Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Herceg Novi and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,257 a month against $1,340 in Podgorica, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Podgorica outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index

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Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,257

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,257 in Herceg Novi versus $1,340 in Podgorica.

Herceg Novi $1,257
Podgorica $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,997 in Herceg Novi versus $2,094 in Podgorica.

Herceg Novi $1,997
Podgorica $2,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,737 in Herceg Novi versus $2,848 in Podgorica.

Herceg Novi $2,737
Podgorica $2,848

Living in Herceg Novi costs roughly 6% less than in Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Herceg Novi 7% lower, Podgorica 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.23 €9.99

$11.13 €9.90

0.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.29 €32.28

$44.93 €39.97

-19.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 €8.15

$10.66 €9.48

-14.07%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$2.16 €1.92

22.69%

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

$2.50 €2.23

$2.63 €2.34

-4.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.42 €1.26

14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.99 €2.66

-5.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.45 €3.07

-3.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.28 €1.14

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.01 €0.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.91 €1.69

53.40%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$3.41 €3.03

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 €8.02

$8.83 €7.86

2.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 €6.61

$8.43 €7.50

-11.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 €11.56

$12.38 €11.02

4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.55 €1.38

-14.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 €1.39

$1.65 €1.46

-4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.79 €1.59

-8.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.32 €2.06

27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.99 €0.88

-4.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.06 €0.95

21.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.45 €1.29

6.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.79 €0.70

20.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 €3.56

$4.41 €3.92

-9.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 €3.89

$5.51 €4.90

-20.69%

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

$1.69 €1.51

2.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.04 €0.92

57.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.46 €39.55

$34.05 €30.28

30.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.73 €0.65

289.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.97

$0.77 €0.69

42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €15.20

$11.13 €9.90

53.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.89 €1.68

-8.99%

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

$32.3K €28.8K

$27.6K €24.6K

17.07%

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

$21.4K €19.0K

$23.4K €20.8K

-8.55%

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

$136 €121

$130 €115

4.91%

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

$13.14 €11.69

$18.67 €16.61

-29.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.88 €30.14

$32.22 €28.66

5.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 €50.3

$49.07 €43.64

15.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 €10.13

$13.60 €12.10

-16.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 €6.94

$6.35 €5.65

22.99%

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

$444 €395

$345 €306

28.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,024 €6,248

$7,339 €6,528

-4.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.0

$89.0 €79.2

-5.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.74 €30.01

$46.98 €41.79

-28.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 €64.7

$96.4 €85.7

-24.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 €85.2

$108 €96.0

-11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 €579

$638 €567

2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 €355

$490 €436

-18.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 €1,118

$1,295 €1,152

-2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 €790

$957 €852

-7.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,685 €3,278

$3,084 €2,743

19.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,421 €2,153

$2,290 €2,037

5.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,031 €917

$1,147 €1,021

-10.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

-4.21%

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

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 19, 2026

Last update for Podgorica: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Herceg Novi

$399 31.7%

Podgorica

$490 36.6% 23% $92

Groceries & Markets

Herceg Novi

$228 18.1%

Podgorica

$227 16.9% 0.7% $1.6

Eating Out

Herceg Novi

$187 14.8%

Podgorica

$185 13.8% 0.9% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Herceg Novi

$183 14.6%

Podgorica

$181 13.5% 1.4% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Herceg Novi

$129 10.3%

Podgorica

$153 11.4% 18.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Herceg Novi

$72 5.7%

Podgorica

$62 4.6% 14.4% $10

Getting Around

Herceg Novi

$59 4.7%

Podgorica

$43 3.2% 27.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $651 in Herceg Novi and $638 in Podgorica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Podgorica pays 11% 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: $36.00 in Herceg Novi vs $45.00 in Podgorica. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $227, with Podgorica cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

Same time as Herceg Novi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,059

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Herceg Novi Podgorica 60 km

From you

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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

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

Herceg Novi and Podgorica differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,257 vs $1,340 including rent). Herceg Novi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Podgorica. 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: $651 in Herceg Novi versus $638 in Podgorica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Podgorica pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Herceg Novi – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $45.00 in Podgorica. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,257 in Herceg Novi versus $1,340 in Podgorica, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Herceg Novi but tight or insufficient in Podgorica. The gap between the two cities makes Herceg Novi 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, Herceg Novi and Podgorica 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 Herceg Novi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Podgorica. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.