Batumi

Safe - Gentle - Friendly

Instead of worrying about your safety - you can truly relax and enjoy everything this Modern European City and 8000 year old culture has to offer. Batumi is my pick for retirement cities due to the mild climate, in-town living and fantastic 7 km long boardwalk esplanade.

Key Points

• Safety: There is virtually no crime - Batumi is very safe anytime of the day or night. You can comfortably and safely walk the 7 km esplanade or any part of the city at any time of the day or night.

• Money: You can earn between 9.5% and 13.1% interest on your bank deposits. (click here) The Georgian currency is linked to the Dollar

• Banking System: Global Access and Safe - Will protect your capital from unwanted tax burdens. You can open Euro or Dollar accounts and earn high interest rates in those currencies (click here).

• Investment: You can live forever on the interest of a R600,000 (+/- $45,000) deposit and never touch the capital. Or you can purchase a country home (25 minutes outside Batumi) for $25,000 and sell it in 3-5 years for $60,000.

• Comfort: Because Batumi is on the coast the city is flat - making walking and getting round for older folks a pleasure. There are wheel chair paths throughout the city meaning that you can also wheel your luggage quite comfortably between hotels.

• Convenience: As people live and work in the city there are shopping malls, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and small convenience shops everywhere. You never have to walk more than 1 block to get a liter of milk or a freshly baked loaf of bread.

• Simplicity: You really do not need a car in Batumi - there are good - cheap taxis everywhere and modern busses that run regularly and frequently.

• Entertainment: There are world class shopping malls - casinos with shows - opera - theatre - ballet - craft markets - bazaars - farmers markets and botanical gardens. All within easy walking distance.

Batumi Retirement Living

For more info - Call us in Johannesburg (+27) 081 361 1409

• Batumi harbor has fishing boats & yachts you can rent or charter to go sailing or fishing and a hyrdofoil ferry for trips to Russia (Sochi).

• Rent a very nice fully furnished bachelor apartment with a fully equipped kitchen (double occupancy) with a sea view for around $250 per month including utilities and high speed internet. Food will cost you around $100 per person - per month.

Please see our retirement plans for a hassle free and all inclusive communal club lifestyle.

• Public Transport is cheap and the busses run frequently. Taxis are cheap and various Apps will bring a car within 5 minutes.

• There is a direct train route to Tbilisi from Batumi that runs along the coast and inland through the mountain villages with interesting towns along the way.

• For serious shopping you can also take a quick flight to Istanbul from the local airport which is 3 minutes from down-town Batumi.

• The Turkish Quarter and Old City of Batumi have fantastic restaurants to eat in and old world shops to meander through.

• Fishing from the beach, piers or in the harbor next to the marina is always a good way to meet the locals. There are also awesome coastal towns north on the rail-line and river fishing in the mountains.

Batumi Continued

• The fish market has fresh and imported fish and the local bazaars and farmers markets make a pleasant change from the ubiquitous shopping malls - of which there are plenty where you can buy Tommy Hilfiger clothing, Chanel perfume or the latest Apple phones and i-pad’s.

• Medical Services are first rate and inexpensive - you can get local comprehensive medical insurance for around $50 per month. This will cover all medical expenses as well as 80% of medications.

• When you feel like a change of scenery the mountains and national parks are a 35 minute drive with hiking trails as well as river-rafting and camping.

• The Turkish border is 5 minutes away for quick visa hops and from there you can take a bus to the Mediterranean beaches for around $50.

Georgia Retirement Study

Chicago-based loan lending company NetCredit recently published the results of its study on the cheapest and most expensive countries for Americans to retire. The results are split into several regions: North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Central Asia, Rest of Asia and Oceania, Africa.

The study takes into account the average age of retirement in the US, which is 64 and the average life expectancy of Americans, which is 78.7. Therefore, the results are the amount of sum that a 64-year-old American would need for almost 15 years after his/her retirement.

The variables of the study include: going out once a week, takeout coffee once a week, no smoking, moderate drinking, no taxis or rideshares, two vacations (per year), sports membership, moderate buying of clothes and shoes, rent of a 1-bedroom apartment in city center.

Variables which are not included are: insurance, health-related expenses and income taxes.

For comparison, fourteen years of retirement in the US (according to the NetCredit’s metric) would cost $601,489, which is the 14th most expensive result in the world.

The most expensive retirement would be in Bermuda - $1,065,697 and the cheapest one in Pakistan - $182,018.