Where to Buy Property in Montenegro: Budva, Tivat, Kotor
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Where to Buy Property in Montenegro: Budva, Tivat, Kotor or Bečići
Last reviewed: 10 September 2026 · By the Globsey team
Budva has the deepest and most active property market in Montenegro. Bečići has the beach and most of the new resort-style developments. Tivat has the marina, the airport and the most international feel. Kotor has the UNESCO old town and very little new construction. Each suits a different kind of owner.
Start with one question, not with a map
Every location list you read will tell you Kotor is beautiful. It is. That is not the useful question.
The useful question is: how many weeks a year will you actually be in this property, and what happens the rest of the time?
Answer that honestly and the location almost picks itself:
- You will use it for a few weeks and rent it the rest of the summer. You want walking distance to a beach and to restaurants, in a building with a reception.
- You will spend a season here, or work remotely part of the year. You want a town that stays open in winter, with a supermarket, a gym and a doctor nearby.
- You want a home you will grow into. You want space, a view and a quiet street, and you can accept a ten-minute drive to everything.
Now the map is useful. Everything below is a 45-minute drive end to end, which is why buyers here can genuinely compare four markets in a single weekend, as we describe in our overview of how buying property in Montenegro works overall.
Budva — the deepest market on the coast
Budva is the busiest town on the Montenegrin coast and, for a buyer, that has one very practical consequence: there is more of everything. More apartments for sale, more buyers when you come to sell, more rental demand in July and August, and more life in January than anywhere else on the coast.
The old town is a walled Venetian core on a small peninsula. Behind it sits a modern town of apartment buildings, and behind that, hillsides with sea views where most of the larger developments go up.
It suits you if you want the shortest path between property and everything else, and you like a place with noise in it.
Be aware that central Budva in August is genuinely crowded, parking is a real consideration, and quality between buildings varies enormously. Two blocks 200 metres apart can be completely different products.
Bečići — the beach, and most of the new building
Bečići is the next bay along from Budva, three or four minutes by car, and it has the long sandy beach that Budva itself does not.
That single geographic fact explains why so much new resort-style construction is here. When we look at land in this area as a developer, Bečići keeps coming out ahead on the criteria that matter for a building with a reception, pools and a spa: enough buildable plot to fit the amenities, a flat walk to a real beach, and access to the main road without being on it.
It is the reason our own apartment development in Bečići is built as a full resort complex with 24/7 reception, pools, spa, gyms and coworking space, rather than as a plain apartment block. In an area where a large share of owners are not there in October, the shared infrastructure is what keeps the building working.
It suits you if you want a modern, serviced apartment near the sand, and you plan to rent it when you are away.
Be aware that Bečići is much quieter than Budva outside the season, and that with several new complexes completing in the same area, you should look closely at what distinguishes the one you are buying — the questions to ask are in our guide on what to ask a developer before you reserve.
Tivat — the marina, the airport and the international crowd
Tivat was a naval town. Then Porto Montenegro was built on the old shipyard, and the town changed character completely: superyacht marina, waterfront restaurants, an international school, and a permanent population that includes a lot of foreign residents.
Montenegro's busiest airport is on the edge of town. In summer 2026 Tivat was served by around 26 airlines flying to roughly 60 destinations (FlightsFrom, August 2026). If you are going to fly in for long weekends, that fifteen-minute transfer is worth more than any brochure feature.
Above the town, the Kavač hillside has the space that the waterfront does not. That is where our own villa project sits — a gated development of 16 villas on a pine hillside, close to both the marina and the airport. The choice of location is not sentimental: villas need plot size and privacy, and on this coast that means going up the hill.
It suits you if you want boats, flights and an international community, and you prefer calm to crowds.
Be aware that Tivat is more expensive per square metre than most of the coast, and that the winter is very quiet outside the marina area.
Kotor — beautiful, protected, and thin on supply
Kotor sits at the far end of the bay, under a mountain, behind medieval walls. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it looks like one.
For a buyer, the heritage status cuts both ways. It protects the setting permanently, which is rare and valuable. It also means very little new construction, and it means that renovating a stone building inside or near the protected area is a serious project with real constraints.
Most of the interesting stock is in the villages along the bay — Dobrota, Prčanj, Muo — where waterfront stone houses come up for sale a few at a time.
It suits you if you want character over convenience and are prepared to wait for the right property.
Be aware that the bay gets less direct sun in winter than the open coast because of the mountains, the road around the bay is slow in summer, and supply is genuinely limited.
The four side by side
| Budva | Bečići | Tivat | Kotor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character | Busy coastal town | Beach resort | Marina town | Historic bay |
| Best for | Choice and liquidity | Serviced holiday rental | Boats and flights | Character homes |
| New construction | High | High | Moderate, on the hillsides | Very limited |
| Winter activity | Highest on the coast | Quiet | Quiet outside the marina | Quiet |
| Beach | Small town beaches | Long sandy beach | Bay swimming, marina | Bay swimming |
| Airport | ~20 min to Tivat | ~25 min to Tivat | ~10 min | ~15 min |
What we would tell you if you called us
Come out of season if you can. A property that feels wonderful in the second week of August and lifeless in the second week of November is still a good buy for some people — but you should know which one you are getting before you sign, not after. We wrote about what the coast is like out of season for exactly that reason.
And see all four. It costs you a day and it is the cheapest research you will ever do on this purchase.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best place to buy property in Montenegro? There is no single best place. Budva has the deepest resale market and the most year-round life, Bečići has the beach and the newest developments, Tivat has the marina and the airport, and Kotor has the historic old town. The right answer depends on whether you will live in the property, rent it out, or both.
Is Budva or Tivat better? Budva has more choice, more rental demand in summer and more activity in winter. Tivat is quieter and more international, with the marina and the airport a few minutes away.
What about Herceg Novi and Lustica Bay? Both are real options. Herceg Novi is at the mouth of the bay, greener and calmer, with a strong local town life. Lustica Bay is a large planned resort development on the peninsula. We cover the four main markets here because that is where most foreign purchases happen, but ask us if either of those fits your brief better.
Where is the mountain option? Kolašin, in the north, near the ski areas. It is a small and seasonal market in the opposite season to the coast, and it works for a specific kind of buyer rather than as a general recommendation.
Talk to us
Tell us how many weeks a year you will be here and what you want the property to do when you are not. We will tell you which of these four to look at first — and which to skip.
Write to info@globsey.com.
About Globsey
Globsey is part of a group that has worked in Montenegro since 2007 as both a developer and an agency, based on the Montenegrin coast. The villa development above Tivat and the resort apartments in Bečići are our own projects, which is why this guide talks about why building happens where it happens.
This guide is general information and is not legal or tax advice. Please take advice from a qualified Montenegrin professional before you commit to a purchase.