Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,204 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
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Sarajevo Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,204

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Sarajevo versus $1,806 in Athens.

Sarajevo $1,204
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,807 in Sarajevo versus $2,731 in Athens.

Sarajevo $1,807
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,410 in Sarajevo versus $3,656 in Athens.

Sarajevo $2,410
Athens $3,656

Living in Sarajevo costs roughly 33% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sarajevo is 10% below, Athens is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 BAM 15.01

$16.66 €14.87

-48.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.59 BAM 69.1

$66.2 €59.1

-40.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 BAM 14.79

$11.06 €9.87

-23.33%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BAM 4.06

$4.14 €3.69

-43.72%

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

$2.23 BAM 3.88

$2.80 €2.50

-20.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BAM 2.47

$0.57 €0.51

147.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 BAM 5.12

$5.64 €5.03

-47.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 BAM 5.08

$5.46 €4.87

-46.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$1.96 €1.75

-40.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BAM 2.05

$1.41 €1.26

-17.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 BAM 3.87

$2.83 €2.53

-21.55%

Eggs

$3.08 BAM 5.37

$5.04 €4.50

-38.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 BAM 18.02

$15.35 €13.70

-32.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 BAM 13.49

$10.34 €9.23

-25.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 BAM 24.67

$18.97 €16.93

-25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 BAM 2.48

$2.17 €1.93

-34.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 BAM 2.96

$1.91 €1.70

-10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 BAM 2.74

$1.38 €1.23

13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 BAM 3.46

$2.20 €1.96

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 BAM 1.71

$1.10 €0.98

-10.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 BAM 1.99

$1.13 €1.00

0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BAM 1.86

$1.10 €0.99

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BAM 1.24

$0.83 €0.74

-14.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 BAM 7.01

$5.60 €4.99

-28.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 BAM 13.98

$10.19 €9.09

-21.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.56

$2.18 €1.95

-59.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$2.45 €2.19

-42.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 BAM 2.17

$1.38 €1.23

-10.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.01 BAM 61.1

$30.87 €27.55

13.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 BAM 2.56

$4.37 €3.90

-66.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$1.04 €0.93

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 BAM 15.02

$17.11 €15.27

-49.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BAM 3.03

$2.31 €2.07

-24.68%

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

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

6.97%

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

$23.2K BAM 40.5K

$28.0K €25.0K

-17.19%

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

$220 BAM 384

$210 €187

5.03%

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

$14.25 BAM 24.86

$26.70 €23.83

-46.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.24 BAM 49.28

$30.13 €26.89

-6.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 BAM 70.1

$54.6 €48.72

-26.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 BAM 34.30

$26.03 €23.23

-24.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 BAM 11.66

$10.78 €9.62

-38.03%

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

$206 BAM 359

$575 €513

-64.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,856 BAM 6,727

$13.1K €11.7K

-70.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 BAM 155

$93.2 €83.1

-4.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.30 BAM 65.1

$40.68 €36.30

-8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 BAM 156

$104 €92.9

-14.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 BAM 173

$128 €115

-22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 BAM 783

$756 €674

-40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 BAM 533

$652 €582

-53.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 BAM 1,740

$1,294 €1,154

-22.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 BAM 1,024

$1,163 €1,038

-49.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,243 BAM 5,658

$4,008 €3,577

-19.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 BAM 4,159

$3,452 €3,081

-30.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,023 BAM 1,785

$1,243 €1,110

-17.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.48

-8.93%

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

Last update for Sarajevo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$305 25.5%

Athens

$652 36.5% 114% $347

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$263 21.9%

Athens

$267 14.9% 1.4% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$231 19.3%

Athens

$315 17.6% 36% $83

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$157 13.1%

Athens

$269 15% 70.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Athens

$165 9.2% 16.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Athens

$76 4.3% 42.3% $23

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Athens

$46 2.6% 2.4% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $449 in Sarajevo and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 22% 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: $40.00 in Sarajevo vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $315 per month, with Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h ahead of Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarajevo Athens 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarajevo
Athens

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

Sarajevo vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarajevo wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sarajevo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Athens. 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: $449 in Sarajevo versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sarajevo – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Sarajevo versus $1,806 in Athens – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Sarajevo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sarajevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sarajevo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sarajevo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sarajevo and Athens 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 50% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.