Is Montenegro EXPENSIVE to Live in? Cost of Living Kotor and Budva
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2022
- MONTENEGRO 2022 Cost of Daily Life in Kotor and Budva. Is Montenegro expensive to live in? could it be a good place to retire? We just spent two months living in Kotor, Montenegro, and Budva, Montenegro. We break down our monthly living costs for the time that we traveled to this area. In our monthly costs, we include what we paid for Rent, Health Insurance, Groceries, Transportation, Entertainment, and much more.
Cheers!!! 🍻
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THANK YOU for updating. Montenegro has been on a bucket list for awhile. Keep up the travel videos!
THANK YOU for watching!! Montenegro is amazing, keep it on your list!! We have big travel plans so much more to come.
Cheers!!! 🍻
Love all the usable info you guys share! Thanks!
Thanks guys! Really appreciate your support!!
Great breakdown and thank you for sharing and being transparent. Big help. 😊
You are so welcome!
Cheers!!!🍻
I love your video i am originally from Montenegro and it’s very nice to see someone talking so nice about it😁
Tea, we loved Montenegro! We have told friends and family back home that it's a must-visit! Thank you for watching!!
Cheers!!!🍻
My husband and I really enjoy your videos and travels! You've visited some amazing places, and we can't wait to see where you go next. Cheers from Colorado!
Thank you, Lisa, we really appreciate you two watching our videos!! We feel very lucky to be doing what we are doing! We are trying to post a new video once a week and give as much information as we can. Cheers to you and thanks again! 🍻
Great information thank you guys so much.
Thanks Andy! We really appreciate the support!!!
Cheers!!! 🍻
great video! we are looking forward to seeing Montenegro as soon as we can! We are going to be slow travelling the world as.well in 2024! Thank you for taking the time to share these videos
Thanks, guys!! 2024 will be here before we know it!!! We will check out your channel to see how you're going to make it happen!!
Cheers!!!🍻
Very nice presentation. Thank you!
Thank you, Brad! We appreciate the support!
Cheers!!! 🍻
I absolutely love your videos. They are so informative and intelligent, and a wonderful insight into my beloved Europe. I do hope you guys make it back to Spain, and i am really looking forward to your views on Italy. Make sure you go to Turin, one of the loveliest of Italy's big cities. And visit Siena too. And Naples. Enjoy your travels
Thank you Ben for the compliments! We will absolutely be back in Spain in the next couple of years. Italy will probably be sooner than that. We really like the suggestions on where to go in Italy. We haven't begun to research much of the cities and towns yet. Thank you so much for all the support!!
Cheers!!!🍻
Thanks for these videos in central and eastern Europe.
You have really helped me to expand the list of places I'd be interested in visiting.
That's great, Erick. Kotor is a must-see and Budva is only 20 minutes away. Very affordable!!
Cheers!!!🍻
...and/or retiring to!
🤞🦋🙏💙
Beautiful couple thanks for your guidance
Thank you, Damaris! ♥
You two are not only informative but beautiful and easy to be with. Enjoy each other!
Thank you, Robert!
Loving your videos! It's interesting to see the places you visit and the costs of accomodation for a month at a time.😎
Thank you Lorna for watching and supporting our channel. We enjoy doing our cost of living videos so nice to hear that you enjoy watching them!!
Cheers!!!🍻
Great video and lovely couple. Thumbs up for a great hair cut. Wow. Thank you both.
Thank you so much for watching!! ❤️
Love your videos and how you break everything down. I am a bit on the frugal side and so it is great info to know where I can go and how much it might cost. Thanks!
Thank you! We appreciate your support so much.
Cheers!!!🍻
Great video!! This was such helpful info as we're heading to Montenegro after Albania. We hope to catch you both around here in Saranda. Cheers!
Thank you! We have watched your Romania videos as well, we will be there late next summer. We are out and about every afternoon. Let's grab a beer!!
Cheers!!🍻
Thumbs up to the haircut! 🙂 Enjoying your journey.
Haha 😄 thank you Christine!
Cheers 🍻
Hi guys, my husband and I look forward to watch your videos. Thank you for all the interesting information. It is extremely helpful. We are looking forward to retire soon and moving to Spain. Take care, enjoy and God bless. Best wishes from Florida.
