Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istočno Sarajevo and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $897 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Istočno Sarajevo
Learn more

Istočno Sarajevo Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$897

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Istočno Sarajevo $897
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,364 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,364
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,830 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,830
Dubai $5,872

Living in Istočno Sarajevo costs roughly 69% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istočno Sarajevo is 34% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 BAM 15.02

$12.67 AED 46.55

-32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.53 BAM 65.5

$81.7 AED 300

-54.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 BAM 11.92

$9.34 AED 34.30

-26.87%

Cappuccino

$1.74 BAM 3.05

$5.89 AED 21.62

-70.46%

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

$2.02 BAM 3.53

$1.69 AED 6.20

19.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BAM 2.57

$0.78 AED 2.86

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 BAM 4.02

$13.66 AED 50.2

-83.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 BAM 3.92

$13.49 AED 49.54

-83.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 BAM 2.54

$1.84 AED 6.78

-21.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 BAM 2.27

$1.50 AED 5.50

-13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 BAM 3.73

$2.57 AED 9.45

-16.73%

Eggs

$3.16 BAM 5.51

$3.32 AED 12.18

-4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 BAM 18.00

$12.60 AED 46.28

-18.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 BAM 13.54

$9.66 AED 35.46

-19.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 BAM 25.03

$12.78 AED 46.93

12.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 BAM 2.58

$2.60 AED 9.54

-43.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 BAM 2.78

$1.90 AED 6.99

-16.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 BAM 2.72

$1.91 AED 7.02

-18.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 BAM 3.00

$1.37 AED 5.02

25.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 BAM 1.74

$1.13 AED 4.14

-12.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 BAM 1.93

$1.01 AED 3.71

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 BAM 1.88

$1.44 AED 5.30

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 BAM 1.58

$0.67 AED 2.48

35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 BAM 6.74

$5.88 AED 21.59

-34.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 BAM 13.72

$16.15 AED 59.3

-51.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.56

$2.72 AED 10.00

-67.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 BAM 2.69

$3.08 AED 11.32

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 BAM 2.57

$1.60 AED 5.87

-8.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 BAM 2.43

$3.24 AED 11.91

-57.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$0.71 AED 2.61

64.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 BAM 14.53

$7.96 AED 29.22

4.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BAM 2.76

$0.98 AED 3.62

61.22%

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

$29.3K BAM 51.2K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

7.09%

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

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-0.89%

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

$91.6 BAM 160

$249 AED 913

-63.14%

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

$18.17 BAM 31.71

$54.4 AED 200

-66.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 BAM 49.44

$91.5 AED 336

-69.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.17 BAM 57.9

$103 AED 380

-67.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.57 BAM 23.68

$42.32 AED 155

-67.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.70 BAM 9.95

$16.29 AED 59.8

-65.01%

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

$133 BAM 232

$844 AED 3,098

-84.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,916 BAM 6,835

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-78.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 BAM 153

$67.0 AED 246

30.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.35 BAM 56.5

$57.9 AED 213

-44.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 BAM 157

$102 AED 375

-12.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 BAM 173

$98.7 AED 363

0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 BAM 372

$2,393 AED 8,788

-91.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 BAM 323

$1,533 AED 5,630

-87.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 BAM 455

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-94.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 BAM 367

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-92.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,747 BAM 3,050

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-75.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,393 BAM 2,432

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-66.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$717 BAM 1,252

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-79.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.54

-10.13%

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

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Istočno Sarajevo

$237 26.4%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 23.1% $55

Accommodation & Living

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 729% $1.3K

Eating Out

Istočno Sarajevo

$140 15.6%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 118% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.5%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 5.4% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.4%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 186% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 205% $91

Getting Around

Istočno Sarajevo

$13 * 1.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 579% $76

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 $213 in Istočno Sarajevo and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 383% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Istočno Sarajevo vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $292 per month, with Istočno Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

2 h ahead of Istočno Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.11 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istočno Sarajevo Dubai 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istočno Sarajevo
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istočno Sarajevo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 223% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 383% lower in Dubai. 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: $213 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $897 per month in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 223% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Istočno Sarajevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istočno Sarajevo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istočno Sarajevo and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istočno Sarajevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 223% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.