How Much Does It Cost to Stay in Budva, Montenegro for a Month?
The budget for a month in Budva, Montenegro depends on the level of luxury required. We believe that traveling full-time requires a moderate level of comfort. Most people (us included) could not stay in a hostel month after month and continue to travel indefinitely. With that in mind, two people can stay a month in Budva comfortably for less than $2,400. On the other hand, if you require 4-star accommodations and white tablecloth meals, it will cost significantly more.
Where did this number come from? Well, we spent a month in Budva, and we kept a detailed spreadsheet with all our daily expenses. We used this spreadsheet to put together three budgets (low, mid, and high) depending on various requirements. The budgets include a breakdown that will allow you to put together your own estimate based on your needs.
Of course, these budgets assume you live like us and stay in one place for the entire month. If you move around during the month, your budget will go up for the increase in lodging (shorter stays cost more per day) and transportation.
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Monthly Budget for Two People in Budva
There are substantial savings when traveling as a couple or with a friend compared to traveling alone. For example, there are some savings on the grocery bill. It’s more than it would be for one person, but it’s not twice as much. On the other hand, some costs are twice as much. There are rarely discounts on museum tickets or other entertainment.
If you want to estimate how much it would cost to travel alone, you can make some deductions for Groceries and Dining, Entertainment, Transportation, and International Health Insurance. However, the Lodging and Miscellaneous costs will be about the same for one person as for two.
Lodging
Budva has a small Old Town, a large surrounding residental area, and long stretches of beaches. The large surrounding residental area with a mixture of old and new highrises provides a large supply of apartments. Even though there is a high demand of people to lounge on the beaches of Budva, this large supply keeps prices much lower than other towns in Montenegro and neighboring Croatia.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| Airbnb in Old Town – Entire Home | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,000 |
Groceries and Dining
Most grocery stores in Budva are medium-sized but they do vary in price. I used the same bottle of wine as my price gauge and found the Voli on 6 Blaza Jovanovica to have the best prices and selection. They had a very good selection of quality produce and a nice area with fresh fish. I did try to shop at the local market, Zelena Pijaca Market, but felt the language barrier and lack of posted prices intimidating.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $600 | $750 | $1,150 | |
| Groceries | Y – $20 per day | Y – $20 per day | Y – $20 per day |
| Wine | N | less than $10 per bottle | less than $15 per bottle |
| Street Food | N | Y | Y |
| Sit Down Restaurants | N | one $100 dinner | four $100 dinners |
Entertainment
Budva doesn’t have many attractions that require entrance fees and the ones that do, charge a very small fee around $5 per person. Your entertainment budget will go to renting a sunbed and having drinks on the Budva Riviera.
If you don’t want to spend money on entertainment, you can easily fill your time by strolling up and down the promenade along the sea or sit and enjoy the free beaches.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $0 | $100 | $150 | |
| Weekly Budget for Tickets and Experiences | $0 | $25 | $38 |
Transportation
The transportation budget assumes you are coming from the Tivat Airport. The cheapest way to get there is by bus to the Tivat city center and then a short taxi to the airport. I don’t recommend this because you will still need to take a taxi between Tivat city center and the airport and a taxi from Budva to Tivat airport isn’t expensive. A taxi will get you there for about $25 each way. To book a taxi or private transfer in advance, check out GetTransfer.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $20 | $50 | $50 | |
| Transportation to and from airport via bus | Y, $20 | N | N |
| Transportation to and from airport via taxi | N | Y, $50 | Y, $50 |
International Health Insurance
This fixed cost does not vary from month to month or location to location.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $300 | $350 | $400 | |
| Worldwide Coverage (except the USA) | Y | Y | Y |
| Inpatient Coverage | Y – $10,000 deductible | Y – $10,000 deductible | Y – $10,000 deductible |
| Outpatient Coverage | Y – $1,500 deductible | Y – $1,500 deductible | Y – $1,500 deductible |
| Wellbeing Coverage | N | Y | Y |
| Vision & Dental Coverage | N | Y | Y |
| International Evacuation | N | N | Y |
Miscellaneous
The miscellaneous expense budget is a catch-all for everything else. This includes toiletries, clothing, and technology costs. We only need one VPN subscription, one eSIM plan, one Netflix subscription, and one Traveling Mailbox.
Also, if you’re a cat lover, you should anticipate the additional expense of cat food while in Budva. The cats are all very friendly and fed by locals and tourists. They often hang out at the grocery stores and request that you pick them up something while you’re inside.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $400 | $500 | $600 | |
| VPN | $5 | $5 | $5 |
| eSIM | $7 for 3GB | $10.50 for 5GB | $16 for 10GB |
| Streaming Subscriptions | $15 budget | $30 budget | $50 budget |
| Traveling Mailbox | $21 | $21 | $21 |
Total
The monthly budget varies significantly based on the level of accommodation required, how often you eat at restaurants and the quantity and quality of wine you drink.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $2,320 | $3,250 | $4,350 |
Because Budva is a very popular beach destination, lodging prices are significantly higher during the summer than in the winter. While you can visit any time of year on these budgets, you will get much nicer accommodations for your money in the off-season than in the peak summer months.
Montenegro