That's fantastic! You have made a great choice in Spain. We loved everything about it and can't wait to get back. Thank you so much for watching our channel. We really fo appreciate it.
Cheers 🍻
Always exceptional ❤content
Thank you so much 😊
This single mom spends $1700 a month in groceries for herself and 2 teenagers. Translation: we spend more than your entire Montenegro monthly budget on food alone. That blows my mind. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t consider becoming an expat in one of these lovely countries you’ve showcased. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for watching, Glenda. We do get sticker shock when we return to the States for a visit. The US is so expensive!! ☹
You never compare cost of living like that. People in Montenegro earn in average between 150 and 250 euros (about 160-270 dollars) per month. Spending 1700 per month for local, would mean for them that there are filthy rich. Most Montenegrins can't even get a job and therefore try to find summer/odd jobs in western Europe, like Germany or France. It's a touristic location. From end September to April, almost everything is closed. Life gets quite boring and amenities become rare. Also, if you get ill, you better have money, because you have to pay everything out of the pocket. It's a wonderful country for holidays, but not to live permanently even when you retire.
From a Montenegriner living in western Europe.
The salary matches with the local price level, too
Damn nice haircut...and budget. Thanks for the breakout and info...I think we will be heading there next year to escape the Schangen. You guys are fun...Cheers.
Thank you!! Croatia and Romania will both be in the Schengen in early 2023. We are currently in Romania and heading to Croatia next to escape the Schengen. Our options are becoming more and more limited!! Thank you for watching and safe travels.
Cheers!!🍻
nice work guys, thanks That is very good value for traveling costs. I imagine it helps that you are keeping a close eye on your costs for the purposes of these videos. In my experience its very easy to lose track and double the spend for very little added value. Also amazing to think that even that much is well above the average household income in many countries
Knowing that we will do a monthly cost of living video does help us keep track of our expenses. We try to keep our budget as low as we possibly can and still enjoy the life that we have chosen. Thank you for watching!!
Cheers!! 🍻
Love the video, love the haircut, and I gotta ask what the ketchup is for?! I totally agree it has to be Heinz!
Thanks Renee! 😄 We had french fries in the fridge and you can't have eggs without ketchup!!!
Cheers!!! 🍻
Great job! :)
Thank you! Cheers!🍻
Thanks for the information we are going to Bejela in the bay of Kotor in June
You're welcome, thanks so much for watching 😊.
I just booked for summer and the prices go up SO MUCH!!! Thanks for sharing I love these videos! Wish I had planned to go in the off season like you guys! We can compare costs peak vs shoulder season after my month in July 2022!
We have been traveling in the off-season since we started our journey. We will see what our costs are in Romania this summer. Hopefully places away from the coast aren't as expensive, we will soon find out.
Cheers!!!🍻
@@BrianandCarrie excited to see that!
We are excited about going!!
Thanks!
Again, thank you so much for this!!! ❤
Thanks for the informative and detailed video! What was the weather like (typical highs and lows) in Budva when were there?
We were there in February and it was between 55-60 F. most of the time.
Love it
Your videos are so good full of information and about time you get a contract with Netflix for putting these on their Menu. You both rock.
Thanks Cook Master! A Netflix sponsorship would be fantastic! 🤣🤣
Cheers!!! 🍻
-@@BrianandCarrie you guys must be early birds it is 12.38AM saturday here. i have a lot more vlogs to watch be4 hitting the bed
Yes. Today is a travel day for us. We are headed to Sarande, Albania so up a little early today. It's 6:45 Saturday morning here.
I am planning to come to this country! Looks so nice
Hi Belmin! You will love Montenegro. It is a beautiful country! Safe travels.
Cheers!!🍻
Wow! I love how you utilize geographic arbitrage! I'm so glad I discovered your channel. Would either of you be living this lifestyle if you were doing it solo? You're so lucky to have a like-minded traveling companion. It appears your quality of life increased with your cost-of-living decreasing. Way to beat inflation!
I may have missed this, have you done a video on picking your AirBnBs? I would think it's more difficult to find ones that are fully equipped for the cooking you like to do. When you shared the food costs at these locations, I was blown away at how affordable everything was. Thanks for the great content.
We would not be. Carrie asked me on our second date how I felt about travel. I answered correctly and here we are 3 years later!! We feel very lucky.
You found our Airbnb video! 😀
the hair cut is nice!!!!
