New rules – new price lists: Utility services in some municipalities are already more expensive

Municipal services in Montenegrin municipalities can no longer be priced as before. The new government methodology and amendments to the law have obliged municipalities to harmonize price lists, and citizens in some municipalities are already paying more. In Podgorica, for example, the price of household waste collection and transportation is a third higher.

New rules – new price lists... The government has prescribed a new methodology for determining the prices of utility services by decree, and utility companies have adopted new price lists, which are subject to final approval by local assemblies. The new price list has been in effect in Podgorica for several months now.

"In addition to the legal obligation, the new price list was also a real need of the Company, since prices have not changed since 2020. The new price list was adopted at the Capital City Assembly, held in December 2025, and has been in effect since February 2026," the Podgorica-based company "Čistoća" announced.

For households, the cost of waste collection and transportation is now 12 cents per square meter, including VAT, instead of the previous nine cents, which is an increase of 33 percent.

"The decision to adjust the prices of services was made after a detailed analysis of the Company's operating costs. In the previous period, there was a significant increase in operating costs, primarily the prices of fuel, spare parts, vehicle maintenance, salary increases from November 2023, as well as other inputs necessary for the smooth performance of utility services," said Podgorica-based "Čistoća".

Different calculations apply to companies and other legal entities, depending on the activity they are engaged in. The argument of utility companies is simple – more expensive operations must be reflected in a higher price for the service. It is influenced by operating costs, infrastructure, number of users, scope of service, investments...

Utility companies claim that they have been in a kind of pricing vacuum for years due to the Constitutional Court's decision in 2022 that overturned the previous government Regulation on Utility Prices. Since then, it has been impossible to establish a new price list, which they claim has caused them serious financial losses.

While in Podgorica the fee was increased by 33 percent, in Ulcinj it was increased by 50 percent, and this is the first price adjustment since 2008.

"In the meantime, from 2008 to today, all other municipalities have harmonized and adopted new prices, so that even with these existing prices, for example, the municipality of Ulcinj will be at the level of 50% of the price of construction land fees compared to neighboring municipalities, all coastal municipalities," said Genci Nimanbegu, President of the Municipality of Ulcinj.

The story of the new price lists does not end only with the bill that arrives to citizens, but also raises the question of whether higher prices will mean better quality service, more investments and more stable utility companies. Whatever the case, the new rules have been set, the price lists have been harmonized, and citizens will feel their application most directly – through their bills.