Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istočno Sarajevo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $891 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$891

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Istočno Sarajevo $891
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,356 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,356
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,821 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Istočno Sarajevo $1,821
Phuket $2,845

Living in Istočno Sarajevo costs roughly 26% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Istočno Sarajevo 34% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.59 BAM 14.99

$4.40 ฿148

95.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.38 BAM 65.2

$32.26 ฿1,089

15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 BAM 11.92

$8.76 ฿296

-22.03%

Cappuccino

$1.70 BAM 2.96

$2.83 ฿95.4

-39.93%

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

$1.98 BAM 3.45

$0.90 ฿30.43

120.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 BAM 2.45

$0.47 ฿15.71

197.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 BAM 4.06

$2.55 ฿86.0

-8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 BAM 3.91

$3.83 ฿129

-41.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 BAM 2.55

$1.73 ฿58.2

-15.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 BAM 2.29

$1.47 ฿49.58

-10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 BAM 3.69

$1.51 ฿51.1

40.40%

Eggs

$3.15 BAM 5.49

$2.17 ฿73.3

45.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 BAM 17.85

$19.70 ฿665

-48.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.66 BAM 13.37

$3.34 ฿113

129.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.03 BAM 24.48

$11.16 ฿377

25.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 BAM 2.46

$2.85 ฿96.0

-50.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 BAM 2.75

$1.70 ฿57.5

-7.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 BAM 2.63

$2.19 ฿74.0

-31.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.92

$2.05 ฿69.0

-18.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 BAM 1.60

$1.45 ฿49.03

-36.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$1.38 ฿46.60

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BAM 1.87

$1.07 ฿36.04

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 BAM 1.72

$0.51 ฿17.07

92.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 BAM 6.82

$4.26 ฿144

-8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 BAM 14.31

$18.58 ฿627

-55.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 BAM 1.52

$1.78 ฿60.2

-51.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BAM 2.71

$2.85 ฿96.1

-45.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 BAM 2.27

$2.26 ฿76.3

-42.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$3.01 ฿102

-52.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$1.06 ฿35.68

9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 BAM 15.35

$3.86 ฿130

127.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BAM 2.76

$1.45 ฿48.91

8.97%

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

$29.8K BAM 52.0K

$26.3K ฿888.3K

13.17%

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

$21.6K BAM 37.7K

$26.9K ฿909.1K

-19.79%

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

$90.8 BAM 158

$96.4 ฿3,252

-5.75%

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

$18.16 BAM 31.68

$11.04 ฿372

64.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 BAM 47.91

$17.14 ฿578

60.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 BAM 58.4

$52.2 ฿1,760

-35.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 BAM 24.25

$11.16 ฿376

24.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 BAM 9.83

$7.81 ฿263

-27.78%

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

$134 BAM 233

$556 ฿18.8K

-75.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,824 BAM 6,671

$11.6K ฿390.7K

-66.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 BAM 153

$64.2 ฿2,166

36.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.68 BAM 55.3

$28.69 ฿968

10.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 BAM 155

$95.4 ฿3,217

-6.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 BAM 171

$88.0 ฿2,968

11.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 BAM 375

$737 ฿24.9K

-70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 BAM 322

$462 ฿15.6K

-60.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 BAM 442

$2,095 ฿70.7K

-87.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 BAM 372

$1,201 ฿40.5K

-82.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,722 BAM 3,003

$3,488 ฿117.7K

-50.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 BAM 2,365

$2,523 ฿85.1K

-46.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 BAM 1,243

$501 ฿16.9K

42.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.57

-26.75%

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

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Istočno Sarajevo

$236 26.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 14% $33

Accommodation & Living

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 150% $278

Eating Out

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 12.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istočno Sarajevo

$136 15.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 8.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 51.6% $23

Getting Around

Istočno Sarajevo

$12 * 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 218% $27

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 $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istočno Sarajevo pays 42% 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 $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $236 vs $269, with Istočno Sarajevo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

04:35 4:35 AM

6 h ahead of Istočno Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,642

79,308

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istočno Sarajevo Phuket 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istočno Sarajevo
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istočno Sarajevo and Phuket differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($891 vs $1,208 including rent). Istočno Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $134 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Istočno Sarajevo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. 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 Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.