Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bar and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Bar: $1,237 a month against $1,611 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Bar
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Bar Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Bar

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bar and in Budva

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bar and in Budva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,237 in Bar versus $1,611 in Budva.

Bar $1,237
Budva $1,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,945 in Bar versus $2,529 in Budva.

Bar $1,945
Budva $2,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,653 in Bar versus $3,447 in Budva.

Bar $2,653
Budva $3,447

Living in Bar costs roughly 23% less than in Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bar is 8% below, Budva is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.31 €10.06

$14.76 €13.13

-23.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.39 €42.16

$66.5 €59.1

-28.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 €9.09

$13.27 €11.80

-22.98%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.45

$3.39 €3.02

-18.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.21 €1.96

-2.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.52 €1.35

25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.50

$4.69 €4.17

-40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$4.27 €3.80

-29.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.25 €1.11

-6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.06 €0.95

27.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.21 €1.97

16.29%

Eggs

$3.14 €2.80

$3.07 €2.73

2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 €7.36

$8.50 €7.56

-2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 €7.18

$9.08 €8.08

-11.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 €10.20

$12.17 €10.83

-5.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.28 €1.14

10.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.75 €1.56

14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.52 €1.35

1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.78 €2.47

-3.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.85 €0.76

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.07 €0.95

-1.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.67 €1.48

26.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.82

$0.94 €0.84

-1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 €3.95

$4.42 €3.93

0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 €7.37

$7.67 €6.82

8.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.06 €0.94

-11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.74 €1.55

-21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.84 €2.53

-23.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.90 €19.48

$39.74 €35.34

-44.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.11 €0.98

99.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.09 €0.97

4.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 €12.35

$16.85 €14.99

-17.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.70 €1.51

-1.76%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$31.3K €27.9K

$28.5K €25.4K

9.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.9K €25.7K

$25.8K €22.9K

12.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$108 €95.8

$158 €140

-31.71%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.37 €14.56

$14.92 €13.27

9.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.15 €25.93

$33.61 €29.90

-13.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.71 €37.99

$57.1 €50.8

-25.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 €13.20

$21.24 €18.89

-30.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 €3.98

$6.19 €5.50

-27.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$310 €275

$407 €362

-23.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,915 €6,151

$9,855 €8,766

-29.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 €55.3

$105 €93.3

-40.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 €26.12

$44.04 €39.17

-33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 €85.7

$96.8 €86.1

-0.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.5

$178 €159

-37.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 €556

$846 €752

-26.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 €386

$606 €539

-28.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$1,499 €1,333

-24.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 €732

$1,149 €1,022

-28.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,982 €2,652

$4,046 €3,599

-26.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,094 €1,862

$2,920 €2,597

-28.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 €858

$1,028 €915

-6.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

-15.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bar

$434 35.1%

Budva

$606 37.6% 39.8% $173

Groceries & Markets

Bar

$235 19%

Budva

$235 14.6% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Bar

$190 15.4%

Budva

$246 15.2% 28.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bar

$153 12.4%

Budva

$206 12.8% 34.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Bar

$135 10.9%

Budva

$191 11.9% 41.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Bar

$52 4.2%

Budva

$69 4.3% 34.4% $18

Getting Around

Bar

$38 3.1%

Budva

$58 3.6% 49.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $625 in Bar and $846 in Budva. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budva pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Bar vs $66.0 in Budva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $235 per month, with Bar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Bar

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

Same time as Bar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,727

13,338

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bar Budva 30 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bar vs Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bar wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Budva. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Budva. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $625 in Bar versus $846 in Budva. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $310 in Bar versus $407 in Budva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Budva. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,237 in Bar versus $1,611 in Budva, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bar but tight or insufficient in Budva. The gap between the two cities makes Bar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bar and Budva are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Budva. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.