Montenegro by campervan: costs and prices

Practical costs in Montenegro: currency, cards, cash, fuel, groceries and budgeting for a campervan trip. What to know before you go.

Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026

Currency
Euro
EUR. Adopted unilaterally in 2002. Not a eurozone member
Language
Montenegrin
Serbian, Bosnian and Albanian are widely heard too
Driving
Right
Motorway 130 km/h, other roads 80 km/h
Border
Outside Schengen
Staffed crossings with Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Albania
Insurance
No green card needed
EU checks dropped on 2 August 2021
Emergency
112
Road help from AMSCG on 19807, in English

Money

Montenegro is cheap to eat out in and not cheap to shop in. Eurostat's price level indices for 2024 put all household consumption at 58 against an EU average of 100, restaurants and hotels at 66, but food and non-alcoholic drinks at 84. Croatia next door sits at 73, 95 and 104 on the same three measures. So the supermarket bill will not feel like a bargain, a restaurant will, and the overall gap against western Europe is real but narrower than the reputation.

A wooden mannequin hand holding a fan of 50 euro notes against a dark blue background — The euro since 2002, adopted unilaterally. Montenegro is not in the eurozone

Practical prices for camper travel

Diesel, 1 litre: €1.90
Campsite or camper area, 1 night: €30
Inexpensive restaurant meal: €10
White bread, 500 g: €0.89
Bottled water, 1.5 litres: €0.75

How Montenegro compares on price, Eurostat 2024, EU27 = 100

Basket	Montenegro	Croatia	What it means in the van
All household consumption	58	73	A week here costs meaningfully less than the same week across the Croatian border.
Restaurants and hotels	66	95	Eating out is the cheapest part of the trip. This is where the reputation comes from.
Food and drink in shops	84	104	Self-catering saves much less than you expect. Buy the big shop before you cross, or accept it.

Cards, cash and machines

Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express are the cards the tourism organisation names as accepted.
Cash still runs market stalls, village shops and small family restaurants inland.

What the euro does not buy you

Montenegro is not in the EU, so an EU SIM does not roam at home rates and EU consumer rules do not apply.
It is not in the eurozone either. The euro is used unilaterally, which is a monetary decision, not membership.