Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Bihac

For one person, living is cheaper in Bihac: $984 a month against $1,206 in Sarajevo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Bihac
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Bihac Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,206

/mo nomad

Bihac

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Bihac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Sarajevo versus $984 in Bihac.

Sarajevo $1,206
Bihac $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Sarajevo versus $1,427 in Bihac.

Sarajevo $1,834
Bihac $1,427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,461 in Sarajevo versus $1,870 in Bihac.

Sarajevo $2,461
Bihac $1,870

Living in Sarajevo is roughly 23% more expensive than in Bihac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sarajevo 11% lower, Bihac 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 BAM 14.97

$7.06 BAM 12.28

21.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.25 BAM 68.3

$28.60 BAM 49.73

37.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.40 BAM 14.60

$5.73 BAM 9.97

46.60%

Cappuccino

$2.34 BAM 4.07

$1.11 BAM 1.93

110.81%

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

$2.17 BAM 3.77

$1.11 BAM 1.94

95.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$0.87 BAM 1.51

63.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 BAM 5.11

$1.47 BAM 2.56

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 BAM 5.10

$1.74 BAM 3.02

68.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 BAM 2.11

$1.32 BAM 2.30

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$1.08 BAM 1.87

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 BAM 3.65

$2.54 BAM 4.42

-17.32%

Eggs

$3.10 BAM 5.39

$2.99 BAM 5.19

3.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 BAM 17.86

$10.02 BAM 17.42

2.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 BAM 12.96

$7.01 BAM 12.20

6.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 BAM 25.13

$11.02 BAM 19.17

31.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 BAM 2.45

$1.72 BAM 2.99

-18.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.91

$1.67 BAM 2.90

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 BAM 2.61

$1.42 BAM 2.47

5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 BAM 3.56

$1.97 BAM 3.43

4.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BAM 1.64

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$1.46 BAM 2.54

-23.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 BAM 1.94

$1.12 BAM 1.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BAM 1.27

$0.88 BAM 1.52

-17.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 BAM 6.76

$3.62 BAM 6.29

7.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.25 BAM 12.61

$8.38 BAM 14.58

-13.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 BAM 1.53

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-20.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BAM 2.69

$1.97 BAM 3.43

-21.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 BAM 2.21

$1.10 BAM 1.92

15.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.16 BAM 59.4

$34.87 BAM 60.6

-2.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 BAM 2.52

$1.17 BAM 2.03

23.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$0.99 BAM 1.72

17.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 BAM 14.58

$10.19 BAM 17.72

-17.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BAM 3.01

$1.49 BAM 2.60

16.11%

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

$30.2K BAM 52.5K

$30.4K BAM 52.8K

-0.61%

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

$23.3K BAM 40.5K

$21.9K BAM 38.1K

6.27%

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

$222 BAM 386

$198 BAM 345

12.16%

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

$14.05 BAM 24.44

$18.61 BAM 32.35

-24.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.44 BAM 47.72

$21.66 BAM 37.66

26.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.33 BAM 70.1

$33.03 BAM 57.4

22.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.64 BAM 34.16

$11.58 BAM 20.13

69.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 BAM 12.01

$5.55 BAM 9.66

24.32%

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

$203 BAM 352

$134 BAM 233

51.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,817 BAM 6,638

$3,905 BAM 6,790

-2.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 BAM 154

$28.10 BAM 48.86

215.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.24 BAM 64.8

$17.27 BAM 30.03

115.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 BAM 157

$94.7 BAM 165

-4.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 BAM 173

$131 BAM 228

-24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 BAM 794

$218 BAM 379

109.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 BAM 544

$202 BAM 351

54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 BAM 1,762

$302 BAM 525

235.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 BAM 1,037

$268 BAM 466

122.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 BAM 5,700

$1,440 BAM 2,505

127.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,341 BAM 4,070

$1,300 BAM 2,261

80.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 BAM 1,811

$776 BAM 1,349

34.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

4.3

-5.12%

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

Last update for Sarajevo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bihac: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$313 26%

Bihac

$202 20.5% 35.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$264 21.9%

Bihac

$238 24.2% 9.6% $25

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$230 19%

Bihac

$226 23% 1.6% $3.7

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$157 13%

Bihac

$106 10.8% 32.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Bihac

$122 12.4% 14.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Bihac

$44 4.5% 18.5% $10

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Bihac

$45 4.6% 2.4% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $457 in Sarajevo and $218 in Bihac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarajevo pays 34% 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: $39.00 in Sarajevo vs $29.00 in Bihac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $226 per month, with Bihac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bihac

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

Same time as Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

39,690

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

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Sarajevo Bihac 230 km

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Sarajevo
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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 Bihac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarajevo and Bihac differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,206 vs $984 including rent). Bihac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Sarajevo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $457 in Sarajevo versus $218 in Bihac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bihac – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $39.00 in Sarajevo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,206 per month in Sarajevo versus $984 in Bihac – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $984 in Bihac versus $1,206 in Sarajevo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bihac but tight or insufficient in Sarajevo. The gap between the two cities makes Bihac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sarajevo and Bihac 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 Bihac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Sarajevo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.