Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Istočno Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $897 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Istočno Sarajevo
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Istočno Sarajevo Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Istočno Sarajevo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bucharest and in Istočno Sarajevo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $897 in Istočno Sarajevo.

Bucharest $1,340
Istočno Sarajevo $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,364 in Istočno Sarajevo.

Bucharest $2,037
Istočno Sarajevo $1,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,830 in Istočno Sarajevo.

Bucharest $2,734
Istočno Sarajevo $1,830

Living in Bucharest is roughly 49% more expensive than in Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Istočno Sarajevo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 69.0

$8.61 BAM 15.02

68.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 277

$37.53 BAM 65.5

54.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.64

$6.83 BAM 11.92

9.52%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.40

$1.74 BAM 3.05

97.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 RON 11.29

$2.02 BAM 3.53

17.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.96

$1.47 BAM 2.57

56.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.63

$2.30 BAM 4.02

60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.83

$2.25 BAM 3.92

84.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.95

$1.45 BAM 2.54

15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.54

$1.30 BAM 2.27

5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.19

$2.14 BAM 3.73

-19.63%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.33

$3.16 BAM 5.51

15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.27

$10.31 BAM 18.00

-11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.57

$7.76 BAM 13.54

-11.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 57.2

$14.34 BAM 25.03

-16.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.84

$1.48 BAM 2.58

-16.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.78

$1.59 BAM 2.78

2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$1.56 BAM 2.72

0.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.09

$1.72 BAM 3.00

47.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.77

$0.99 BAM 1.74

-20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.68

$1.10 BAM 1.93

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.16

$1.08 BAM 1.88

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.73

$0.91 BAM 1.58

8.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 30.06

$3.86 BAM 6.74

63.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.54

$7.86 BAM 13.72

-21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.66

$0.89 BAM 1.56

33.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$1.54 BAM 2.69

1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.10

$1.47 BAM 2.57

-41.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 101

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.07

$1.39 BAM 2.43

-53.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.87

$1.17 BAM 2.04

-48.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.64

$8.32 BAM 14.53

-22.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.32

$1.58 BAM 2.76

24.05%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.0K RON 138.1K

$29.3K BAM 51.2K

-1.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.6K RON 126.9K

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

21.99%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$196 RON 933

$91.6 BAM 160

113.88%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.04 RON 38.30

$18.17 BAM 31.71

-55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.51

$28.32 BAM 49.44

-66.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 239

$33.17 BAM 57.9

51.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 121

$13.57 BAM 23.68

86.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.81

$5.70 BAM 9.95

42.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$628 RON 2,991

$133 BAM 232

373.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 67.1K

$3,916 BAM 6,835

259.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 427

$87.7 BAM 153

2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 183

$32.35 BAM 56.5

18.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 378

$89.7 BAM 157

-11.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 431

$99.2 BAM 173

-8.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,231

$213 BAM 372

218.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,136

$185 BAM 323

142.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,159

$261 BAM 455

315.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,453

$210 BAM 367

244.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.9K

$1,747 BAM 3,050

114.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.5K

$1,393 BAM 2,432

57.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,332

$717 BAM 1,252

85.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.08

65.44%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.6% 58.7% $263

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Istočno Sarajevo

$140 15.6% 37.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Istočno Sarajevo

$237 26.4% 5.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.4% 35.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.5% 3.8% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5% 33% $22

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Istočno Sarajevo

$13 * 1.5% 53.5% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $213 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $38.00 in Istočno Sarajevo. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $237, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

10,642

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Istočno Sarajevo 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Istočno Sarajevo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bucharest vs Istočno Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Istočno Sarajevo differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $897 including rent). Istočno Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $213 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $897 in Istočno Sarajevo – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Istočno Sarajevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Istočno Sarajevo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istočno Sarajevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.