Compare · Georgia vs United States
Georgia vs United States for Australians leaving home
Georgia:Territorial taxNo AU treatyUnited States:Worldwide taxAU tax treaty
The regimes are genuinely different: Georgia is a territorial tax system while United States runs worldwide tax, which of your income streams each one actually touches matters more than any headline rate.
The treaty position splits them: United States has a full Australian tax treaty (tie-breaker plus withholding capped at 15% on unfranked dividends), while Georgia has none, no safety net if both countries claim you.
Georgia is the cheaper place to live day to day, roughly 40% of Sydney's basket against United States's 115% (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 | United StatesUnited States |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Federal 10, 37% plus state tax (0, 13.3%) plus FICA (7.65% employee side). A US$150k salary in California pays roughly 30%+ combined; in Texas closer to 24%. |
| 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) | Long-term (12+ months) federal rate 0/15/20% plus 3.8% NIIT above ~US$200k income; short-term gains at full ordinary rates. States tax gains as ordinary income, California adds up to 13.3%. (15% typical) |
| Dividends | Foreign dividends and interest: exempt. Georgian-source: 5% final withholding. | Qualified dividends at 15% (20% top). Australian franking credits are invisible to the IRS, franked dividends are just taxable income with a credit for the AU WHT. |
| Interest | Generally untaxed locally | Taxed locally around 24% |
| 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 is property: every disposal (including spending and swaps) is a capital gains event, short-term gains at ordinary rates, long-term at 0/15/20%. Broker reporting to the IRS is now systematic. |
| Australia tax treaty | No, full 30% / 10% withholding, no tie-breaker | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available |
| Social security | A 2%+2% pension contribution applies to Georgian citizens and permanent residents on local employment; most foreign remote workers are outside it. | FICA (6.2% social security capped + 1.45% Medicare uncapped) applies to US employment; a totalisation agreement with Australia prevents double super/social security in most postings. |
| Visa | ||
| Best pathways |
|
|
| Visa ease | 10/10 | 6/10 |
| Family on visas | Dependants covered on main pathways | Dependants covered on main pathways |
| Fastest timeline | ~0 months on the quickest pathway | ~2 months on the quickest pathway |
| Money | ||
| Rent (family home, monthly) | $1,800/mo | $7,500/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $1,100/mo | $4,500/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | $12,000 | Free / local system viable |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $3,000 | $20,000 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 40% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 115% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$10,000 | ~$30,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $2,400 | $2,000 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 6h behind | 18h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~20 hours | ~13.5 hours |
| English | 4/10 | 10/10 |
| Safety | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Healthcare | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Schooling | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Climate | Continental: hot dry Tbilisi summers, snowy winters; wine-country autumns are the payoff. | Continental spread, LA is 20, 28°C and sunny most of the year; pick your city, pick your climate. |
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.
United States
- This is a move for career and earnings, not tax, combined federal + state + FICA in a coastal city will roughly match or exceed your Australian rate.
- Healthcare is tied to employment and ruinously expensive without it; a family plan's premiums and deductibles can exceed A$25k/year of exposure.
- The IRS relationship is sticky: green card holders are taxed on worldwide income for life until formal surrender, and FBAR/FATCA reporting on Australian accounts carries brutal penalties for innocent omissions.
- Your superannuation is a US tax problem: no treaty article clearly protects it, and treatment (foreign grantor trust? employee trust?) is unsettled, specialist advice is non-optional.
- Gun violence, litigation culture and the cost of failure (no safety net) are real quality-of-life deductions Americans price in and Australians don't.
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.