Black frame, white frame or turnkey: how to buy an apartment in Georgia
What each finish format includes, what the fit-out costs, when rental income starts and which option suits letting, resale or living — with a worked studio example.
- Black frame is the cheapest entry but means 4–8 months of fit-out and plenty of hassle.
- White (green) frame is the most popular: only final finishing remains.
- Turnkey costs more per metre, but the unit can be let or handed to management at once.
- Example: at Queen's Residence turnkey cost about $800 per m² more than white frame.
- For remote letting choose turnkey, for resale white frame, for living a shell to finish yourself.
When buying an apartment in Batumi or Tbilisi, foreigners run into the Georgian market's own vocabulary. Besides the familiar "unfinished" and "renovated", developers here hand over apartments in three main formats: black frame, white frame (and its variant, green frame) and turnkey. The difference is not just how finished the walls are, but your budget, timeline, hassle and final return. We go through each format, run the numbers and look at what works best for letting, resale and living.
Note: what each format includes varies between developers. Before buying, always ask for the contract annex that lists exactly what the finish covers.
1. Black frame
The basic shell of the apartment right after the concrete frame and floors are built.
- Usually includes: an entrance door and PVC windows; water, sewage and electricity risers brought to the apartment but not distributed inside; internal walls may be absent (open plan) or built in block.
- Purchase price: the lowest — roughly $800–1,100 per m² depending on location.
- Fit-out and equipment: roughly $450–650 per m², taking 4–8 months.
Pros: the lowest entry price and complete freedom of layout — for example, turning a large studio into a one-bedroom unit.
Cons: a lot of organisation: finding a crew and overseeing materials, design and the quality of utilities. If you live abroad, this is the main source of stress. Plus hidden costs: delivery, waste removal and months without rental income.
2. White and green frame
The most popular format in Georgia: an apartment ready for final finishing.
- Usually includes: plastered walls, floor screed, electrical, water and heating runs to the points, internal walls, and points for air conditioning and plumbing.
- Green frame is a fuller version of white frame: typically adding heating pipes to the radiators or underfloor heating, tiled balconies and other works. Again, the scope depends on the developer.
- Purchase price: roughly $1,100–1,400 per m².
- Final finishing and furniture: roughly $250–400 per m², taking 1.5–3 months.
Pros: the noisiest and dirtiest work is done by the developer to a single building-wide plan, and you only choose finishes, fixtures, lighting and furniture.
Cons: you still need to be there, or hire a trusted designer and site supervisor to oversee the finishing.
3. Turnkey
"Move in and live" or "move in and let": an apartment with a completed renovation, furniture, appliances, textiles and sometimes tableware.
- Usually includes: final finishing to the developer's or hotel operator's standard, kitchen and furniture, air conditioning, appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting and décor.
- Purchase price: the highest — roughly $1,600–2,300 per m² and more in the premium segment.
- Renovation: already included or sold as a single package.
Pros: no dealing with materials or workers; the unit can go straight to a management company — many hotel operators only accept apartments finished to a single standard; and some developers let you include the renovation in interest-free instalments.
Cons: standard "hotel" design and a higher final price per metre.
A real example from our catalogue
At Queen's Residence on New Boulevard, the developer sells the same apartments in three versions. Block B's August 2025 price list started at $1,200 per m² in white frame, $1,800 renovated and $2,000 turnkey with furniture and appliances — so the ready renovation and furnishing added about $800 per metre.
Other examples: at Alliance Renaissance the turnkey fit-out is bought as a separate package, OKTO Art House offers white frame or turnkey, and at SUMMER 365 every apartment comes with a quality pre-finish.
Comparison: a 35 m² studio
An illustrative calculation using the average figures above:
| Black frame | White frame | Turnkey | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase | $31,500 ($900/m²) | $43,750 ($1,250/m²) | $63,000 ($1,800/m²) |
| Fit-out & furniture | ~$19,250 ($550/m²) | ~$10,500 ($300/m²) | included |
| Total investment | $50,750 | $54,250 | $63,000 |
| Your time | A lot (100+ hours) | Moderate (20–30 hours) | Almost none |
| Rental income starts | 6–8 months after completion | 2–3 months | Immediately |
Doing the work yourself saves $9,000–12,000, but several months without rent, trips, supervising contractors and the risk of mistakes eat into that saving.
Which suits you
- Letting remotely while living abroad — turnkey. The extra cost pays off in time, peace of mind and the ability to hand the unit straight to a management company. We work out what such letting really earns in our article on Batumi rental yields.
- Reselling in 1.5–2 years — white frame. Buy off-plan at the lowest price and sell after completion, leaving the buyer to renovate to taste.
- Living there yourself — white or black frame, if you want your own layout, soundproofing and materials.
Many developers let you pay in interest-free instalments — see our article on developer instalments.
Need help choosing?
Leave a request and we will shortlist projects from reliable developers, compare the cost in different finish options and help arrange instalments. All properties are in our Batumi and Tbilisi catalogues.
This article is for information only and is not legal or financial advice. Rules and figures can change; confirm current terms before any transaction.
