Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Istočno Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $891 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Istočno Sarajevo
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$891
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $891 in Istočno Sarajevo.

  • Lisbon $2,202
  • Istočno Sarajevo $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $1,356 in Istočno Sarajevo.

  • Lisbon $3,274
  • Istočno Sarajevo $1,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,821 in Istočno Sarajevo.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Istočno Sarajevo $1,821

Living in Lisbon is roughly 147% more expensive than in Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Istočno Sarajevo is 34% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.04 €15.21
$8.59 BAM 14.99
98.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 €55.6
$37.38 BAM 65.2
66.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.02 €9.83
$6.83 BAM 11.92
61.35%
Cappuccino
$3.12 €2.79
$1.70 BAM 2.96
83.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.98 BAM 3.45
14.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.40 BAM 2.45
24.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.06
$2.33 BAM 4.06
46.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 €3.34
$2.24 BAM 3.91
66.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 €1.05
$1.46 BAM 2.55
-19.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 €1.66
$1.32 BAM 2.29
40.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 €1.38
$2.12 BAM 3.69
-27.36%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.63
$3.15 BAM 5.49
28.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 €11.53
$10.23 BAM 17.85
26.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.90 €7.05
$7.66 BAM 13.37
3.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.64 €15.75
$14.03 BAM 24.48
25.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €2.02
$1.41 BAM 2.46
60.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.58 BAM 2.75
10.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.51 BAM 2.63
25.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.28
$1.67 BAM 2.92
53.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$0.92 BAM 1.60
101.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.11 BAM 1.93
77.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 €1.29
$1.07 BAM 1.87
35.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 €0.69
$0.98 BAM 1.72
-21.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.71 €5.99
$3.91 BAM 6.82
71.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 €5.06
$8.20 BAM 14.31
-30.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$0.87 BAM 1.52
57.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 €1.89
$1.56 BAM 2.71
35.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 €2.07
$1.30 BAM 2.27
78.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.43 €39.65
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 €3.52
$1.42 BAM 2.47
178.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 €0.94
$1.16 BAM 2.02
-9.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 €15.31
$8.80 BAM 15.35
94.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.19 €1.96
$1.58 BAM 2.76
38.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.2K
$29.8K BAM 52.0K
13.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.2K
$21.6K BAM 37.7K
77.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 €146
$90.8 BAM 158
80.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.48 €16.49
$18.16 BAM 31.68
1.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.96 €29.42
$27.46 BAM 47.91
20.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.87 €40.93
$33.45 BAM 58.4
37.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.68 €16.67
$13.90 BAM 24.25
34.39%
Cinema Ticket
$9.75 €8.70
$5.64 BAM 9.83
72.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$684 €611
$134 BAM 233
412.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K €15.7K
$3,824 BAM 6,671
360.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 €92.6
$87.9 BAM 153
18.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.20 €41.23
$31.68 BAM 55.3
45.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 €89.0
$89.0 BAM 155
12.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 €111
$98.1 BAM 171
27.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,589 €1,418
$215 BAM 375
638.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,043
$185 BAM 322
533.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,851 €2,544
$253 BAM 442
1025.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,993 €1,779
$213 BAM 372
835.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,793 €6,955
$1,722 BAM 3,003
352.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,418 €3,943
$1,356 BAM 2,365
225.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Istočno Sarajevo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,600 €1,428
$712 BAM 1,243
124.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.85
4.08
-5.64%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Istočno Sarajevo
$185 84.2% $984
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$273
Istočno Sarajevo
$236 13.7% $37
Eating Out
Lisbon
$247
Istočno Sarajevo
$139 43.7% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$215
Istočno Sarajevo
$136 36.6% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Istočno Sarajevo
$138 18.1% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$65
Istočno Sarajevo
$45 31.6% $21
Getting Around
Lisbon
$63
Istočno Sarajevo
$12 * 80.3% $51

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $215 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.2 times 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $37 in Istočno Sarajevo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $236 per month, with Istočno Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo
🕒 Local time
23:58 11:58 PM
00:58 12:58 AM
1 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
10,642
Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Istočno Sarajevo 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • Istočno Sarajevo

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
Lisbon vs Istočno Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Istočno Sarajevo?
Lisbon and Istočno Sarajevo differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $891 including rent). Istočno Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Istočno Sarajevo?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Istočno Sarajevo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $215 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Istočno Sarajevo?
Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $134 in Istočno Sarajevo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo – a meal for two runs $37 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Istočno Sarajevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Istočno Sarajevo?
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.
Is Lisbon or Istočno Sarajevo safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lisbon and Istočno Sarajevo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
How do I decide between Lisbon and Istočno Sarajevo?
It comes down to priorities – Istočno Sarajevo wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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