizens. The Public Registry fee is 150, 270 or 350 lari depending on speed (about $57, $103 or $134). To our knowledge there is no transfer tax or stamp duty on a purchase. A notary costs under 0.1% of the price, a lawyer 0.5-1%, and the agent 3-5%, usually paid by the seller. On an $85,000 flat the costs come to roughly $650-1,500, or 0.8-1.8% when the seller pays the agent. Residence through property requires a market value above $150,000 as set by a certified appraiser, so this example does not reach it; read residence through property in Georgia. Banks lend to non-residents on varying terms; see mortgages for foreigners in Georgia. Also compare the costs in property prices and buying costs in Georgia.

Mistakes to avoid

Buying off-plan in a project that is unfinished or unsold and counting income from day one.
Using the listing yield instead of net with 55% occupancy and a 25% manager fee.
Taking July or August for yourself without counting the cost.
Assuming a developer's rental programme allows owner stays.
Forgetting to register as a landlord and paying 20% instead of 5%.
Ignoring the supply of new flats: more than 12,000 unsold units were reported.
Treating one tracker's occupancy as fact when the sources range from about 35% to 57%.

Checklist before you buy

Ask the developer or building operator for owner-stay rules in writing.
Ask for twelve months of occupancy and revenue data for the same building.
Compare the short-let net with a long-let net on the same price.
Register as a landlord and confirm the tax with a Georgian accountant.
Confirm completion, title and the building fee.
Model the net at 55% and at 45% occupancy.

FAQ

Can I stay in my Batumi flat for a month and let it the rest of the year? Yes in principle, as there is no national licence, but the building or developer programme may set its own rules; ask in writing.

Which month should I take? February or November cost about $240-270 but are cold; June and September cost about $600-630; July and August cost about $870-980.

Do I need a licence to let it? We found no national licence for holiday lets; confirm local rules.

How is the rent taxed? Advisers describe 5% of gross rent for registered landlords and otherwise 20% after expenses; confirm with a Georgian accountant.

Is a short let better than a long let in Batumi? In our model the difference is small, about 5.7% against 5.4% net, so the extra work needs to be worth it.

Buy in Batumi where you holiday: let it 11 months, live there 1 month. The numbers for 2026