Thank you!! 😁 And thanks for watching!!
Cheers!! 🍻
You two are cute. I'm a fan of your videos and am happy to learn a bit more about Montenegro. Thank you!!!
Thank you, Martha! ❤
Nice haircut!!
Haha!!!! Thank you Eva!!!
Cheers 🍻
You are a fun couple to follow. 👍 for the haircut, Brian. One question, how do you stay so slim with all the beer you drink? 🤣🤣. Love how you are enjoying your life.👏👍🙏 Best wishes. 🍻
Haha! We walk everywhere!!! I have gained a couple lb since we started our travels however. 😏 Thank you so much for the comments and supporting our channel!!!!
Cheers!!! 🍻
Im really enjoying your videos. I wonder though about your camera strap. Can you tell about it. Who makes it, where to get it? Thanks Safe travels
We did a video that shows all of our gear and how we shoot our videos. I will leave the link here. Thank you for watching!
Cheers!!🍻 th-cam.com/video/KTWsDY_Oegs/w-d-xo.html
Hi, there! Thanks again for sharing. We are hopefully moving to Spain in 2 months. And I just started cutting my husband’s hair ! I saw a YT video and started doing it! Since you are also on a budget, you may want to do it, too ! My husband loves it!
That's a great idea! I did try and it didn't go so well. 🤣🤣
Carrie has trimmed it a couple times but it needed professional help!!
Cheers!!! 🍻
@@BrianandCarrie Lol, Let me tell you that if I was able to learn from a tutorial in Facebook, anybody can, ha, ha! , because it was a trial and error, and I am very happy I started doing it. The first time was two months ago.
I actually enjoyed the process so much I may just get it cut more often and put it down as an entertainment expense. 😆
I really enjoyed your week's shopping list. But just wondering when you cook what do you eat? Just wondering as you have to find ingredients in each location. Also looking for ideas for when I travel 😁
Hi, Brad. You are correct about trying to find ingredients you may be used to. Especially in places like Montenegro or Albania. We tend to mainly find ingredients for tacos, spaghetti, and stir fry. We are currently in SE Asia so we love street food!! Cheap and tasty!!
Cheers!!🍻
Thank you for sharing the video on Montenegro. We did a one day tour there from our cruise ship and want to go back and live there for 3 months. Is there a contact person or company you would recommend for folks that want to live there for an extended period of time? Again, thank you - we love your videos
We do not have any specific person to contact about full-time residents. We did have a fantastic time there and it is so affordable so understand the interest. Sorry that we can't help you. 😔
Brian, I have the same hoodie from stemma brewing! :D
Ha! That's awesome! Are you from Bellingham?
@@BrianandCarrie Yep, but now living in Tbilisi, Georgia :)
Hello. Lazy American here. 😂 It would be cool if all your “cost of living” vids were in one place like a created playlist. Thanks for all the great content it’s been an eye opener.
Hello, Catherine! All of our Cost of Living videos are now in a playlist named "Cost of Living" 😀 Thank you so much for the Super Thanks and for supporting our channel!! ❤
How convenient thanks 😊
Merci
Totally late with this, but…nice haircut, Brian! 💈
🤷🏼♀️
Thank you, Anne!!😆
Nice hair cut
Thank you Donna😊
Can you send me info on Air BMB’s in Montenegro? We just arrived today and watched your video. You two are great and we appreciate any of your info.
Hi! This is where we stayed in Kotor and would highly recommend. air.tl/rjmAjREs. Enjoy your stay and thanks for watching! Cheers
Guys we love your videos!!!. My wife and I would be doing the same thin on January 2023. One question when you left the US for Spain did you have to get a return airline ticket. Looks like Spain requires a return ticket in order to enter the country. Great job keep those videos coming.
Thank you!!! Unless something has changed you do not need a return ticket. With a US passport you can move around the Schengen area as you please for 90 days. We used all 90 days in Spain then headed to Montenegro without having any issues. January 2023 will be here before you know it!!! Congratulations!!
Cheers 🍻
@@BrianandCarrie So no issues with customs entering the country. Thanks for the info
Loving your videos. Buying a local chip is not really mandatory???
Thanks Gilson. We have been using Wi-Fi wherever we go and haven't used a sim card for the last 4 months. It's not expensive we just haven't bothered. Thanks for watching!!
