Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montenegro and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Montenegro: $1,309 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Montenegro
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Montenegro Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,309

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montenegro and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,309 in Montenegro versus $1,825 in Italy.

Montenegro $1,309
Italy $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,062 in Montenegro versus $2,790 in Italy.

Montenegro $2,062
Italy $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,816 in Montenegro versus $3,756 in Italy.

Montenegro $2,816
Italy $3,756

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $986–$1,651 in Montenegro. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Montenegro costs about 28% less than in Italy on average.

Montenegro (3% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.41 €10.15

$19.90 €17.70

-42.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 €44.56

$77.1 €68.6

-35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.98

$11.41 €10.15

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$2.57 €2.28

$2.01 €1.78

27.86%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$3.13 €2.78

-22.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$1.40 €1.24

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$5.76 €5.12

-46.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$5.73 €5.10

-40.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.62 €1.44

-24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 €0.91

$2.38 €2.12

-56.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.92 €2.60

-27.74%

Eggs

$3.22 €2.86

$4.17 €3.70

-22.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 €7.63

$17.28 €15.37

-50.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 €6.68

$12.73 €11.32

-40.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$20.39 €18.13

-42.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.61 €2.32

-47.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.12 €1.88

-16.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.63 €2.34

-39.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$3.34 €2.97

-25.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.02 €1.79

-50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.89 €1.69

-41.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.56 €1.39

-0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.55 €0.49

52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 €3.68

$6.84 €6.08

-39.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 €5.01

$7.64 €6.80

-26.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.80 €1.61

-39.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.40 €2.14

-32.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 €1.65

-26.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.17 €29.50

$43.27 €38.49

-23.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 €0.97

$5.64 €5.01

-80.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.71 €1.52

-35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.25 €10.89

$33.04 €29.39

-62.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.11 €1.87

-14.69%

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

$30.4K €27.0K

$35.8K €31.8K

-15.04%

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

$24.6K €21.9K

$37.4K €33.3K

-34.12%

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

$128 €114

$230 €204

-44.06%

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

$16.73 €14.88

$11.60 €10.32

44.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.82 €28.30

$30.40 €27.04

4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$53.9 €47.96

-17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.52 €12.02

$24.24 €21.56

-44.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 €5.03

$10.58 €9.41

-46.60%

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

$345 €307

$545 €485

-36.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,572 €7,625

$11.5K €10.3K

-25.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.7 €70.9

$88.4 €78.7

-9.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.96 €34.65

$39.60 €35.22

-1.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 €83.9

$101 €89.8

-6.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$133 €118

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 €564

$799 €711

-20.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 €418

$624 €555

-24.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 €1,052

$1,423 €1,266

-16.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$923 €821

$1,030 €916

-10.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,204 €2,850

$3,601 €3,203

-11.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,316 €2,060

$2,270 €2,019

2.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,043 €928

$1,893 €1,684

-44.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.38

3.56

51.12%

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

Last update for Montenegro: October 20, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montenegro

$470 35.9%

Italy

$624 34.2% 33% $155

Groceries & Markets

Montenegro

$220 16.8%

Italy

$350 19.2% 58.8% $130

Eating Out

Montenegro

$194 14.8%

Italy

$276 15.1% 42.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montenegro

$177 13.5%

Italy

$272 14.9% 53.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Montenegro

$147 11.2%

Italy

$163 8.9% 10.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Montenegro

$56 4.3%

Italy

$75 4.1% 34.4% $19

Getting Around

Montenegro

$45 3.5%

Italy

$65 3.6% 43.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $626 in Montenegro, $724 in Italy. Capital cities: $638 in Podgorica vs $1,191 in Rome.

National salary averages: $910 in Montenegro, $1,892 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 16% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 83% more in Italy.

Salaries are 108% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Montenegro

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

Same time as Montenegro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,213

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montenegro Italy 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Montenegro vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $1,309 in Montenegro, there's a 39% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Montenegro: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $724 in Italy and $626 in Montenegro. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Montenegro, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Montenegro wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.