Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,206 a month against $2,073 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
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Sarajevo Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,073

/mo nomad

Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Ljubljana versus $1,206 in Sarajevo.

Ljubljana $2,073
Sarajevo $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,059 in Ljubljana versus $1,834 in Sarajevo.

Ljubljana $3,059
Sarajevo $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,045 in Ljubljana versus $2,461 in Sarajevo.

Ljubljana $4,045
Sarajevo $2,461

Living in Ljubljana is roughly 72% more expensive than in Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ljubljana is 54% above, Sarajevo is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 €14.02

$8.61 BAM 14.97

83.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €59.6

$39.25 BAM 68.3

70.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.84

$8.40 BAM 14.60

31.79%

Cappuccino

$2.85 €2.53

$2.34 BAM 4.07

21.79%

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

$3.10 €2.76

$2.17 BAM 3.77

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.42 BAM 2.47

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.56

$2.94 BAM 5.11

36.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$2.93 BAM 5.10

51.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.21 BAM 2.11

7.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.17 BAM 2.04

85.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.10 BAM 3.65

46.67%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.60

$3.10 BAM 5.39

30.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 €13.15

$10.27 BAM 17.86

44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.03 €8.92

$7.46 BAM 12.96

34.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.20

$14.45 BAM 25.13

2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.41 BAM 2.45

55.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.67 BAM 2.91

4.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.50 BAM 2.61

51.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 €3.15

$2.05 BAM 3.56

73.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.94 BAM 1.64

59.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.11 BAM 1.93

46.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.12 BAM 1.94

52.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.73 BAM 1.27

13.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 €5.48

$3.89 BAM 6.76

58.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.62 €6.78

$7.25 BAM 12.61

5.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.88 BAM 1.53

61.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.55 BAM 2.69

39.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.27 BAM 2.21

30.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.07 €37.42

$34.16 BAM 59.4

23.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.45 BAM 2.52

52.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.16 BAM 2.02

11.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.24 €17.11

$8.38 BAM 14.58

129.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.73 BAM 3.01

6.94%

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

$29.4K €26.1K

$30.2K BAM 52.5K

-2.71%

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

$25.0K €22.2K

$23.3K BAM 40.5K

7.30%

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

$278 €248

$222 BAM 386

25.25%

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

$16.61 €14.78

$14.05 BAM 24.44

18.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.72 €36.22

$27.44 BAM 47.72

48.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 €47.87

$40.33 BAM 70.1

33.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.04 €21.38

$19.64 BAM 34.16

22.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 €9.58

$6.90 BAM 12.01

56.09%

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

$658 €585

$203 BAM 352

224.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K €12.5K

$3,817 BAM 6,638

269.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €102

$88.7 BAM 154

29.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$37.24 BAM 64.8

15.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.9

$90.5 BAM 157

19.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$99.4 BAM 173

46.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 €970

$457 BAM 794

138.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 €779

$313 BAM 544

179.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,074 €1,845

$1,014 BAM 1,762

104.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,298

$596 BAM 1,037

144.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,492 €5,774

$3,278 BAM 5,700

98.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,815 €4,283

$2,341 BAM 4,070

105.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,929 €1,716

$1,041 BAM 1,811

85.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

4.08

-13.73%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sarajevo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$875 42.2%

Sarajevo

$313 26% 64.3% $563

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$336 16.2%

Sarajevo

$264 21.9% 21.4% $72

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$302 14.6%

Sarajevo

$230 19% 23.9% $72

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$243 11.7%

Sarajevo

$157 13% 35.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$185 8.9%

Sarajevo

$142 11.8% 23.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$75 3.6%

Sarajevo

$54 4.5% 28.2% $21

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.8%

Sarajevo

$47 3.9% 18.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,090 in Ljubljana and $457 in Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ljubljana pays 85% 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: $67.0 in Ljubljana vs $39.00 in Sarajevo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $230 per month, with Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

Same time as Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

271,194 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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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

Ljubljana vs Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarajevo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Ljubljana, 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: $1,090 in Ljubljana versus $457 in Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sarajevo runs roughly 23% less than in Ljubljana. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $658 in Ljubljana versus $203 in Sarajevo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,206 in Sarajevo versus $2,073 in Ljubljana, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Ljubljana. The gap between the two cities makes Sarajevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Ljubljana and 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.

Expats usually find Sarajevo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Ljubljana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.