Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Herceg Novi and Budva

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index

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Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,257

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi and in Budva actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Herceg Novi $1,257
Budva $1,609

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

Herceg Novi $1,997
Budva $2,537

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

Herceg Novi $2,737
Budva $3,464

Herceg Novi is about 22% cheaper than Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.23 €9.99

$14.51 €12.91

-22.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.29 €32.28

$67.6 €60.1

-46.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 €8.15

$13.31 €11.84

-31.18%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$3.56 €3.16

-25.56%

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

$2.50 €2.23

$2.21 €1.97

13.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.48 €1.32

10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 €2.53

$4.72 €4.20

-39.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$4.30 €3.82

-22.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.27 €1.13

-5.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.07 €0.95

-5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.26 €2.01

29.65%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$3.07 €2.73

-2.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 €8.02

$8.43 €7.50

7.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 €6.61

$9.14 €8.13

-18.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 €11.56

$12.18 €10.83

6.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.29 €1.14

3.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.68 €1.49

-6.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.54 €1.37

5.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.92 €2.59

1.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.91 €0.81

4.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.08 €0.96

19.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.67 €1.48

-7.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.89 €0.80

6.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 €3.56

$4.28 €3.81

-6.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$7.71 €6.86

-43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.08 €0.96

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.68 €1.50

3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.84 €2.52

-42.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.46 €39.55

$39.52 €35.15

12.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 €2.53

$1.10 €0.98

158.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.14 €1.01

-3.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €15.20

$17.01 €15.13

0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$29.1K €25.9K

11.01%

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

$21.4K €19.0K

$25.9K €23.1K

-17.48%

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

$136 €121

$158 €141

-13.84%

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

$13.14 €11.69

$14.71 €13.08

-10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 €30.14

$33.77 €30.04

0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 €50.3

$59.3 €52.7

-4.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 €10.13

$21.33 €18.98

-46.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 €6.94

$6.05 €5.38

29.09%

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

$444 €395

$400 €356

10.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,024 €6,248

$9,649 €8,582

-27.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.0

$104 €92.7

-19.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.74 €30.01

$45.25 €40.25

-25.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 €64.7

$97.3 €86.6

-25.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 €85.2

$182 €162

-47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 €579

$848 €754

-23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 €355

$599 €533

-33.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 €1,118

$1,505 €1,339

-16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 €790

$1,151 €1,023

-22.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,685 €3,278

$4,107 €3,653

-10.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,421 €2,153

$2,958 €2,631

-18.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,031 €917

$1,006 €895

2.50%

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 Herceg Novi: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Herceg Novi

$399 31.7%

Budva

$599 37.2% 50.2% $200

Groceries & Markets

Herceg Novi

$228 18.1%

Budva

$236 14.7% 3.5% $7.9

Eating Out

Herceg Novi

$187 14.8%

Budva

$246 15.3% 31.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Herceg Novi

$183 14.6%

Budva

$207 12.8% 12.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Herceg Novi

$129 10.3%

Budva

$193 12% 49.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Herceg Novi

$72 5.7%

Budva

$71 4.4% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Herceg Novi

$59 4.7%

Budva

$58 3.6% 2.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $651 in Herceg Novi versus $848 in Budva. 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 $36.00 in Herceg Novi versus $68.0 in Budva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $236 – making Herceg Novi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

Same time as Herceg Novi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,059

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

Herceg Novi Budva 31 km

From you

Herceg Novi
Budva

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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,886 per month in Herceg Novi and $2,414 in Budva. 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 $1,257 in Herceg Novi and $1,609 in Budva. 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.