Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,196 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
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Sarajevo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town 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 Cape Town and in Sarajevo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,196 in Sarajevo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Sarajevo $1,196

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,824 in Sarajevo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Sarajevo $1,824

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,451 in Sarajevo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Sarajevo $2,451

Cape Town costs about 28% more than Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Sarajevo is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$8.47 BAM 14.81

41.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$40.40 BAM 70.7

6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$8.63 BAM 15.10

-28.74%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.28 BAM 4.00

3.95%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.22 BAM 3.88

-42.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.41 BAM 2.47

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.93 BAM 5.12

1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$2.93 BAM 5.13

25.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.15 BAM 2.02

14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.15 BAM 2.01

5.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.21 BAM 3.86

-0.45%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.07 BAM 5.36

0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.36 BAM 18.13

-15.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.54 BAM 13.20

-8.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$13.93 BAM 24.37

-33.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.45 BAM 2.53

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.63 BAM 2.85

19.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.51 BAM 2.63

9.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.98 BAM 3.47

8.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.97 BAM 1.69

62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.10 BAM 1.93

33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.09 BAM 1.91

23.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.68 BAM 1.19

67.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$4.00 BAM 7.00

-10.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.01 BAM 12.26

-13.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$0.88 BAM 1.54

57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.50 BAM 2.63

45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.28 BAM 2.23

9.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$34.53 BAM 60.4

75.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.63 BAM 2.84

-42.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.29 BAM 2.26

-30.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$13.11 BAM 22.93

-62.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.69 BAM 2.96

-8.88%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$29.6K BAM 51.7K

19.66%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$22.1K BAM 38.6K

51.15%

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

$117 R 1,935

$210 BAM 367

-44.14%

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

$25.71 R 425

$13.77 BAM 24.08

86.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$26.87 BAM 47.01

46.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$41.54 BAM 72.7

24.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$20.13 BAM 35.22

-43.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$6.93 BAM 12.12

28.28%

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

$308 R 5,085

$209 BAM 366

47.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$5,035 BAM 8,808

61.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$85.8 BAM 150

-33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$37.97 BAM 66.4

-16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$88.8 BAM 155

30.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$100 BAM 175

0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$423 BAM 740

147.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$320 BAM 559

109.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$957 BAM 1,674

94.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$602 BAM 1,053

133.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$3,160 BAM 5,528

-23.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,392 BAM 4,185

-34.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,043 BAM 1,824

56.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.08

166.91%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sarajevo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Sarajevo

$320 26.7% 52.2% $350

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Sarajevo

$227 19% 1.6% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Sarajevo

$250 20.9% 37.3% $68

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Sarajevo

$156 13% 10.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Sarajevo

$141 11.8% 2.2% $3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sarajevo

$48 4% 33.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Sarajevo

$55 4.6% 20.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $423 in Sarajevo. 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 56% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $40 in Sarajevo. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $227 in Sarajevo – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

271,194 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 BAM = 0.572 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.572 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sarajevo 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 28% more than Sarajevo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,795 in Sarajevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarajevo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $423 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,196 in Sarajevo. That makes Sarajevo about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $209 in Sarajevo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,196 in Sarajevo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sarajevo costs $1,196 versus $1,527 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Sarajevo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.