Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,204 in Sarajevo, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Sarajevo vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Sarajevo $1,204
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,807 per month in Sarajevo vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Sarajevo $1,807
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,410 per month in Sarajevo vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Sarajevo $2,410
Cairo $1,431

Sarajevo costs about 87% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sarajevo and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Sarajevo 10% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 BAM 15.01

$4.69 E£245

83.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.59 BAM 69.1

$28.49 E£1,491

38.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 BAM 14.79

$6.03 E£315

40.63%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BAM 4.06

$1.81 E£94.7

28.73%

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

$2.23 BAM 3.88

$0.35 E£18.18

537.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BAM 2.47

$0.15 E£7.95

840.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 BAM 5.12

$1.45 E£76.0

102.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 BAM 5.08

$2.24 E£117

29.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$0.97 E£50.7

19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BAM 2.05

$0.73 E£37.96

60.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 BAM 3.87

$0.77 E£40.24

188.31%

Eggs

$3.08 BAM 5.37

$1.17 E£61.2

163.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 BAM 18.02

$4.32 E£226

139.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 BAM 13.49

$5.07 E£265

52.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 BAM 24.67

$8.92 E£467

58.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 BAM 2.48

$1.83 E£95.8

-22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 BAM 2.96

$0.75 E£39.07

126.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 BAM 2.74

$0.57 E£29.78

175.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 BAM 3.46

$0.51 E£26.62

288.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 BAM 1.71

$0.38 E£20.05

157.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 BAM 1.99

$0.42 E£21.88

171.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BAM 1.86

$0.35 E£18.43

205.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BAM 1.24

$0.24 E£12.57

195.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 BAM 7.01

$1.99 E£104

102.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 BAM 13.98

$7.48 E£391

7.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.56

$1.52 E£79.4

-41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$2.13 E£112

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 BAM 2.17

$0.33 E£17.10

275.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.01 BAM 61.1

$8.66 E£453

304.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 BAM 2.56

$0.37 E£19.27

297.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$0.20 E£10.65

460.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 BAM 15.02

$1.49 E£77.8

477.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BAM 3.03

$0.46 E£23.94

278.26%

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

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-8.26%

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

$23.2K BAM 40.5K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-18.29%

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

$220 BAM 384

$27.54 E£1,441

699.96%

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

$14.25 BAM 24.86

$8.27 E£432

72.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.24 BAM 49.28

$14.05 E£735

101.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 BAM 70.1

$28.27 E£1,479

42.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 BAM 34.30

$6.70 E£350

193.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 BAM 11.66

$4.40 E£230

51.82%

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

$206 BAM 359

$121 E£6,356

69.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,856 BAM 6,727

$3,619 E£189.3K

6.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 BAM 155

$40.16 E£2,101

120.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.30 BAM 65.1

$49.61 E£2,596

-24.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 BAM 156

$115 E£6,033

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 BAM 173

$60.6 E£3,170

64.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 BAM 783

$220 E£11.5K

104.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 BAM 533

$194 E£10.2K

57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 BAM 1,740

$514 E£26.9K

93.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 BAM 1,024

$334 E£17.5K

76.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,243 BAM 5,658

$806 E£42.2K

302.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 BAM 4,159

$513 E£26.9K

364.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,023 BAM 1,785

$200 E£10.5K

411.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

16.21

-74.83%

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

Last update for Sarajevo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$305 25.5%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 36.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$263 21.9%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 81% $213

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$231 19.3%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 38.9% $90

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$157 13.1%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 42.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 15.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 30.7% $16

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 75.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $449 in Sarajevo versus $220 in Cairo. 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 411% higher in Sarajevo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Sarajevo versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarajevo Cairo 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarajevo
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sarajevo is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Sarajevo and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Sarajevo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Sarajevo and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Sarajevo at $1,204. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarajevo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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