Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kotor and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Podgorica: $1,331 a month against $1,536 in Kotor, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kotor
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Kotor Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index

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Kotor

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,536

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kotor 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 Kotor and in Podgorica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,536 in Kotor versus $1,331 in Podgorica.

Kotor $1,536
Podgorica $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,437 in Kotor versus $2,096 in Podgorica.

Kotor $2,437
Podgorica $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,338 in Kotor versus $2,860 in Podgorica.

Kotor $3,338
Podgorica $2,860

Living in Kotor is roughly 15% more expensive than in Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kotor is 13% above, Podgorica is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 €9.90

$11.27 €10.10

-1.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 €51.9

$44.27 €39.67

30.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.95

$10.56 €9.47

5.21%

Cappuccino

$3.23 €2.89

$2.12 €1.90

52.36%

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

$2.49 €2.23

$2.48 €2.22

0.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.45 €1.30

8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.78

$3.15 €2.83

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 €3.94

$3.31 €2.97

32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.99 €0.88

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.99 €1.78

-4.02%

Eggs

$3.57 €3.20

$3.59 €3.21

-0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 €8.05

$8.85 €7.93

1.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 €7.63

$8.08 €7.24

5.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.21

$12.07 €10.81

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.63 €1.46

-17.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.80 €1.61

-13.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.33 €2.09

3.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.95 €0.85

-2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.07 €0.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.50 €1.35

-0.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.83 €0.74

-3.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 €3.97

$4.28 €3.84

3.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 €8.06

$5.72 €5.13

57.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.07 €0.95

1.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.61 €1.45

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.03 €0.92

60.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.37 €40.65

$32.90 €29.49

37.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.76 €0.68

1.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.81 €0.72

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 €10.05

$11.08 €9.93

1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.89 €1.69

-10.58%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$28.5K €25.5K

-1.89%

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

$23.9K €21.4K

$23.8K €21.3K

0.52%

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

$127 €114

$130 €117

-2.28%

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

$16.92 €15.17

$18.48 €16.56

-8.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.06 €28.73

$32.17 €28.82

-0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.81 €40.16

$50.2 €45.02

-10.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.22 €18.12

$13.34 €11.95

51.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 €5.88

$6.61 €5.92

-0.76%

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

$340 €305

$343 €308

-0.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,381 €6,614

$7,326 €6,565

0.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.6

$85.9 €77.0

-0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.22 €40.52

$46.72 €41.87

-3.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €87.0

$98.1 €87.9

-0.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €93.2

$105 €93.8

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 €591

$663 €594

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 €590

$483 €432

36.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 €1,189

$1,361 €1,220

-2.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 €1,184

$976 €875

35.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,931 €3,523

$3,122 €2,798

25.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,786 €2,496

$2,388 €2,140

16.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$933 €836

$1,152 €1,032

-19.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.22

13.98%

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

Last update for Kotor: October 26, 2026

Last update for Podgorica: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kotor

$659 42.9%

Podgorica

$483 36.2% 26.7% $176

Groceries & Markets

Kotor

$234 15.3%

Podgorica

$226 17% 3.5% $8.2

Eating Out

Kotor

$201 13.1%

Podgorica

$186 13.9% 7.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kotor

$176 11.5%

Podgorica

$181 13.6% 2.6% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kotor

$149 9.7%

Podgorica

$151 11.3% 1.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Kotor

$58 3.8%

Podgorica

$42 3.1% 28.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kotor

$58 3.8%

Podgorica

$63 4.8% 9.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $659 in Kotor and $663 in Podgorica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Podgorica pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58 in Kotor vs $44 in Podgorica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $226 per month, with Podgorica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Kotor

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

Same time as Kotor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Kotor vs Podgorica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Podgorica is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Kotor. 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: $659 in Kotor versus $663 in Podgorica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $340 in Kotor versus $343 in Podgorica. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Kotor. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Podgorica gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Kotor and Podgorica are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.