Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,204 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Sarajevo
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,086 per month in London vs $1,204 in Sarajevo, rent included.

  • London $4,086
  • Sarajevo $1,204

A couple spends around $5,816 per month in London vs $1,807 in Sarajevo, rent included.

  • London $5,816
  • Sarajevo $1,807

A family of three spends $7,546 per month in London vs $2,410 in Sarajevo, rent included.

  • London $7,546
  • Sarajevo $2,410

London costs about 239% more than Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 205% above the global median, while Sarajevo is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.62 £20.11
$8.60 BAM 15.01
209.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 £81.3
$39.59 BAM 69.1
171.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.39 £7.85
$8.48 BAM 14.79
22.52%
Cappuccino
$5.79 £4.38
$2.33 BAM 4.06
148.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.27
$2.23 BAM 3.88
34.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 £1.63
$1.41 BAM 2.47
52.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.35 £7.06
$2.94 BAM 5.12
218.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.84 £5.93
$2.91 BAM 5.08
169.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 £1.35
$1.16 BAM 2.02
54.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 £1.56
$1.17 BAM 2.05
76.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 £1.74
$2.22 BAM 3.87
4.05%
Eggs
$5.05 £3.82
$3.08 BAM 5.37
63.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.57 £9.50
$10.33 BAM 18.02
21.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.66 £8.05
$7.73 BAM 13.49
37.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.13 £12.94
$14.14 BAM 24.67
21.15%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 £2.29
$1.42 BAM 2.48
113.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 £1.07
$1.70 BAM 2.96
-17.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 £2.31
$1.57 BAM 2.74
94.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.38 £2.56
$1.98 BAM 3.46
70.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 £1.26
$0.98 BAM 1.71
70.41%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.31
$1.14 BAM 1.99
51.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.07
$1.07 BAM 1.86
31.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 £1.35
$0.71 BAM 1.24
152.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.22 £17.55
$4.02 BAM 7.01
477.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.99 £9.82
$8.02 BAM 13.98
61.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.18 £2.40
$0.89 BAM 1.56
257.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 £3.33
$1.42 BAM 2.47
210.56%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Sarajevo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.87 £2.93
$1.24 BAM 2.17
212.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$250 £189
$35.01 BAM 61.1
614.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.71 £4.31
$1.47 BAM 2.56
288.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 £2.51
$1.12 BAM 1.96
197.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.9 £43.76
$8.61 BAM 15.02
572.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$1.74 BAM 3.03
17.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.4K
$29.9K BAM 52.2K
25.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.9K
$23.2K BAM 40.5K
76.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$376 £284
$220 BAM 384
70.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.88 £13.51
$14.25 BAM 24.86
25.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.01 £30.24
$28.24 BAM 49.28
41.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.2 £46.22
$40.15 BAM 70.1
52.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.07 £15.93
$19.66 BAM 34.30
7.17%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.57
$6.68 BAM 11.66
168.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,865 £2,165
$206 BAM 359
1293.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.7K
$3,856 BAM 6,727
816.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.7
$88.6 BAM 155
30.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 £40.87
$37.30 BAM 65.1
44.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 £95.7
$89.4 BAM 156
41.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$159 £120
$99.4 BAM 173
60.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Sarajevo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,853 £2,156
$449 BAM 783
535.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,301 £1,739
$305 BAM 533
653.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,201 £3,931
$997 BAM 1,740
421.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,723 £2,813
$587 BAM 1,024
534.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$19.0K £14.4K
$3,243 BAM 5,658
486.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,881 £5,955
$2,384 BAM 4,159
230.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Sarajevo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,818 £3,641
$1,023 BAM 1,785
370.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.65
4.08
13.97%

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

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sarajevo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Sarajevo
$305 86.7% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$434
Sarajevo
$263 39.4% $171
Eating Out
London
$397
Sarajevo
$157 60.3% $239
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Sarajevo
$231 33.8% $118
Getting Around
London
$288
Sarajevo
$47 83.7% $241
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Sarajevo
$142 31% $64
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Sarajevo
$54 44.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,853 in London versus $449 in Sarajevo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 371% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London versus $40.00 in Sarajevo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $231 – making Sarajevo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇧🇦 Sarajevo
🕒 Local time
08:34 8:34 AM
09:34 9:34 AM
1 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
271,194 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Sarajevo 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Sarajevo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,086 in London, $1,204 in Sarajevo – roughly 239% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Sarajevo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,129 per month in London and $1,806 in Sarajevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Sarajevo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarajevo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 51% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in London and $40.00 in Sarajevo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sarajevo, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in London at $4,086. In Sarajevo it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Sarajevo?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Sarajevo to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is London or Sarajevo safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between London and Sarajevo?
If budget matters most, go with Sarajevo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

London vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?