Cheers!!!🍻
We fell in love with Montenegro 🎉❤
I was shopping at the same grocer. Shopping was great there. More varieties as it is not in EU.
Yes, thank you for watching!
Cheers!!🍻
Heinz should sponsor you!
Darn, you asked for feedback on your haircut. You look younger but like me you have grey hair. That's ok, a sign of maturity. I think it us just getting older. lol. Great Video.
Ha! Thanks James! I don't mind the grey. Just need to stay on it. 😆🍻
I'll be there in 3 days😄😄😄
Nice!! We are excited for you! You will have a great time!! Safe travels and thank you for watching.
Cheers!!! 🍻
Brian knows the deal, the best things come to those who wait (HEINZ KETCHUP OR BUST!)
Absolutely it is!! 🤣🤣
Cheers!!! 🍻
Can you do an update on expenses there? Everything has gone up substantially
We haven't been there since this video came out. Unfortunately, inflation is worldwide!!
Hello Brian and Carrie. Thanks for this great video.
My wife and I are looking into buying an apartment
for renting it at first, but with the idea to turn it into
our retirement heaven. Any suggestions for US moving
into Kotor?
Hi Albert. Unfortunately, we can't give any insight into that. Getting a local attorney would be your best bet. Good luck and thank you for reaching out.
Cheers!!🍻
@@BrianandCarrie Thanks guys. Keep traveling!
Would love you to state what month you are staying in each destination just for judging weather clothes needed etc. Hope to travel when I retire especially during the winter months in Europe.Thankyou your videos are super helpful for information.From Ireland and have travelled extensively in Europe but usually in summer months as restricted by my employment .Kotor was soo hot in august !! lol
Absolutely! We were in Montenegro in December and January and Saranda, Albania in February. The weather has been mostly mild with rain showers here and there but nice sunny days as well. We are in Santorini, Greece now and it's been cold and windy the first couple of days. It is supposed to be about 15 degrees and sunny by Friday. Hopefully this helps! Safe travels!
Cheers 🍻
It looks beautiful there. What is your fave place at this point?
We really enjoyed our time in Portugal. The Algarve region is amazing.
Home sweet home 🏡 🇲🇪
Absolutely!!🍻🍻
Do you mind me asking , as I am heading to Montenegro in Decemeber , did you trvael from Podgorica to Kotor by Bus ? I am trying to figure out how to go about that with the busses etc. I will stay in Podgorca for a couple of weeks and then try to make my way to Kotor and maybe Budva. Anyway any recommendation would appreciated
We traveled from Dubrovnik to Kotor and used the app Get-by-Bus. It was simple and we didn't have any problems.
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@@BrianandCarrie Thankyou, I will check that out.
Hi guys not sure if you had posted but I couldn’t find. Can you share the air bnb you stayed at Kotor and Budva please
We wouldn't recommend the place in Budva, our place in Kotor was amazing. The link should be in the video description of the Kotor videos. Thank you for watching!!
Cheers!!🍻
@@BrianandCarrie thank you I’ll go back and have another look I must have missed it when I looked for it before 😊 I really enjoy your monthly cost videos as your style of travelling and standard of accommodation is similar to what hubby and I will be doing when we get started but I reckon my husband likes more beers than Brian 😂
Nice video. How are the citizens of this country, thanks
Montenegro was a very friendly country. We haven't had any problems at all throughout the Balkans and plan to go back someday. Romania was amazing!!
Cheers!!🍻
@@BrianandCarrie That's great to read thanks. I watched your Albania video too. Wishing you many happy trips
The problem with Montenegro is getting there. The border crossing from Croatia can be over 3 hours in June - August, and there is only one road in and out of Kotor. Surrounded by the Bay and mountains, the traffic can be quite bad. Kotor is lovely but small, so it can get overwhelmed when cruuse ships are in port. Lovely country to visit but choose the right month. But less expensive than Croatia.
Great point. We were in Kotor for the month of December 2022, so we didn't have any problems getting there. Beautiful town! Thank you for watching and commenting!!
Cheers!🍻
Hi! Are there any expat groups in Budva to do stuff with?
We really didn't look into ex-pats in Budva but we were there in January so it was really quite that time of year. Sorry, we don't have a better answer. 😒
do you live permanently in europe or are you just travelling around and intending to return to north america.
