Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istočno Sarajevo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $891 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$891

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,625 in Medellin.

Istočno Sarajevo $891
Medellin $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,356 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,412 in Medellin.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,356
Medellin $2,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,821 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $3,199 in Medellin.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,821
Medellin $3,199

Living in Istočno Sarajevo costs roughly 45% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istočno Sarajevo is 34% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.59 BAM 14.99

$8.30 COP 26.1K

3.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 BAM 65.2

$46.91 COP 147.5K

-20.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 BAM 11.92

$9.24 COP 29.1K

-26.08%

Cappuccino

$1.70 BAM 2.96

$3.05 COP 9,597

-44.26%

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

$1.98 BAM 3.45

$1.80 COP 5,660

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 BAM 2.45

$1.38 COP 4,346

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 BAM 4.06

$3.24 COP 10.2K

-28.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 BAM 3.91

$5.56 COP 17.5K

-59.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 BAM 2.55

$1.50 COP 4,721

-2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 BAM 2.29

$2.37 COP 7,446

-44.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 BAM 3.69

$1.70 COP 5,333

24.71%

Eggs

$3.15 BAM 5.49

$2.96 COP 9,302

6.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 BAM 17.85

$10.22 COP 32.1K

0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.66 BAM 13.37

$9.74 COP 30.6K

-21.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.03 BAM 24.48

$13.90 COP 43.7K

0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 BAM 2.46

$4.13 COP 13.0K

-65.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 BAM 2.75

$1.53 COP 4,799

3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 BAM 2.63

$2.22 COP 6,994

-31.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.92

$2.27 COP 7,135

-26.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 BAM 1.60

$1.99 COP 6,259

-53.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$1.67 COP 5,242

-33.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BAM 1.87

$1.18 COP 3,711

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 BAM 1.72

$1.24 COP 3,887

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 BAM 6.82

$3.87 COP 12.2K

1.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 BAM 14.31

$13.78 COP 43.3K

-40.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 BAM 1.52

$1.66 COP 5,213

-47.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BAM 2.71

$2.40 COP 7,553

-35.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 BAM 2.27

$1.24 COP 3,911

4.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$1.28 COP 4,011

10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$2.15 COP 6,747

-46.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 BAM 15.35

$8.37 COP 26.3K

5.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BAM 2.76

$1.35 COP 4,252

17.04%

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

$29.8K BAM 52.0K

$34.8K COP 109.3M

-14.29%

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

$21.6K BAM 37.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-37.69%

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

$90.8 BAM 158

$167 COP 524.1K

-45.49%

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

$18.16 BAM 31.68

$13.62 COP 42.8K

33.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 BAM 47.91

$29.12 COP 91.6K

-5.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 BAM 58.4

$45.09 COP 141.8K

-25.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 BAM 24.25

$17.18 COP 54.0K

-19.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 BAM 9.83

$6.97 COP 21.9K

-19.08%

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

$134 BAM 233

$790 COP 2.5M

-83.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,824 BAM 6,671

$9,041 COP 28.4M

-57.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 BAM 153

$87.8 COP 276.1K

0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.68 BAM 55.3

$58.2 COP 182.9K

-45.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 BAM 155

$139 COP 437.1K

-35.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 BAM 171

$98.9 COP 310.9K

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 BAM 375

$1,028 COP 3.2M

-79.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 BAM 322

$620 COP 1.9M

-70.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 BAM 442

$1,881 COP 5.9M

-86.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 BAM 372

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-78.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 BAM 3,003

$3,988 COP 12.5M

-56.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 BAM 2,365

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-20.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 BAM 1,243

$663 COP 2.1M

7.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

10.94

-62.71%

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

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Istočno Sarajevo

$236 26.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 26.4% $62

Accommodation & Living

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.7%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 236% $435

Eating Out

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 22.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.5%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 25.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istočno Sarajevo

$136 15.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 53.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 32% $14

Getting Around

Istočno Sarajevo

$12 * 1.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 667% $83

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 $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istočno Sarajevo pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Istočno Sarajevo vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $298 per month, with Istočno Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

18:58 6:58 PM

6 h behind Istočno Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istočno Sarajevo Medellin 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Istočno Sarajevo
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istočno Sarajevo and Medellin differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($891 vs $1,625 including rent). Istočno Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Istočno Sarajevo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $215 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $134 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $790 in Medellin. 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 $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Medellin. 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.