Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istočno Sarajevo and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $905 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$905

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istočno Sarajevo and in Cape Town

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 Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $905 per month in Istočno Sarajevo vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Istočno Sarajevo $905
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,370 per month in Istočno Sarajevo vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,370
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,835 per month in Istočno Sarajevo vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,835
Cape Town $3,306

Istočno Sarajevo is about 41% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istočno Sarajevo sits 33% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.64 BAM 15.11

$12.01 R 199

-28.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.99 BAM 64.7

$42.92 R 709

-13.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.72 BAM 11.75

$6.15 R 102

9.27%

Cappuccino

$1.76 BAM 3.08

$2.37 R 39.16

-25.74%

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

$2.01 BAM 3.52

$1.27 R 21.03

58.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 BAM 2.45

$0.94 R 15.50

48.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 BAM 4.09

$2.96 R 48.92

-20.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BAM 4.03

$3.69 R 61.0

-37.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 BAM 2.47

$1.32 R 21.80

6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 BAM 2.39

$1.21 R 19.93

13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 BAM 3.69

$2.20 R 36.37

-4.09%

Eggs

$3.11 BAM 5.44

$3.10 R 51.3

0.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 BAM 17.61

$8.73 R 144

15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 BAM 13.48

$6.89 R 114

11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 BAM 24.93

$9.26 R 153

53.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 BAM 2.57

$1.83 R 30.17

-19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 BAM 2.86

$1.95 R 32.22

-16.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 BAM 2.70

$1.66 R 27.40

-7.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 BAM 3.06

$2.14 R 35.30

-18.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BAM 1.65

$1.58 R 26.09

-39.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 BAM 1.85

$1.47 R 24.37

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 BAM 1.90

$1.35 R 22.25

-19.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 BAM 1.72

$1.14 R 18.91

-14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 BAM 6.63

$3.58 R 59.1

5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 BAM 14.18

$6.05 R 100

34.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.55

$1.39 R 23.02

-35.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BAM 2.71

$2.18 R 36.01

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 BAM 2.12

$1.40 R 23.09

-13.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 BAM 2.46

$0.93 R 15.31

51.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$0.90 R 14.88

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 BAM 15.06

$4.96 R 82.0

73.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 BAM 2.66

$1.54 R 25.45

-1.30%

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

$29.7K BAM 52.0K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-15.92%

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

$20.8K BAM 36.5K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-37.53%

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

$92.7 BAM 162

$117 R 1,935

-20.81%

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

$18.43 BAM 32.25

$25.71 R 425

-28.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.77 BAM 48.57

$39.41 R 651

-29.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 BAM 59.3

$51.6 R 853

-34.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.00 BAM 22.75

$11.35 R 188

14.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 BAM 11.33

$8.89 R 147

-27.11%

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

$137 BAM 240

$308 R 5,085

-55.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,913 BAM 6,846

$8,141 R 134.6K

-51.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 BAM 156

$57.4 R 948

54.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.39 BAM 56.7

$31.75 R 525

2.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 BAM 157

$116 R 1,917

-22.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 BAM 177

$101 R 1,665

0.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 BAM 374

$1,047 R 17.3K

-79.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 BAM 330

$669 R 11.1K

-71.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$259 BAM 454

$1,861 R 30.8K

-86.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 BAM 371

$1,407 R 23.3K

-84.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,731 BAM 3,028

$2,410 R 39.8K

-28.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,399 BAM 2,448

$1,570 R 25.9K

-10.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$719 BAM 1,257

$1,630 R 26.9K

-55.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

10.89

-62.53%

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

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Istočno Sarajevo

$237 26.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 5.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Istočno Sarajevo

$189 20.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 255% $480

Clothing & Footwear

Istočno Sarajevo

$141 15.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 2.2% $3

Eating Out

Istočno Sarajevo

$140 15.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 24% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.4%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 31.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Istočno Sarajevo

$47 5.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 48% $23

Getting Around

Istočno Sarajevo

$12 * 1.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 494% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $214 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Istočno Sarajevo vs $223 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

21:06 9:06 PM

1 h ahead of Istočno Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.572 USD

1 BAM = 0.509 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.572 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.509 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istočno Sarajevo Cape Town 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istočno Sarajevo
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 69% more than Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,357 per month in Istočno Sarajevo and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $214 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $905 in Istočno Sarajevo and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Istočno Sarajevo about 41% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $137 per month in Istočno Sarajevo and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Istočno Sarajevo, where all-in costs run around $905, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Istočno Sarajevo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istočno Sarajevo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Istočno 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.