Compare · Georgia vs Portugal
Georgia vs Portugal for Australians leaving home
The regimes are genuinely different: Georgia is a territorial tax system while Portugal runs worldwide tax, which of your income streams each one actually touches matters more than any headline rate.
Neither has an Australian tax treaty, no tie-breaker in either direction if your residency is contested, and full withholding on Australian dividends and interest you keep. Your facts on the ground have to do all the work.
Georgia is the cheaper place to live day to day, roughly 40% of Sydney's basket against Portugal's 65% (indicative, ex-rent), which can outweigh a thinner tax saving over a full household budget.
Personalise this, enter your numbers once and every figure below becomes yours: “your estimated income tax: $14,200”, not “0, 22%”. Open the Country Comparison tool →
| 2 destinations | GeorgiaGeorgia | PortugalPortugal |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ||
| Regime | territorial, worldwide income not taxed | worldwide, taxes worldwide income |
| Income tax on salary | Flat 20% on Georgian-source income, which includes remote work physically done in Georgia. Register for Small Business Status and qualifying service turnover is taxed at 1% instead. | Progressive 13, 48% plus solidarity surcharge above €80k. A €100k salary pays roughly 37% effective, Portugal is not a low-tax country for salaries. |
| Capital gains | Foreign share gains are exempt as foreign-source. Georgian property held 2+ years sells tax-free; under 2 years, 20% on the gain. (0% typical) | 28% flat on share gains (option to aggregate at progressive rates). Short-term gains on assets held <365 days must be aggregated at progressive rates for high earners. (28% typical) |
| Dividends | Foreign dividends and interest: exempt. Georgian-source: 5% final withholding. | 28% flat on dividends and interest, wherever sourced, with no AU treaty relief. |
| Interest | Generally untaxed locally | Taxed locally around 28% |
| Crypto | The tax authority has ruled that individuals' gains from selling crypto are exempt (treated as foreign-source). Mining and business-like activity can be taxable. A written advance ruling is cheap and worth getting. | Crypto held under 365 days is taxed at 28% on disposal; gains on crypto held longer than 365 days are exempt for individuals. Crypto-to-crypto swaps are generally not taxing events. Professional trading is business income at progressive rates. |
| Australia tax treaty | No, full 30% / 10% withholding, no tie-breaker | No, full 30% / 10% withholding, no tie-breaker |
| Social security | A 2%+2% pension contribution applies to Georgian citizens and permanent residents on local employment; most foreign remote workers are outside it. | Employees pay 11% social security; the self-employed pay ~21.4% on a discounted base. Not included in the calculation above, budget for it. |
| Visa | ||
| Best pathways |
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| Visa ease | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Family on visas | Dependants covered on main pathways | Dependants covered on main pathways |
| Fastest timeline | ~0 months on the quickest pathway | ~4 months on the quickest pathway |
| Money | ||
| Rent (family home, monthly) | $1,800/mo | $4,200/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $1,100/mo | $2,600/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | $12,000 | $18,000 |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $3,000 | $4,500 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 40% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 65% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$10,000 | ~$22,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $2,400 | $2,600 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 6h behind | 9h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~20 hours | ~26 hours |
| English | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Safety | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Healthcare | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Schooling | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Climate | Continental: hot dry Tbilisi summers, snowy winters; wine-country autumns are the payoff. | Mild Atlantic climate, warm dry summers, wet 15°C winters in poorly heated homes. |
Costs, rates and visa figures are country-module data marked indicative until individually verified; FX and rental markets move constantly.
Honest downsides, side by side
Every destination hub on this site carries its downsides in the open. Here are both lists together, because the right question is rarely “which is better?” and usually “which set of problems would you rather live with?”
Georgia
- No Australia treaty: if the ATO decides you never ceased residency, Georgia's 1% receipts do not save you. There is no tie-breaker, and you will owe full Australian tax with tiny credits.
- Political volatility is real, mass protests, EU-accession whiplash and Russia next door; the risk premium is not theoretical.
- Healthcare and international schooling are the weakest on this list; families with medical needs should look elsewhere.
- English penetration is low outside the expat bubble; Georgian is a language you will not learn quickly, and bureaucracy runs in it.
- Banking access has become jumpier, enhanced compliance checks on foreigners' accounts can freeze your setup at the worst moment.
Portugal
- No Australia tax treaty: a contested residency year can leave the same income fully taxed in both countries with only messy unilateral credits between you and double tax.
- NHR is gone for new arrivals, the 20% IFICI successor is narrow, and most Australians will face full progressive rates up to 48% plus 28% on investments.
- Salaries and bureaucracy are Southern European: local pay is low, AIMA appointment backlogs are real, and everything official takes months.
- It is the single worst time zone on this list for keeping Australian clients, 9, 10 hours behind AEST means your overlap is their evening.
- Winter housing is genuinely cold and damp; central heating is the exception, not the rule.
Make this comparison yours
The table above shows the general figures. Enter your income and family once and the tax rows become your numbers, “your estimated income tax in Tbilisi: $14,200”, not a range.