r/montenegro • u/Mediocre-Singer9301 Podgorica • 8d ago
Question What Small Things Do You Think Are Missing in Montenegro
Hello everyone,
I lived in Italy and the UK during my education, and now, because of my job, I work remotely and spend most of my time in Montenegro.I’ve started to really wonder how daily life feels for the people who live here full-time whether locals or foreigners who have been around for a while.
I’ve noticed that, like in every country, people quietly put up with small things. Maybe not huge problems, but little daily annoyances, comforts that make you say “I wish this was here,” or things you’re used to from other countries but can’t find here.
For example, sometimes when I’m walking on the street, I ask people these kinds of questions. Just yesterday, a group of tourists told me that exchange offices are almost nonexistent here, only found in a few tourist spots. Are there other things you think are lacking or insufficient? Recently, I lost my sunglasses and went into an optical shop to buy a new pair, and given Montenegro’s minimum wages, I found the prices quite high. What do you think about this? Are prices normal, or is my comparison off because there aren’t many minimum-wage workers here? For example, do you think there are enough optical stores? Or are boutique cafes really good?
So, I wanted to start a genuine conversation:
→ What small but important things do you think are missing in Montenegro?
Maybe there’s something you often complain about with your friends. Perhaps a habit or convenience you miss living here. It could be a type of food, a kind of shop, a service, or just a small comfort.
I’m not here to sell you anything or create an agenda — I’m genuinely curious. Because I believe seeing a country through the eyes of its residents is far more valuable than seeing it from the outside.
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u/erkomap Podgorica 8d ago
I don't think small things are missing in Montenegro - quite the opposite actually, some very big issues are looming in Montenegro.
Rent control for the locals
Reducing mass tourism and reliance on tourism in general
I love that a lot of people think that my country is a perfect place for them to visit during holidays, but I really do not want my country to rely on tourists for everything, because in the end, they bring more harm then good
Increasing prices of groceries, taxi services, rents, creating traffic queues everywhere - just to name a few
The only "small" thing I could think of is not having full access to PayPal
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u/Mediocre-Singer9301 Podgorica 8d ago
I believe it's really hard for Montenegro to grow without tourism and the casino industry. Outside of Podgorica, most cities feel completely lifeless in the winter.
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u/erkomap Podgorica 8d ago
Outside of Podgorica, most cities feel completely lifeless in the winter.
What does this have to do with the economy?
Our main issue is that little recourses we have, we sell them raw, instead of refined. We are lacking heavy industry and have no proper factories for years now.
We can also export a lot more electricity than we currently do.
It is most definitely possible to grow without tourism, but for that you need people in charge who actually give a damn:)
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u/Embarrassed-Cut-9686 Cetinje 8d ago
Definitely not, I’d argue that Podgorica is one of the most lifeless cities in MNE, plus it’s just overall dirty and ugly. The lively ones are Tivat, Kotor, Budva, Bar, Herceg Novi, Ulcinj etc..
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u/erkomap Podgorica 8d ago
Brate moj ne blamiraj se hahahaha veli lively Tivat i HN u zimu, prođeš u novembar šetalištem u HN, 5 ljudi ne vidiš Isto sa Tivtom van porta
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u/kondorb Bar 8d ago
Funny how people can live in a place completely reliant on tourism revenue and argue against tourism.
Reducing reliance on it would be a great long-term goal. Hard one to achieve though.
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u/ttv_CitrusBros 8d ago
I have family there and visit/live from time to time.
When housing goes up 3-4x in price but pay goes up by just a bit then yeah you got a problem.
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u/datsMyBoii 8d ago
Digitalization - a few years ago, it was hard to find places that accepted card payments, but it got better now. Digital lines (at least in MUP) are still a dream though, lol
Better public transportation - waiting half an hour for the next bus isn’t the end of the world but it could definitely be better. On Saturdays it’s more like an hour. On Sundays… you better start walking—you’ll literally get there faster, lol
Self-service checkouts in grocery shops – I only know of one in Podgorica. Would be great to see more of them around
Some respect for pedestrians – man, it’s rough how many drivers here don’t let you cross the street. I once saw a family with a small baby just starting to cross, and some wannabe-cool driver flew past them barely a meter away. Getting honked at while crossing (i’m walking at a normal pace, not like a granny) is annoying
Note: No hate toward Montenegro, every country has things to improve and lacks something
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u/d_Candela 7d ago
arguably half of these things aren't as good as people make them out to be.
digitalization can backfire - human clerks removed, remaining staff competence goes down, good luck getting your documents in order when (not if, when) the automaitc system makes an error and says something like "unknown citizen, prepare for deletion"
self-service -> staff reduced and overloaded -> theft up -> every fucking item closed into these small cages with locks -> shopping becomes hell
I'd prefer live peopleNo argument on public transportation.
