Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Podgorica and Kotor

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.

64

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kotor
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Kotor Living Index

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Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,331

/mo nomad

Kotor

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Podgorica and in Kotor

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

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

Podgorica $1,331
Kotor $1,536

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

Podgorica $2,096
Kotor $2,437

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

Podgorica $2,860
Kotor $3,338

Living in Podgorica costs roughly 13% less than in Kotor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.27 €10.10

$11.05 €9.89

1.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.27 €39.65

$57.9 €51.9

-23.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 €9.46

$11.11 €9.95

-4.95%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.90

$3.23 €2.89

-34.37%

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

$2.48 €2.22

$2.49 €2.23

-0.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.58 €1.41

-8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 €2.82

$3.10 €2.78

1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$4.40 €3.94

-24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.99 €0.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.91 €1.71

4.19%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.21

$3.57 €3.20

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.92

$8.98 €8.05

-1.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 €7.24

$8.51 €7.62

-5.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 €10.81

$12.51 €11.21

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.34 €1.20

21.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.55 €1.38

16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.42 €2.16

-3.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.93 €0.83

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.49 €1.34

0.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.80 €0.71

3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 €3.84

$4.43 €3.97

-3.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.12

$8.99 €8.05

-36.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.09 €0.98

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.82 €1.63

-11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.65 €1.47

-37.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.90 €29.47

$45.37 €40.63

-27.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.77 €0.69

-1.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.14 €1.02

-28.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 €9.92

$11.22 €10.05

-1.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.69 €1.52

11.83%

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

$28.5K €25.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

1.92%

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

$23.8K €21.3K

$23.9K €21.4K

-0.51%

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

$130 €117

$127 €114

2.33%

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

$18.48 €16.55

$16.92 €15.16

9.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.17 €28.81

$32.06 €28.71

0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €45.00

$44.81 €40.14

12.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.34 €11.95

$20.22 €18.10

-34.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 €5.92

$6.56 €5.87

0.76%

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

$343 €307

$340 €304

0.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,326 €6,561

$7,381 €6,610

-0.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.9

$85.5 €76.6

0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.72 €41.84

$45.22 €40.50

3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 €87.8

$97.1 €87.0

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.8

$104 €93.2

0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 €594

$659 €590

0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 €432

$659 €590

-26.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,219

$1,327 €1,189

2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 €874

$1,321 €1,183

-26.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 €2,796

$3,931 €3,521

-20.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,388 €2,139

$2,786 €2,495

-14.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,152 €1,032

$933 €835

23.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

5.95

-12.27%

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

Last update for Podgorica: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kotor: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Podgorica

$483 36.2%

Kotor

$659 42.9% 36.5% $176

Groceries & Markets

Podgorica

$226 17%

Kotor

$234 15.3% 3.6% $8.2

Eating Out

Podgorica

$186 13.9%

Kotor

$201 13.1% 8.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Podgorica

$181 13.6%

Kotor

$176 11.5% 2.6% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Podgorica

$151 11.3%

Kotor

$149 9.7% 1.1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Podgorica

$63 4.8%

Kotor

$58 3.8% 8.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Podgorica

$42 3.1%

Kotor

$58 3.8% 39.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Podgorica and $659 in Kotor. 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: $44 in Podgorica vs $58 in Kotor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $234 per month, with Podgorica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🇲🇪 Kotor

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as Podgorica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,799 Capital

13,000

💱 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

Podgorica vs Kotor: 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.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Podgorica, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $663 in Podgorica versus $659 in Kotor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $343 in Podgorica versus $340 in Kotor. 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, Podgorica and Kotor are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.