Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,204 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
Learn more

Sarajevo Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Sarajevo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,204 in Sarajevo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Sarajevo $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,807 in Sarajevo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Sarajevo $1,807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,410 in Sarajevo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Sarajevo $2,410

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 40% more expensive than in Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Sarajevo is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$8.60 BAM 15.01

117.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$39.59 BAM 69.1

62.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.48 BAM 14.79

51.89%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.33 BAM 4.06

70.82%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$2.23 BAM 3.88

-8.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.41 BAM 2.47

9.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.94 BAM 5.12

30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.91 BAM 5.08

58.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.16 BAM 2.02

24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.17 BAM 2.05

110.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.22 BAM 3.87

-26.58%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.08 BAM 5.37

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$10.33 BAM 18.02

3.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.73 BAM 13.49

29.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$14.14 BAM 24.67

-2.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.42 BAM 2.48

93.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.70 BAM 2.96

28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.57 BAM 2.74

-7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.98 BAM 3.46

0.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.98 BAM 1.71

26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.14 BAM 1.99

11.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.07 BAM 1.86

58.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.71 BAM 1.24

143.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$4.02 BAM 7.01

3.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$8.02 BAM 13.98

-27.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.89 BAM 1.56

134.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.42 BAM 2.47

95.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.24 BAM 2.17

-39.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$35.01 BAM 61.1

-22.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.47 BAM 2.56

10.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.12 BAM 1.96

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$8.61 BAM 15.02

-10.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.74 BAM 3.03

-21.84%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

-6.42%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$23.2K BAM 40.5K

48.83%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$220 BAM 384

-2.15%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$14.25 BAM 24.86

79.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$28.24 BAM 49.28

11.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$40.15 BAM 70.1

24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$19.66 BAM 34.30

-13.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.68 BAM 11.66

56.14%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$206 BAM 359

126.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,856 BAM 6,727

134.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$88.6 BAM 155

37.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$37.30 BAM 65.1

161.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$89.4 BAM 156

30.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$99.4 BAM 173

40.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$449 BAM 783

70.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$305 BAM 533

65.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$997 BAM 1,740

60.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$587 BAM 1,024

101.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$3,243 BAM 5,658

-17.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$2,384 BAM 4,159

-22.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,023 BAM 1,785

-6.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.08

1303.19%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sarajevo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Sarajevo

$305 25.5% 39.6% $200

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Sarajevo

$231 19.3% 18.5% $53

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Sarajevo

$157 13.1% 43.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Sarajevo

$263 21.9% 3.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Sarajevo

$142 11.8% 33.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Sarajevo

$54 4.5% 24.3% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sarajevo

$47 3.9% 28.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $449 in Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarajevo pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $40.00 in Sarajevo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $231 per month, with Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

271,194 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Sarajevo 11,670 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sarajevo differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,204 including rent). Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Sarajevo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $449 in Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $206 in Sarajevo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Sarajevo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes 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, Buenos Aires and 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 Sarajevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.