Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,212 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
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Sarajevo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,212 in Sarajevo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sarajevo $1,212

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,843 in Sarajevo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sarajevo $1,843

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,473 in Sarajevo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sarajevo $2,473

Medellin costs about 35% more than Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sarajevo is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.52 BAM 14.92

-5.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$40.08 BAM 70.2

17.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.42 BAM 14.76

12.83%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.26 BAM 3.95

33.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.17 BAM 3.80

-17.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.41 BAM 2.47

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.93 BAM 5.12

8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.80 BAM 4.90

105.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.18 BAM 2.06

27.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.20 BAM 2.11

98.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.12 BAM 3.72

-16.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.96 BAM 5.19

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$10.37 BAM 18.16

-1.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.43 BAM 13.02

32.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.64 BAM 25.65

-4.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.49 BAM 2.60

166.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.61 BAM 2.83

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.48 BAM 2.60

47.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.06 BAM 3.61

5.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.99 BAM 1.73

97.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.10 BAM 1.93

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.13 BAM 1.98

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.67 BAM 1.18

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.85 BAM 6.75

2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.18 BAM 12.58

90.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.92 BAM 1.62

80.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.48 BAM 2.60

52.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.25 BAM 2.19

-6.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$33.99 BAM 59.5

127.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.46 BAM 2.55

-13.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$1.13 BAM 1.98

81.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.39 BAM 14.70

1.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.73 BAM 3.04

-21.97%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.6K BAM 51.9K

15.09%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$21.9K BAM 38.4K

58.23%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$221 BAM 387

-23.28%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$14.49 BAM 25.39

-6.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$27.50 BAM 48.18

2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$41.77 BAM 73.2

4.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$19.37 BAM 33.94

-11.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.06 BAM 12.37

-2.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$206 BAM 361

286.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,810 BAM 6,674

139.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$87.5 BAM 153

-3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$37.82 BAM 66.3

53.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$92.2 BAM 162

46.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$99.2 BAM 174

-1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$434 BAM 761

178.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$320 BAM 561

100.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$965 BAM 1,691

110.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$606 BAM 1,062

66.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$3,150 BAM 5,519

32.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$2,429 BAM 4,256

-21.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,042 BAM 1,825

-36.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.08

168.14%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sarajevo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sarajevo

$320 26.4% 50.1% $321

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sarajevo

$229 18.9% 22.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sarajevo

$263 21.7% 24.5% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sarajevo

$155 12.8% 8.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sarajevo

$143 11.8% 15.6% $26

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sarajevo

$46 3.8% 50.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sarajevo

$56 4.6% 2.9% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $434 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 59% higher in Sarajevo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $40 in Sarajevo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $229 – making Sarajevo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

271,194 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 BAM = 0.571 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

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 COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Sarajevo 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,819 in Sarajevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarajevo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Sarajevo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,212 in Sarajevo. That makes Sarajevo about 26% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,212 in Sarajevo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sarajevo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Sarajevo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 26% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.