Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Herceg Novi and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,234 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
Learn more

Herceg Novi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,234

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,234 per month in Herceg Novi vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Herceg Novi $1,234
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,969 per month in Herceg Novi vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Herceg Novi $1,969
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,705 per month in Herceg Novi vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Herceg Novi $2,705
Budapest $3,429

Herceg Novi is about 24% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Herceg Novi sits 9% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 €9.91

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-20.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.61 €32.57

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-40.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 €8.07

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-10.99%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-20.86%

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

$2.56 €2.28

$2.14 Ft 690

19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.78 Ft 577

-8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.50

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-23.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.15 Ft 371

3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.79 Ft 578

-43.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$2.49 Ft 804

12.05%

Eggs

$3.00 €2.67

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 €8.06

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-18.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.19 €6.40

$6.62 Ft 2,139

8.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 €11.49

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-12.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.83 Ft 591

-27.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.05 Ft 661

-26.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.37 Ft 765

-32.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.99 Ft 320

-12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.00 Ft 322

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.58 Ft 511

-4.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.67 Ft 216

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 €3.54

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 €4.02

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-27.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.27 Ft 411

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.03 Ft 654

-15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.52 Ft 490

11.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.23 €39.34

$28.02 Ft 9,053

57.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.62

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-10.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-16.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.82 Ft 589

-2.75%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

8.01%

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

$21.4K €19.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-36.64%

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

$132 €117

$171 Ft 55.3K

-23.09%

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

$12.96 €11.53

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-44.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 €30.13

$23.29 Ft 7,526

45.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 €49.47

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-17.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.01 €9.79

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-41.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 €6.76

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-18.28%

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

$442 €393

$533 Ft 172.3K

-17.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,034 €6,257

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-58.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 €75.8

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.74 €30.01

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-22.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 €63.7

$110 Ft 35.7K

-35.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 €83.9

$119 Ft 38.4K

-20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$661 €588

$830 Ft 268.3K

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 €344

$622 Ft 200.9K

-37.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 €1,092

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-22.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 €776

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-25.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,727 €3,315

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-36.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,355 €2,095

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-39.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 €937

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-36.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-22.48%

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

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Herceg Novi

$386 31.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 61% $236

Groceries & Markets

Herceg Novi

$226 18.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 14.3% $32

Eating Out

Herceg Novi

$185 15%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 20.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Herceg Novi

$178 14.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 22.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Herceg Novi

$128 10.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 30.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Herceg Novi

$71 5.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 21.6% $15

Getting Around

Herceg Novi

$60 4.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 25.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $661 in Herceg Novi versus $830 in Budapest. 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 57% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Herceg Novi versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $258 – making Herceg Novi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

Same time as Herceg Novi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,059

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Herceg Novi Budapest 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Herceg Novi
Budapest

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

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

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,851 per month in Herceg Novi and $2,428 in Budapest. 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.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Herceg Novi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $442 per month in Herceg Novi and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Herceg Novi, where all-in costs run around $1,234, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Herceg Novi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.