We are just traveling around for now. We plan on South East Asia and South America before we decide where we end up for a longer period of time. It won't be North America for several years, however. The cost of medical insurance is just too high.
Which people / countries have been the most welcoming ?
We would say Romania has been the most welcoming. Honestly, Romania, Montenegro and Albania have all been great. Not to say others haven't been but those have stood out the most.
Aren't your credit cards covers health insurance?
Our credit card covers health insurance if the credit card is used to buy 75% of the travel cost (ie flights, or I think they take lodging into account as well). I believe you have a 3 months coverage when travelling (we did) and then you can buy coverage on a monthly basis for just $100/m.
Great question! We are covered for full medical, not just travel insurance. However, this is something we will be looking into. Thanks for the tip!
Cheers!!!🍻
Lol, liked your video. Too bad inflation is currently bearing its teeth and the prices have jumped at least 15% to 30%.
Thank you politicians.
Edit: example... the 1.5l of milk that was 1.40€ is now around 1.99€
We will be in sticker shock when we return to the states next month. Thank you for watching!!
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Didn’t catch the name of your health insurance company.
Hi! We use Cigna Global for health insurance.
Does the medical insurance go up much higher after you cross 60 years of age?
It probably does. We only know what we get quoted at 53.
Hi, can you please tell me where you rented in Kotor? Looking for a month long place and found your nice review. Can you share the name or link for the apartment ? Thanks
Hi! Yes, the link to our Airbnb we stayed in is in one of our Kotor video descriptions. We would highly recommend it. Cheers!!
@@BrianandCarrie thank you though without time stamps and links in your descriptions, it makes trying to research long. Thanks anyway
Yes, researching on where to stay is time consuming. Good luck in your search.
Cheees!
So Airbnb you need to buy your own T.P.?
Hi Erin. There is usually TP when you arrive but with a month long you will need to buy more.
So what's a total estimate for a month?
Hi, Alissa! We give all the information in the video.
900€? I think for 500-600 € you could find a good stay in Kotor also. But ok, you are foreigners. Probably now al goods are +25% in the supermarket. Groceries are quite expensive actualy...for balkans. But for anglo americans probably quite cheap.
ok
Hello i am from Turkey
İ want move to Montenegro with my family..i am recepsonist
Sir plz tell me montenegro visa available
It depends on your passport. Go to the Montenegro website and all the information will be available.
Does everyone in Europe live in apartments in crammed cities? Americans want to live in a home they own with a nice yard for grilling and enjoyment, a basement for storage and a workshop, a two or three car garage, and generous space from your neighbors for privacy.
Well, as Americans we would say Europeans live the same as we do. If you live in a major city, it is most likely crammed with people, and you live in an apartment, as millions of Americans do. Not everyone has the same dream. One of the best days of our lives is when we decided to rid ourselves of a basement full of "stuff", selling our cars and downsizing.
Cheers!!🍻
@@BrianandCarrie So I guess I am right. I researched moving to Europe. But I currently live in a beautiful modern home in a rural area in the USA with a forest in the back, wild life all around. big yard, finished basement, all utilities supplied, 3 and a half bathrooms. Although the government of the USA is currently corrupt, I must be very very careful not to move to a country and end up in an apartment in a crowded city. The real story is in the details.
Wow! Sounds like you are living your dream! Congratulations on your success and good fortune. We decided to give all that up and explore the world and live our dream. The real story is definitely in the details.
Cheers 🍻
@@BrianandCarrie I congratulate you for following your dream. Definitely travel is an adventure and adds to one's life. Good luck in the future, and keep telling us about Montenegro.
As much as we enjoyed Montenegro, Portugal, Spain and Romania have been our most favorite places so far.
Hello.i am from Turkey..we would tomlike.live Montenegro..my wife spwak English french very well..and i want buy small house
Montenegro is very nice. Thank you for watching our video!
Cheers!!!🍻
bereich mikkkaal
$492 in Budva for a month? Thanks.
Just had to watch to the end. Great video. :)
Thank you, Stefan!
Cheers!!!🍻
Wonder how could local people sustain themselves with an average 500-700 euro a month salary. It's expensive ! Are local people poor ?
Many countries we've traveled to have very low wages, which has to be so tough for those trying to make a living. we know when we travel somewhere that the budget we have is well beyond what the local average wage is. Thanks for watching!
Can i work with you people