Georgia Currency & Money Guide: Exchange, Cards, and Tips

Georgia uses the Georgian lari (GEL) for all everyday spending, and travellers should bring USD/EUR or use ATMs, pay in local currency, and avoid exchanging money at the airport for the best rates. For easy budget control, track your spending in GEL with automatic conversion to SGD or your home currency using the Hello app.

The official currency in Georgia is the Georgian lari, currency code GEL and symbol ₾, and it’s the only currency accepted for payments in shops, restaurants, and transport across the country. According to Georgia’s National Bank overview, lari is divided into 100 tetri, with banknotes commonly in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 GEL.

As of 2026, travel money guides report roughly 1 USD ≈ 2.7 GEL, 1 EUR ≈ 3.0 GEL, and 1 GBP ≈ 3.3 GEL; that means 1 SGD is around 2.0–2.1 GEL, though you should always check a live rate before your trip. Bringing USD or EUR in cash, then exchanging in city-centre booths, usually gives better value than swapping money at airports or hotels, which typically add 5–10% in hidden costs according to multiple Georgia travel resources.

To keep your Georgia budget on track, the Hello app lets you track expenses in multiple currencies, including GEL and SGD, with automatic exchange rate updates, plus AI receipt scanning and expense splitting with friends — handy if you’re sharing a rental car in Svaneti or a wine tour in Kakheti.

Georgia’s official currency is the Georgian lari (GEL), and travellers should expect to pay for almost everything in lari — foreign currencies like USD or EUR are not accepted for regular purchases, even in touristy areas. For Singapore travellers, think of GEL as roughly 2.0–2.1 GEL per 1 SGD in 2026.

Local and official sources like Georgia’s National Bank explain that 1 lari = 100 tetri, with bills of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 GEL and coins from smaller tetri up to 1 and 2 GEL. City guides and travel planners emphasise that you cannot pay in USD or EUR at supermarkets, cafés or on public transport, so you’ll want GEL in cash or on your card from day one in Tbilisi.

To give you a feel for prices in 2026:

• Simple metro or bus ride in Tbilisi: 1–1.5 GEL (about SGD 0.50–0.70)
• Coffee in a local café: 5–8 GEL (around SGD 2.50–4)
• Casual restaurant meal: 25–40 GEL per person (roughly SGD 12–20)
• Mid-range hotel in Tbilisi: 180–280 GEL per night (SGD 90–140)

Because the Georgia exchange rate moves daily, many travellers use online converters or banking apps before big purchases. The Hello app helps by tracking your expenses in GEL and auto-converting to SGD or other home currencies, so you can instantly see that your 200 GEL wine tasting in Kakheti was about SGD 95 and stay on budget.

The best way to get a good Georgia exchange rate is to withdraw GEL from ATMs or exchange USD/EUR at city-centre booths, while avoiding airport desks and hotel counters that typically have much worse rates and hidden margins. For SGD, it’s usually cheaper to convert to USD/EUR at home, then swap to GEL in Georgia.

Currency guides written in 2025–2026 note typical market rates around 1 USD ≈ 2.6–2.7 GEL, 1 EUR ≈ 2.8–3.0 GEL and 1 GBP ≈ 3.2–3.3 GEL, with daily variations published by the National Bank of Georgia. That translates to roughly 1 SGD ≈ 2.0–2.1 GEL, but you should always check a live rate via your bank or a converter app before travelling.

Where to exchange in Georgia:

• Exchange bureaus (valuta offices / „გადაცვლა“ signs): Often the best rates, low spreads, frequently no visible commission.
• Banks: Reliable and safe, rates slightly less attractive than dedicated bureaus; you’ll need your passport.
• Airport desks: Widely reported 5–10% worse than city rates; use only if you must.
• Hotels and tour agencies: Convenient but usually poor value compared with street kiosks.

A useful rule from several Georgia travel guides: get 50–100 GEL in cash from an ATM at Tbilisi airport for your taxi, then do your main exchange downtown where competition keeps spreads tight. If you’re tracking SGD costs, the Hello app’s multi-currency budget tracking converts each GEL spend into SGD automatically, so you can compare Georgia prices with your last trip to Japan at a glance.

Cards and contactless payments work very well in Georgian cities, but you’ll still need cash for markets, small cafés and rural areas, so plan to use both cards and ATMs during your trip. Always choose to be charged in GEL, not in your “home currency,” to avoid expensive dynamic currency conversion markups.

Multiple Georgia money guides agree that Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, especially in supermarkets, chain cafés, hotels and major tourist attractions. Contactless payments are increasingly common, and many locals tap physical cards or mobile wallets for small purchases. However, you’ll still find cash-only spots: taxi drivers, traditional markets, street food vendors, and many guesthouses outside major cities.

ATMs are widespread in cities and larger towns, often run by major banks like TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia, and they usually support English language menus. Typical foreign card withdrawals incur your home bank’s fee plus a possible local ATM fee — many travellers report 2–3% effective cost for cash withdrawal, which is still better than airport exchange counters.