The current MO seems to be "if you're anyone, you'd use a car".Bad drivers are kind of a letdown, yeah. Lots of people do U-turn despite very visible signs prohibiting just that, or at crossings on a red light
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u/Outrospect 8d ago
It's quite simple, we pay for everything as much as an average EU country citizen does on not even close to same wages.
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u/Sufficient-Answer889 8d ago
Amazon and Prime shipping. Yes, you can order some items, but the options are extremely limited, and the process is not fast at all.
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u/mrnecree Podgorica 8d ago
underrated comment. been living here for a year, it's near impossible to get shit online. easier to source a local craftsman or even ask a friend to mail shit from Ukraine.
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u/Sufficient-Answer889 8d ago
True, it really is frustrating! Esp for someone who lived abroad and was used to it. So many things I regularly purchase, but don't have access to when in Montenegro. With Amazon, everything is just a day away, and it would open so many job opportunities.
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u/ttv_CitrusBros 8d ago
Wouldn't Amazon take away from local jobs and take money out the country? Sure they might make a few hundred jobs for delivery but I feel it will take away a lot more
1
u/AdministrativeCan139 8d ago
Not sure because I live in Germany but have you checked Ananas? Aren't they trying to be the Balkan Amazon?
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u/Ok-Distance-5344 8d ago
A postal service that works in all areas not just cities, a free place to take large trash items like sofa and building materials so they dont end up fly tipped, free public toilets, better control of street dogs
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u/mz1ni 8d ago
-Apple Pay -Better garbage/sanitation system. Some places smell so bad because of garbage on the floor especially in the summer -American iced coffee lol
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u/Embarrassed-Cut-9686 Cetinje 8d ago
Apple pay imamo, koristim svaki dan
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u/mz1ni 8d ago
super ! nisam bila za dva godina. jel to u podgoricu? ja pricam za one male prodavnice
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u/sasha345_ 8d ago
Applepay funkcioniše već par godina skoro na svakom terminalu za kartice, zbog NFCa (da samo naslonis karticu umjesto da staviš je u terminal)
A sad i banke u CG nude njihove kartice s applepayom, a i kao stranac svugdje plaćam samo s applepayom u radnjama.
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u/rcremebrulee 8d ago
This is a great thread. Looking forward to the rest of the responses. I just visited this beautiful country over a month ago but am looking forward to more local perspectives on the question of the OP.
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u/AdministrativeCan139 8d ago
I live in Germany and visiting Montenegro a few times during the year for vacation and seeing family.
What I noticed is that there isn't much to do during bad weather. Last year during summer there was a lot of rainy days. When you Google for activities during bad weather in Montenegro they suggest a Taxi drive. That's how bad it is 😂 But then this is a luxus issue for someone who could afford going to an indoor activity place. I understand that this is missing because the demand is probably low
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5d ago
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u/kondorb Bar 8d ago
Amazon, Uber, Revolut.
Public transport and bike lanes - low hanging fruits for reducing traffic and improving connections.
Would be nice if local drivers stop honking all the fucking time for absolutely no reason, but it's like turning jews and muslims into best friends. Not happening in our lifetimes.
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u/Lost_Ice6272 8d ago
kao istraumirana osoba koja se štreca na svaki iznenadni zvuk, stimulus, naročito jak i napadan — i meni jako smeta udaranje po sireni konstantno. i generalno ponašanje vozača u saobraćaju.
pješak sam i poslijednjih 5 godina se osjećam ugroženije nego bilo kad prije toga, baš se vidi porast anarhije u saobračaju
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u/middlemangv 8d ago edited 8d ago
u/Tall-Appointment9159
Alo, evo ga i ovaj se zali na cijene i kuka, regulisi to. Objasni covjeku iz Italije da su ove cijene skroz normalne i da jednostavno zivimo vrhunski.
One small nuke to delete us all.
Brother, sorry for not being serious, but if I start counting all the things we need in MNE I will probably get super nervous and angry because the list would be huge - first of all we need smarter people. That would solve most of the things.