Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Bar

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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
Learn more

Budva Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bar
Learn more

Bar Living Index

Jump to prices

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Bar

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budva and in Bar

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

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

Budva $1,611
Bar $1,237

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

Budva $2,529
Bar $1,945

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

Budva $3,447
Bar $2,653

Living in Budva is roughly 30% more expensive than in Bar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.76 €13.13

$11.31 €10.06

30.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.1

$47.39 €42.16

40.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.80

$10.22 €9.09

29.84%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.02

$2.76 €2.45

22.83%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$2.15 €1.91

2.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.91 €1.70

-20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 €4.17

$2.81 €2.50

66.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.00 €2.67

42.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.17 €1.04

6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.35 €1.20

-21.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.57 €2.29

-14.01%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.73

$3.14 €2.80

-2.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 €7.56

$8.28 €7.36

2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.08

$8.08 €7.18

12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$11.46 €10.20

6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.42 €1.26

-9.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.01 €1.79

-12.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.55 €1.38

-1.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.67 €2.38

4.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.98 €0.87

-13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.05 €0.93

1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$2.11 €1.88

-20.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.93 €0.82

1.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.44 €3.95

-0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$8.29 €7.37

-7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.94 €0.84

12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.37 €1.22

27.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.17 €1.93

30.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.74 €35.34

$21.90 €19.48

81.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.21 €1.96

-49.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.14 €1.01

-4.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.85 €14.99

$13.89 €12.35

21.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.67 €1.48

1.80%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$31.3K €27.9K

-8.96%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$28.9K €25.7K

-10.76%

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

$158 €140

$108 €95.8

46.44%

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

$14.92 €13.27

$16.37 €14.56

-8.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.61 €29.90

$29.15 €25.93

15.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 €50.8

$42.71 €37.99

33.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 €18.89

$14.84 €13.20

43.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.50

$4.47 €3.98

38.48%

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

$407 €362

$310 €275

31.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,855 €8,766

$6,915 €6,151

42.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$62.2 €55.3

68.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.04 €39.17

$29.36 €26.12

50.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €86.1

$96.4 €85.7

0.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €159

$112 €99.5

59.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$625 €556

35.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$434 €386

39.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,333

$1,131 €1,006

32.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,022

$823 €732

39.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 €3,599

$2,982 €2,652

35.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,920 €2,597

$2,094 €1,862

39.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 €915

$965 €858

6.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

19.00%

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

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$606 37.6%

Bar

$434 35.1% 28.5% $173

Eating Out

Budva

$246 15.2%

Bar

$190 15.4% 22.4% $55

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$235 14.6%

Bar

$235 19% 0.2% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$206 12.8%

Bar

$153 12.4% 25.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$191 11.9%

Bar

$135 10.9% 29.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$69 4.3%

Bar

$52 4.2% 25.6% $18

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Bar

$38 3.1% 33.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $846 in Budva and $625 in Bar. 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: $66.0 in Budva vs $47.00 in Bar. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $235, with Budva cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇲🇪 Bar

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

Same time as Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

17,727

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budva Bar 30 km

From you

Budva
Bar

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

Budva vs Bar: 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.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Budva, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $407 in Budva versus $310 in Bar. 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, Budva and Bar 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.