Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Istočno Sarajevo

For one person, living costs are similar in Cebu and in Istočno Sarajevo: $918 and $897 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$918
/mo nomad
Istočno Sarajevo
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$897
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $918 in Cebu versus $897 in Istočno Sarajevo.

  • Cebu $918
  • Istočno Sarajevo $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Cebu versus $1,364 in Istočno Sarajevo.

  • Cebu $1,409
  • Istočno Sarajevo $1,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,900 in Cebu versus $1,830 in Istočno Sarajevo.

  • Cebu $1,900
  • Istočno Sarajevo $1,830

Living in Cebu is roughly 2% more expensive than in Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 32% lower, Istočno Sarajevo 34% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.09 ₱194
$8.61 BAM 15.03
-64.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.22 ₱1,521
$37.53 BAM 65.5
-35.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.92 ₱246
$6.83 BAM 11.92
-42.61%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱157
$1.74 BAM 3.05
44.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₱100
$2.02 BAM 3.53
-21.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.36
$1.47 BAM 2.57
-63.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.30 BAM 4.02
-22.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₱136
$2.25 BAM 3.92
-3.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.45 BAM 2.54
32.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ₱85.2
$1.30 BAM 2.27
4.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 ₱63.4
$2.14 BAM 3.74
-52.80%
Eggs
$2.03 ₱127
$3.16 BAM 5.51
-35.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 ₱620
$10.31 BAM 18.01
-4.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 ₱276
$7.76 BAM 13.55
-43.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.60 ₱478
$14.34 BAM 25.04
-47.00%
Apples (1kg)
$3.30 ₱207
$1.48 BAM 2.58
122.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.6
$1.59 BAM 2.78
-12.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 ₱147
$1.56 BAM 2.72
49.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ₱94.1
$1.72 BAM 3.00
-12.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.36 ₱148
$0.99 BAM 1.74
138.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 ₱119
$1.10 BAM 1.93
72.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱74.7
$1.08 BAM 1.88
10.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₱39.62
$0.91 BAM 1.58
-30.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₱189
$3.86 BAM 6.74
-22.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 ₱379
$7.86 BAM 13.72
-23.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 ₱77.5
$0.89 BAM 1.56
38.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₱110
$1.54 BAM 2.69
13.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 ₱15.82
$1.47 BAM 2.57
-82.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.64 ₱794
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.51
$1.39 BAM 2.43
-44.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.50
$1.17 BAM 2.04
-80.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 ₱280
$8.32 BAM 14.53
-46.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₱82.6
$1.58 BAM 2.76
-17.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$29.3K BAM 51.2K
-27.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K ₱1.2M
$21.8K BAM 38.1K
-12.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ₱7,553
$91.6 BAM 160
31.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.00 ₱880
$18.17 BAM 31.73
-22.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.54 ₱1,730
$28.32 BAM 49.46
-2.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.33 ₱2,031
$33.17 BAM 57.9
-2.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ₱418
$13.57 BAM 23.69
-50.99%
Cinema Ticket
$5.65 ₱355
$5.70 BAM 9.95
-0.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₱17.3K
$133 BAM 232
107.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,918 ₱497.4K
$3,916 BAM 6,838
102.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ₱3,099
$87.7 BAM 153
-43.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.24 ₱1,586
$32.35 BAM 56.5
-21.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ₱4,835
$89.7 BAM 157
-14.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.2 ₱3,593
$99.2 BAM 173
-42.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$500 ₱31.4K
$213 BAM 372
134.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₱19.4K
$185 BAM 323
66.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 ₱67.7K
$261 BAM 456
313.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 ₱38.7K
$210 BAM 367
192.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,886 ₱181.3K
$1,747 BAM 3,051
65.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ₱120.4K
$1,393 BAM 2,433
37.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cebu
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$346 ₱21.7K
$717 BAM 1,252
-51.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
4.08
76.47%

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

Last update for Cebu: 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
Cebu
$309
Istočno Sarajevo
$185 40.1% $124
Groceries & Markets
Cebu
$206
Istočno Sarajevo
$237 15.1% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cebu
$162
Istočno Sarajevo
$138 14.6% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Cebu
$94
Istočno Sarajevo
$139 48% $45
Eating Out
Cebu
$88
Istočno Sarajevo
$140 58.9% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Cebu
$44
Istočno Sarajevo
$45 2.2% $1
Getting Around
Cebu
$16
Istočno Sarajevo
$13 * 15.7% $2.4

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 $500 in Cebu and $213 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istočno Sarajevo pays 107% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cebu vs $38.00 in Istočno Sarajevo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $237 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cebu
🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo
🕒 Local time
20:02 8:02 PM
14:02 2:02 PM
6 h behind Cebu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
964,169
10,642
Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 62.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.39 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cebu Istočno Sarajevo 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cebu
  • 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
Cebu vs Istočno Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istočno Sarajevo cheaper than Cebu?
Istočno Sarajevo is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cebu or Istočno Sarajevo?
On paper, salaries run 107% lower in Istočno Sarajevo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cebu and Istočno Sarajevo?
Rent for a central apartment: $500 in Cebu versus $213 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cebu and in Istočno Sarajevo?
Shoppers in Cebu pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
What are total monthly expenses in Cebu and in Istočno Sarajevo?
All in, you'll spend $918 per month in Cebu versus $897 in Istočno Sarajevo – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cebu or Istočno Sarajevo?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Istočno Sarajevo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Cebu or Istočno Sarajevo more family-friendly?
For families, Istočno Sarajevo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Cebu or Istočno Sarajevo?
Safety-wise, Cebu 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Istočno Sarajevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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