One big Georgia money tip repeated across traveller experiences: when an ATM or payment terminal asks whether you want to be charged in your home currency instead of GEL, always decline. This “dynamic currency conversion” can be 5–8% more expensive than your bank’s own rate. If you prefer to rely less on ATMs, an eSIM from Hello keeps your phone connected so you can check live exchange rates, card notifications, and ATM fees through your banking app while on the go.

Tipping in Georgia is appreciated but not strictly mandatory, and many restaurants already add a 10% service charge to the bill, so most travellers tip lightly or round up rather than follow rigid rules. Always check your receipt before leaving extra cash.

Recent Georgia travel guides explain that many mid-range and upscale restaurants in Tbilisi and Batumi add 10% service automatically, usually noted at the bottom of the bill. In those cases, locals rarely tip much extra; you might just round the total up by a few lari if service was excellent. If there is no service charge, leaving 5–10% is considered generous but not obligatory.

Useful Georgia tipping benchmarks in 2026:

• Restaurants and cafés: 5–10% if no service charge; small round-up if service is already included.
• Bars: Round up to the nearest lari or leave 2–5 GEL for good service.
• Taxi drivers: Tipping isn’t expected; locals more often round up the fare (e.g., pay 15 GEL for a 13 GEL ride).
• Tour guides: For a full-day tour, many travellers give 20–40 GEL per person (roughly SGD 10–20), depending on group size and quality.
• Hotel staff: A few lari for porters or housekeeping is appreciated but not standard.

In more rural regions and family-run guesthouses, hospitality often feels more personal and tipping is less formal; a small cash tip or bringing a gift from home can mean a lot. If you’re splitting tour or restaurant tips with friends, Hello’s expense splitting tool automatically handles multi-currency conversions so everyone fairly shares that 80 GEL tip for your Kakheti wine guide.

Digital payments are growing fast in Georgia, with strong card and contactless usage, but super-apps like WeChat Pay or PayPay are not widely used, so you’ll rely mainly on bank cards, cash and local apps. Money scams are relatively rare, and most savings come from avoiding bad exchange rates and tourist traps.

While East Asian-style wallets such as WeChat Pay, Alipay or PayPay are popular in places like China and Japan, Georgia’s payment landscape is more traditional. Locals mainly use bank-issued cards, contactless features, and some domestic banking apps, while travellers rely on Visa/Mastercard and cash. Apple Pay and Google Pay work with many foreign cards where terminals support contactless.

Georgia is generally safe and low-scam compared with many tourist destinations, but a few Georgia money tips help:

• Avoid exchanging money at the airport, where spreads can be 5–10% worse than in the city.
• Compare rates on several exchange kiosks by checking LED boards before committing.
• Count your cash before leaving the counter; mistakes are rare but possible.
• Decline any “pay in your home currency” offer at card terminals or ATMs (dynamic currency conversion).

For cost-saving, use local bakeries and lunch menus (15–25 GEL per meal in 2026), ride public transport instead of private taxis, and buy wine and souvenirs at supermarkets or markets rather than tourist-heavy shops near main squares. The Hello app’s budget tracking and AI receipt scanning let you see exactly how much your week in Georgia cost compared with a previous holiday in Thailand, in a single consolidated view.

Most travellers’ top questions about Georgia currency are whether they can pay in USD/EUR, how widely cards are accepted, and how tipping works — the short answer is: you’ll pay almost everything in GEL, cards work well in cities, and tipping is modest and flexible.

Q: What currency does Georgia use and can I pay in dollars or euros? A: Georgia uses the Georgian lari (GEL), and everyday payments must be in GEL. Travel guides repeatedly note that shops, cafés and public transport do not accept USD or EUR, so you’ll need to exchange or withdraw GEL after arrival.

Q: What’s the current exchange rate, especially from SGD to GEL? A: In 2026, many currency resources report around 1 USD ≈ 2.6–2.7 GEL and 1 EUR ≈ 2.8–3.0 GEL, which roughly equates to 1 SGD ≈ 2.0–2.1 GEL. Because rates move daily, check your banking app or a converter on the day you exchange.

Q: Are credit cards and contactless payments widely accepted? A: Yes, in cities and tourist hubs. Visa/Mastercard and contactless terminals work at most supermarkets, chain cafés and hotels. In smaller towns, taxis, markets and guesthouses can be cash-only, so always carry some GEL.

Q: Do I need to tip, and how much is normal? A: Many restaurants add a 10% service charge; if not, 5–10% is a generous tip, but not required. For guides, 20–40 GEL per person for a full day is common.

Q: How can I easily track my spending in GEL, SGD and other currencies? A: The Hello app lets you input expenses in GEL, automatically convert them to SGD or your home currency with live exchange rates, and split costs with friends in multiple currencies — ideal for keeping shared Georgia trip budgets under control.