Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mostar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mostar: $911 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Mostar
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Mostar Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Mostar

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$911

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mostar and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $911 per month in Mostar vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mostar $911
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,423 per month in Mostar vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mostar $1,423
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,935 per month in Mostar vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mostar $1,935
Cape Town $3,306

Mostar is about 40% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mostar sits 33% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.86 BAM 11.94

$12.01 R 197

-42.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.32 BAM 65.0

$42.92 R 703

-13.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 BAM 9.81

$6.15 R 101

-8.46%

Cappuccino

$1.64 BAM 2.85

$2.37 R 38.81

-30.80%

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

$1.82 BAM 3.16

$1.27 R 20.84

43.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 BAM 2.10

$0.94 R 15.37

28.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 BAM 3.92

$2.96 R 48.48

-23.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 BAM 3.77

$3.69 R 60.5

-41.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 BAM 2.01

$1.32 R 21.61

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 BAM 1.63

$1.21 R 19.75

-23.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 BAM 3.48

$2.20 R 36.05

-9.09%

Eggs

$2.53 BAM 4.41

$3.10 R 50.8

-18.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.69 BAM 13.40

$8.73 R 143

-11.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.19 BAM 12.53

$6.89 R 113

4.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.50 BAM 18.29

$9.26 R 152

13.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 BAM 1.91

$1.83 R 29.90

-39.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 BAM 2.89

$1.95 R 31.94

-14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 BAM 2.40

$1.66 R 27.16

-16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$2.14 R 34.99

-45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 BAM 1.73

$1.58 R 25.86

-37.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 BAM 1.69

$1.47 R 24.15

-34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 BAM 1.25

$1.35 R 22.05

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BAM 1.26

$1.14 R 18.75

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 BAM 6.94

$3.58 R 58.6

11.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.11 BAM 7.15

$6.05 R 99.2

-32.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BAM 1.37

$1.39 R 22.82

-43.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 BAM 1.66

$2.18 R 35.69

-56.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$1.40 R 22.88

-16.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.28 BAM 59.7

$60.8 R 995

-43.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 BAM 2.95

$0.93 R 15.18

81.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BAM 1.04

$0.90 R 14.75

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 BAM 14.79

$4.96 R 81.3

71.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 BAM 2.78

$1.54 R 25.23

3.25%

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

$30.6K BAM 53.3K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-13.51%

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

$21.0K BAM 36.5K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-37.13%

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

$90.3 BAM 157

$117 R 1,918

-22.89%

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

$17.94 BAM 31.24

$25.71 R 421

-30.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.09 BAM 45.44

$39.41 R 646

-33.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 BAM 71.1

$51.6 R 846

-20.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 BAM 17.14

$11.35 R 186

-13.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 BAM 10.82

$8.89 R 146

-30.15%

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

$137 BAM 239

$308 R 5,040

-55.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K BAM 41.0K

$8,141 R 133.4K

188.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 BAM 101

$57.4 R 940

1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.92 BAM 55.6

$31.75 R 520

0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 BAM 151

$116 R 1,900

-25.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 BAM 146

$101 R 1,650

-16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 BAM 735

$1,047 R 17.1K

-59.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 BAM 446

$669 R 11.0K

-61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 BAM 1,146

$1,861 R 30.5K

-64.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 BAM 787

$1,407 R 23.1K

-67.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,225 BAM 3,876

$2,410 R 39.5K

-7.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 BAM 2,639

$1,570 R 25.7K

-3.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$865 BAM 1,506

$1,630 R 26.7K

-46.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

10.89

-60.51%

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

Last update for Mostar: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mostar

$256 28.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 161% $413

Groceries & Markets

Mostar

$187 20.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 19.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mostar

$134 14.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 35.6% $48

Eating Out

Mostar

$119 13.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 46.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Mostar

$117 12.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 17.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mostar

$53 5.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 30.3% $16

Getting Around

Mostar

$44 4.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 64.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Mostar versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 88% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Mostar versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $223 – making Mostar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Mostar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h ahead of Mostar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,195

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.574 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mostar Cape Town 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mostar
Cape Town

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

Mostar vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 68% more than Mostar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,366 per month in Mostar and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mostar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $911 in Mostar and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Mostar about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Mostar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mostar, where all-in costs run around $911, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Mostar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mostar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.