Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Brcko

For one person, living is cheaper in Brcko: $963 a month against $1,202 in Sarajevo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
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Sarajevo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Brcko
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Brcko Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,202

/mo nomad

Brcko

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Brcko

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Sarajevo versus $963 in Brcko.

Sarajevo $1,202
Brcko $963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,833 in Sarajevo versus $1,389 in Brcko.

Sarajevo $1,833
Brcko $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,464 in Sarajevo versus $1,814 in Brcko.

Sarajevo $2,464
Brcko $1,814

Living in Sarajevo is roughly 25% more expensive than in Brcko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sarajevo 11% lower, Brcko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 BAM 15.37

$6.94 BAM 12.11

26.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.97 BAM 71.5

$37.79 BAM 66.0

8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 BAM 15.46

$6.82 BAM 11.91

29.91%

Cappuccino

$2.36 BAM 4.11

$1.70 BAM 2.96

38.82%

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

$2.21 BAM 3.86

$1.67 BAM 2.92

32.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BAM 2.56

$1.24 BAM 2.17

18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 BAM 4.96

$0.88 BAM 1.54

222.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 BAM 4.90

$2.32 BAM 4.05

21.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$1.45 BAM 2.54

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BAM 2.06

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 BAM 3.74

$2.47 BAM 4.31

-13.36%

Eggs

$3.02 BAM 5.28

$3.12 BAM 5.45

-3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 BAM 17.84

$10.02 BAM 17.50

2.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 BAM 13.46

$7.19 BAM 12.56

7.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 BAM 24.84

$14.48 BAM 25.27

-1.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 BAM 2.53

$1.18 BAM 2.05

22.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 BAM 2.98

$1.60 BAM 2.80

6.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 BAM 2.76

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 BAM 3.48

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BAM 1.65

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 BAM 1.88

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 BAM 1.91

$1.18 BAM 2.06

-7.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BAM 1.28

$0.99 BAM 1.72

-26.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 BAM 6.82

$3.10 BAM 5.42

26.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 BAM 12.22

$8.68 BAM 15.16

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 BAM 1.53

$1.12 BAM 1.96

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BAM 2.73

$2.31 BAM 4.04

-32.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 BAM 2.24

$1.12 BAM 1.95

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.18 BAM 59.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 BAM 2.58

$1.13 BAM 1.98

30.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$0.59 BAM 1.04

96.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.69 BAM 15.17

$10.37 BAM 18.11

-16.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 BAM 2.89

$1.43 BAM 2.50

15.38%

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

$30.2K BAM 52.8K

$29.6K BAM 51.8K

1.94%

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

$21.9K BAM 38.2K

$21.0K BAM 36.7K

4.20%

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

$215 BAM 376

$181 BAM 315

19.05%

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

$14.04 BAM 24.52

$11.55 BAM 20.16

21.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.73 BAM 48.41

$40.62 BAM 70.9

-31.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 BAM 70.8

$25.65 BAM 44.78

58.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.58 BAM 34.18

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 BAM 11.98

$5.86 BAM 10.24

17.06%

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

$210 BAM 367

$135 BAM 235

56.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,887 BAM 6,786

$18.3K BAM 31.9K

-78.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BAM 157

$22.61 BAM 39.47

296.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.21 BAM 66.7

$17.24 BAM 30.10

121.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 BAM 157

$87.5 BAM 153

2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 BAM 172

$84.8 BAM 148

16.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 BAM 787

$343 BAM 599

31.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 BAM 547

$254 BAM 443

23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 BAM 1,738

$522 BAM 912

90.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 BAM 1,034

$339 BAM 592

74.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,302 BAM 5,765

$1,491 BAM 2,603

121.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,322 BAM 4,053

$1,173 BAM 2,048

97.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,054 BAM 1,841

$483 BAM 844

118.13%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Brcko: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$313 26%

Brcko

$254 26.4% 18.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$257 21.4%

Brcko

$233 24.2% 9.4% $24

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$229 19.1%

Brcko

$218 * 22.6% 5.1% $12

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$160 13.3%

Brcko

$117 12.2% 26.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Brcko

$95 9.9% 32.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Brcko

$37 3.9% 31.1% $17

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Brcko

$8.6 * 0.9% 81.6% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $451 in Sarajevo and $343 in Brcko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarajevo pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Sarajevo vs $38 in Brcko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $218 per month, with Brcko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Brcko

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

39,893

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarajevo Brcko 120 km

From you

Sarajevo
Brcko

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 Brcko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brcko is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sarajevo is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $451 in Sarajevo versus $343 in Brcko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $210 in Sarajevo versus $135 in Brcko. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brcko – a meal for two runs $38 versus $41 in Sarajevo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Brcko wins on affordability, Sarajevo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.