Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Herceg Novi

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,257 a month against $1,609 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index

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Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,609

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budva and in Herceg Novi

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 Herceg Novi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Budva vs $1,257 in Herceg Novi, rent included.

Budva $1,609
Herceg Novi $1,257

A couple spends around $2,537 per month in Budva vs $1,997 in Herceg Novi, rent included.

Budva $2,537
Herceg Novi $1,997

A family of three spends $3,464 per month in Budva vs $2,737 in Herceg Novi, rent included.

Budva $3,464
Herceg Novi $2,737

Budva costs about 28% more than Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budva sits 19% above the global median, while Herceg Novi is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 €12.91

$11.23 €9.99

29.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.1

$36.29 €32.28

86.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.84

$9.16 €8.15

45.31%

Cappuccino

$3.56 €3.16

$2.65 €2.36

34.34%

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

$2.21 €1.97

$2.50 €2.23

-11.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.63 €1.45

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.72 €4.20

$2.84 €2.53

66.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 €3.82

$3.34 €2.97

28.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.20 €1.07

5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.01 €0.90

5.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.93 €2.61

-22.87%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.73

$2.98 €2.65

3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 €7.50

$9.02 €8.02

-6.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 €8.13

$7.43 €6.61

23.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 €10.83

$12.99 €11.56

-6.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.33 €1.18

-3.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.57 €1.39

7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.63 €1.45

-5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.59

$2.96 €2.63

-1.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.95 €0.85

-4.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.29 €1.15

-16.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.54 €1.37

8.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.95 €0.85

-6.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 €3.81

$4.00 €3.56

7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.86

$4.37 €3.89

76.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.28 €1.14

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.74 €1.55

-3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.64 €1.46

73.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.52 €35.15

$44.46 €39.55

-11.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.84 €2.53

-61.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.10 €0.97

3.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.01 €15.13

$17.09 €15.20

-0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$32.3K €28.8K

-9.92%

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

$25.9K €23.1K

$21.4K €19.0K

21.18%

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

$158 €141

$136 €121

16.06%

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

$14.71 €13.08

$13.14 €11.69

11.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.77 €30.04

$33.88 €30.14

-0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.3 €52.7

$56.6 €50.3

4.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.33 €18.98

$11.39 €10.13

87.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.05 €5.38

$7.81 €6.94

-22.54%

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

$400 €356

$444 €395

-9.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,649 €8,582

$7,024 €6,248

37.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.7

$84.3 €75.0

23.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.25 €40.25

$33.74 €30.01

34.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 €86.6

$72.7 €64.7

33.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$182 €162

$95.8 €85.2

90.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 €754

$651 €579

30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 €533

$399 €355

50.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,339

$1,257 €1,118

19.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 €1,023

$888 €790

29.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 €3,653

$3,685 €3,278

11.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,958 €2,631

$2,421 €2,153

22.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 €895

$1,031 €917

-2.44%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$599 37.2%

Herceg Novi

$399 31.7% 33.4% $200

Eating Out

Budva

$246 15.3%

Herceg Novi

$187 14.8% 24.1% $59

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$236 14.7%

Herceg Novi

$228 18.1% 3.4% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$207 12.8%

Herceg Novi

$183 14.6% 11.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$193 12%

Herceg Novi

$129 10.3% 33.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$71 4.4%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.7% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Herceg Novi

$59 4.7% 2.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $848 in Budva versus $651 in Herceg Novi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 3% higher in Herceg Novi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Budva versus $36.00 in Herceg Novi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $228 – making Herceg Novi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

Same time as Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

11,059

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Budva Herceg Novi 31 km

From you

Budva
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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

Budva vs Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Budva, $1,257 in Herceg Novi – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,414 per month in Budva and $1,886 in Herceg Novi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Herceg Novi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,609 in Budva and $1,257 in Herceg Novi. That's a gap of about 28%.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Herceg Novi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Herceg Novi, where all-in costs run around $1,257, than in Budva at $1,609. In Herceg Novi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Herceg Novi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Herceg Novi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.