Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mostar and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Mostar: $899 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Mostar

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$899

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mostar and in Dubai

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 Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $899 in Mostar versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Mostar $899
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,402 in Mostar versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Mostar $1,402
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,904 in Mostar versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Mostar $1,904
Dubai $5,872

Living in Mostar costs roughly 69% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mostar is 33% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.85 BAM 11.91

$12.67 AED 46.55

-45.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 BAM 54.2

$81.7 AED 300

-61.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 BAM 9.86

$9.34 AED 34.30

-39.29%

Cappuccino

$1.65 BAM 2.86

$5.89 AED 21.62

-71.99%

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

$1.83 BAM 3.18

$1.69 AED 6.20

8.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 BAM 2.05

$0.78 AED 2.86

51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 BAM 4.07

$13.66 AED 50.2

-82.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 BAM 3.64

$13.49 AED 49.54

-84.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.01

$1.84 AED 6.78

-36.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 BAM 1.58

$1.50 AED 5.50

-39.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 BAM 3.43

$2.57 AED 9.45

-23.35%

Eggs

$2.63 BAM 4.58

$3.32 AED 12.18

-20.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.77 BAM 13.52

$12.60 AED 46.28

-38.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.40 BAM 12.87

$9.66 AED 35.46

-23.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 BAM 18.39

$12.78 AED 46.93

-17.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 BAM 1.91

$2.60 AED 9.54

-57.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BAM 2.87

$1.90 AED 6.99

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 BAM 2.35

$1.91 AED 7.02

-29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 BAM 1.99

$1.37 AED 5.02

-16.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BAM 1.80

$1.13 AED 4.14

-7.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 BAM 1.69

$1.01 AED 3.71

-3.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 BAM 1.24

$1.44 AED 5.30

-50.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BAM 1.23

$0.67 AED 2.48

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 BAM 6.82

$5.88 AED 21.59

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.04 BAM 7.02

$16.15 AED 59.3

-74.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 BAM 1.39

$2.72 AED 10.00

-70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.54

$3.08 AED 11.32

-71.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 BAM 1.94

$1.60 AED 5.87

-30.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.85 BAM 64.1

$76.0 AED 279

-51.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 BAM 3.00

$3.24 AED 11.91

-46.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 BAM 0.96

$0.71 AED 2.61

-22.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 BAM 10.03

$7.96 AED 29.22

-27.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 BAM 2.63

$0.98 AED 3.62

54.08%

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

$29.9K BAM 52.0K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

9.13%

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

$21.3K BAM 37.0K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-3.47%

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

$90.6 BAM 158

$249 AED 913

-63.54%

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

$17.70 BAM 30.77

$54.4 AED 200

-67.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.06 BAM 45.31

$91.5 AED 336

-71.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.45 BAM 61.6

$103 AED 380

-65.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.08 BAM 17.54

$42.32 AED 155

-76.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.77 BAM 10.04

$16.29 AED 59.8

-64.58%

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

$135 BAM 235

$844 AED 3,098

-83.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K BAM 32.2K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

1.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 BAM 101

$67.0 AED 246

-13.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.01 BAM 55.7

$57.9 AED 213

-44.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 BAM 151

$102 AED 375

-14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 BAM 141

$98.7 AED 363

-17.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 BAM 752

$2,393 AED 8,788

-81.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 BAM 433

$1,533 AED 5,630

-83.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 BAM 1,153

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-85.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 BAM 798

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-84.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,305 BAM 4,008

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-67.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 BAM 2,751

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-62.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$860 BAM 1,495

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-75.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

4.54

-5.29%

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

Last update for Mostar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mostar

$249 27.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 516% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Mostar

$188 20.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 55.3% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mostar

$134 14.9%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 194% $260

Eating Out

Mostar

$119 13.3%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 156% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Mostar

$116 12.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 26.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Mostar

$47 5.2%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 189% $89

Getting Around

Mostar

$46 5.1%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 94.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $432 in Mostar and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 303% 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: $31.00 in Mostar vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $292 per month, with Mostar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Mostar

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

16:13 4:13 PM

2 h ahead of Mostar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,195

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mostar Dubai 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mostar
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mostar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 222% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 303% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $432 in Mostar versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mostar runs roughly 106% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $135 in Mostar versus $844 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $899 in Mostar versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mostar but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Mostar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Mostar and Dubai 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 Mostar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 222% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.