Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Mostar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $899 in Mostar, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Mostar
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$899
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Mostar

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $899 in Mostar, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Mostar $899

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,402 in Mostar, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Mostar $1,402

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,904 in Mostar, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Mostar $1,904

Cairo is about 28% cheaper than Mostar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Mostar are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Mostar 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$6.85 BAM 11.91
-32.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$31.14 BAM 54.2
-9.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$5.67 BAM 9.86
6.35%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$1.65 BAM 2.86
4.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$1.83 BAM 3.18
-80.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$1.18 BAM 2.05
-89.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$2.34 BAM 4.07
-35.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$2.09 BAM 3.64
11.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.16 BAM 2.01
-20.69%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$0.91 BAM 1.58
-19.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$1.97 BAM 3.43
-62.44%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$2.63 BAM 4.58
-54.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$7.77 BAM 13.52
-44.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$7.40 BAM 12.87
-32.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$10.58 BAM 18.39
-12.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$1.10 BAM 1.91
60.91%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$1.65 BAM 2.87
-55.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$1.35 BAM 2.35
-59.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$1.15 BAM 1.99
-56.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$1.04 BAM 1.80
-59.62%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$0.97 BAM 1.69
-57.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$0.71 BAM 1.24
-53.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$0.71 BAM 1.23
-70.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$3.92 BAM 6.82
-49.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$4.04 BAM 7.02
93.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$0.80 BAM 1.39
98.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$0.89 BAM 1.54
134.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$1.11 BAM 1.94
-68.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$36.85 BAM 64.1
-76.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$1.73 BAM 3.00
-77.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$0.55 BAM 0.96
-60.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$5.77 BAM 10.03
-73.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.51 BAM 2.63
-71.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$29.9K BAM 52.0K
9.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$21.3K BAM 37.0K
28.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$90.6 BAM 158
-69.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$17.70 BAM 30.77
-51.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$26.06 BAM 45.31
-46.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$35.45 BAM 61.6
-16.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$10.08 BAM 17.54
-28.08%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$5.77 BAM 10.04
-15.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$135 BAM 235
-10.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$18.5K BAM 32.2K
-80.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$57.9 BAM 101
-30.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$32.01 BAM 55.7
54.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$87.0 BAM 151
32.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$81.3 BAM 141
-26.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$432 BAM 752
-48.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$249 BAM 433
-21.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$663 BAM 1,153
-17.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$459 BAM 798
-24.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$2,305 BAM 4,008
-65.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$1,582 BAM 2,751
-66.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Mostar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$860 BAM 1,495
-76.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
4.3
276.98%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mostar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Mostar
$249 27.6% $54
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Mostar
$188 32.5% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Mostar
$116 2.5% $2.9
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Mostar
$119 32.7% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Mostar
$134 170% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Mostar
$47 19.2% $7.6
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Mostar
$46 296% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $432 in Mostar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 330% higher in Mostar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $31.00 in Mostar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $188 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇧🇦 Mostar
🕒 Local time
14:25 2:25 PM
13:25 1:25 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
60,195
Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Mostar 1,900 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Mostar

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
Cairo vs Mostar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mostar cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Mostar is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,349 in Mostar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Mostar?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Mostar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Mostar?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $31.00 in Mostar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cairo or Mostar?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $899 in Mostar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Cairo or Mostar more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Cairo or Mostar?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mostar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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