Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istočno Sarajevo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $891 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Istočno Sarajevo
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Istočno Sarajevo Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

Jump to prices

Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$891

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istočno Sarajevo and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Istočno Sarajevo $891
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,356 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,356
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,821 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,821
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Istočno Sarajevo costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istočno Sarajevo is 34% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.59 BAM 14.99

$17.89 €15.97

-51.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 BAM 65.2

$66.2 €59.1

-43.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 BAM 11.92

$13.69 €12.22

-50.11%

Cappuccino

$1.70 BAM 2.96

$3.06 €2.73

-44.44%

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

$1.98 BAM 3.45

$3.07 €2.74

-35.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 BAM 2.45

$1.94 €1.73

-27.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 BAM 4.06

$3.87 €3.45

-39.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 BAM 3.91

$4.61 €4.11

-51.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 BAM 2.55

$1.30 €1.16

12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 BAM 2.29

$2.10 €1.87

-37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 BAM 3.69

$1.83 €1.63

15.85%

Eggs

$3.15 BAM 5.49

$4.62 €4.13

-31.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 BAM 17.85

$17.36 €15.49

-41.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.66 BAM 13.37

$9.28 €8.28

-17.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.03 BAM 24.48

$19.83 €17.70

-29.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 BAM 2.46

$3.01 €2.69

-53.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 BAM 2.75

$2.03 €1.81

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 BAM 2.63

$2.65 €2.37

-43.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.92

$2.87 €2.56

-41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 BAM 1.60

$2.16 €1.92

-57.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$2.15 €1.92

-48.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BAM 1.87

$1.47 €1.31

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 BAM 1.72

$0.88 €0.79

11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 BAM 6.82

$6.93 €6.18

-43.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 BAM 14.31

$7.83 €6.98

4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 BAM 1.52

$1.39 €1.24

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BAM 2.71

$2.63 €2.35

-40.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 BAM 2.27

$2.91 €2.60

-55.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$3.00 €2.67

-52.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$1.44 €1.29

-19.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 BAM 15.35

$33.20 €29.63

-73.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BAM 2.76

$1.86 €1.66

-15.05%

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

$29.8K BAM 52.0K

$32.3K €28.9K

-7.87%

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

$21.6K BAM 37.7K

$31.7K €28.3K

-31.83%

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

$90.8 BAM 158

$183 €163

-50.30%

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

$18.16 BAM 31.68

$13.61 €12.15

33.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 BAM 47.91

$32.93 €29.39

-16.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 BAM 58.4

$54.7 €48.81

-38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 BAM 24.25

$16.52 €14.75

-15.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 BAM 9.83

$11.23 €10.02

-49.78%

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

$134 BAM 233

$954 €852

-86.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,824 BAM 6,671

$16.6K €14.8K

-76.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 BAM 153

$86.0 €76.8

2.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.68 BAM 55.3

$39.11 €34.90

-19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 BAM 155

$104 €92.5

-14.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 BAM 171

$119 €106

-17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 BAM 375

$1,695 €1,513

-87.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 BAM 322

$1,276 €1,139

-85.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 BAM 442

$2,576 €2,299

-90.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 BAM 372

$1,922 €1,716

-88.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 BAM 3,003

$7,281 €6,499

-76.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 BAM 2,365

$5,010 €4,471

-72.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 BAM 1,243

$2,227 €1,987

-68.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.28

24.39%

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

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Istočno Sarajevo

$236 26.5%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 37.9% $89

Accommodation & Living

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 591% $1.1K

Eating Out

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.6%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 93.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.5%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 13.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istočno Sarajevo

$136 15.3%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 68% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 72.5% $32

Getting Around

Istočno Sarajevo

$12 * 1.4%

Barcelona

$47 2% 281% $35

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 $215 in Istočno Sarajevo and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Istočno Sarajevo vs $66 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $325 per month, with Istočno Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

Same time as Istočno Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istočno Sarajevo Barcelona 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istočno Sarajevo
Barcelona

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

Istočno Sarajevo vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istočno Sarajevo and Barcelona differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($891 vs $2,381 including rent). Istočno Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $215 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $134 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $954 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo – a meal for two runs $37 versus $66 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Istočno 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, Istočno Sarajevo and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Istočno Sarajevo wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.