Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bugojno

For one person, living is cheaper in Bugojno: $927 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bugojno
Learn more

Bugojno Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bugojno

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bugojno

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $927 in Bugojno, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Bugojno $927

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,310 in Bugojno, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Bugojno $1,310

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,693 in Bugojno, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Bugojno $1,693

Istanbul costs about 67% more than Bugojno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Bugojno is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$5.06 BAM 8.83

143.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$31.18 BAM 54.4

75.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$5.75 BAM 10.04

60.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$1.90 BAM 3.31

131.58%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$1.89 BAM 3.30

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.18 BAM 2.06

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$2.59 BAM 4.53

81.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.19 BAM 3.82

169.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$1.16 BAM 2.02

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$0.93 BAM 1.63

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.97 BAM 3.44

11.17%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.58 BAM 4.50

-8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$7.77 BAM 13.57

34.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$7.31 BAM 12.76

-22.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$10.31 BAM 17.99

103.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$1.09 BAM 1.91

74.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.60 BAM 2.79

44.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$1.41 BAM 2.47

-9.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$1.14 BAM 2.00

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$1.02 BAM 1.79

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$0.98 BAM 1.71

-34.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$0.77 BAM 1.34

62.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$0.72 BAM 1.26

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$3.90 BAM 6.80

-39.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$3.99 BAM 6.96

236.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.75 BAM 1.30

220.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$0.89 BAM 1.55

291.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.70

$1.17 BAM 2.04

-23.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$0.90 BAM 1.57

43.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$0.58 BAM 1.02

58.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$5.60 BAM 9.78

95.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$1.56 BAM 2.72

-5.77%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.6K BAM 53.4K

65.98%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.0K BAM 36.6K

112.34%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$134 BAM 234

-34.01%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$17.80 BAM 31.07

-34.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$25.84 BAM 45.10

-38.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$32.18 BAM 56.2

139.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$5.72 BAM 9.98

42.31%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$200 BAM 348

405.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,282 BAM 3,984

1019.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$58.1 BAM 101

-7.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$32.82 BAM 57.3

24.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$83.8 BAM 146

18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$83.1 BAM 145

16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$317 BAM 553

210.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$284 BAM 496

128.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$524 BAM 915

278.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$322 BAM 562

266.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$2,421 BAM 4,226

29.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$1,727 BAM 3,015

3.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$600 BAM 1,047

100.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.33

845.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bugojno: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bugojno

$284 30.7% 56.2% $365

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bugojno

$187 20.1% 28.2% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bugojno

$110 11.9% 50.7% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bugojno

$116 12.5% 11.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bugojno

$178 19.2% 53.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bugojno

$44 4.7% 53.3% $50

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bugojno

$8.5 * 0.9% 88.9% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $317 in Bugojno. 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 101% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $31.00 in Bugojno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $187 – making Bugojno the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇦 Bugojno

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

12:09 12:09 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,555

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.31 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 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 TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Bugojno 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bugojno

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

Istanbul vs Bugojno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 67% more than Bugojno, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,391 in Bugojno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bugojno, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $927 in Bugojno. That's a gap of about 67%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $200 in Bugojno. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bugojno, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Bugojno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bugojno costs $927 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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