Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,212 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
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Sarajevo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in 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 Sarajevo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,212 in Sarajevo.

Lisbon $2,210
Sarajevo $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,843 in Sarajevo.

Lisbon $3,275
Sarajevo $1,843

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,473 in Sarajevo.

Lisbon $4,341
Sarajevo $2,473

Living in Lisbon is roughly 82% more expensive than in Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Sarajevo is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$8.52 BAM 14.92

95.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$40.08 BAM 70.2

54.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$8.42 BAM 14.76

34.92%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.26 BAM 3.95

31.42%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$2.17 BAM 3.80

5.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.41 BAM 2.47

23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.93 BAM 5.12

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.80 BAM 4.90

18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.18 BAM 2.06

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.20 BAM 2.11

59.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.12 BAM 3.72

-28.77%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.96 BAM 5.19

35.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$10.37 BAM 18.16

24.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$7.43 BAM 13.02

4.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$14.64 BAM 25.65

21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.49 BAM 2.60

54.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.61 BAM 2.83

7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.48 BAM 2.60

25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.06 BAM 3.61

25.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.99 BAM 1.73

83.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.10 BAM 1.93

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.13 BAM 1.98

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.67 BAM 1.18

7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.85 BAM 6.75

70.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$7.18 BAM 12.58

-21.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.92 BAM 1.62

47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.48 BAM 2.60

44.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.25 BAM 2.19

86.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$33.99 BAM 59.5

31.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.46 BAM 2.55

163.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.13 BAM 1.98

-5.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$8.39 BAM 14.70

96.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.73 BAM 3.04

27.17%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.6K BAM 51.9K

15.51%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$21.9K BAM 38.4K

76.73%

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

$161 €144

$221 BAM 387

-27.09%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.49 BAM 25.39

27.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$27.50 BAM 48.18

19.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$41.77 BAM 73.2

6.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$19.37 BAM 33.94

-1.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$7.06 BAM 12.37

35.98%

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

$668 €598

$206 BAM 361

224.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$3,810 BAM 6,674

362.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$87.5 BAM 153

16.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$37.82 BAM 66.3

17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$92.2 BAM 162

6.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$99.2 BAM 174

24.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$434 BAM 761

270.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$320 BAM 561

271.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$965 BAM 1,691

191.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$606 BAM 1,062

231.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$3,150 BAM 5,519

148.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$2,429 BAM 4,256

88.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,042 BAM 1,825

51.18%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Sarajevo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Sarajevo

$320 26.4% 73.1% $870

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Sarajevo

$229 18.9% 15.8% $43

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Sarajevo

$155 12.8% 36.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Sarajevo

$263 21.7% 23.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Sarajevo

$143 11.8% 14.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Sarajevo

$56 4.6% 12.3% $7.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Sarajevo

$46 3.8% 27.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $434 in Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 51% 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 $40 in Sarajevo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $229 per month, with Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

271,194 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BAM = 0.571 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Sarajevo 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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 Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,212 in Sarajevo, so Sarajevo is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $434 in Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $206 in Sarajevo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sarajevo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Lisbon and Sarajevo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sarajevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.