Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,204 in Sarajevo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Sarajevo versus $934 in Cebu.

Sarajevo $1,204
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,807 in Sarajevo versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Sarajevo $1,807
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,410 in Sarajevo versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Sarajevo $2,410
Cebu $1,896

Living in Sarajevo is roughly 29% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sarajevo 10% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 BAM 15.01

$3.03 ₱190

183.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.59 BAM 69.1

$23.48 ₱1,473

68.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 BAM 14.79

$4.09 ₱256

107.33%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BAM 4.06

$2.52 ₱158

-7.54%

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

$2.23 BAM 3.88

$1.54 ₱96.9

44.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BAM 2.47

$0.49 ₱30.98

187.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 BAM 5.12

$1.79 ₱112

64.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 BAM 5.08

$2.26 ₱142

28.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$1.95 ₱122

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BAM 2.05

$1.43 ₱89.7

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 BAM 3.87

$1.02 ₱63.8

117.65%

Eggs

$3.08 BAM 5.37

$2.06 ₱129

49.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 BAM 18.02

$9.81 ₱615

5.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.73 BAM 13.49

$4.61 ₱289

67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 BAM 24.67

$7.70 ₱483

83.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 BAM 2.48

$3.31 ₱207

-57.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 BAM 2.96

$1.45 ₱90.9

17.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 BAM 2.74

$2.36 ₱148

-33.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 BAM 3.46

$1.54 ₱96.4

28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 BAM 1.71

$2.36 ₱148

-58.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 BAM 1.99

$1.99 ₱125

-42.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BAM 1.86

$1.15 ₱72.1

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BAM 1.24

$0.67 ₱42.15

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 BAM 7.01

$3.00 ₱188

34.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 BAM 13.98

$6.35 ₱398

26.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.56

$1.31 ₱81.9

-32.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$1.73 ₱108

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 BAM 2.17

$0.25 ₱15.78

396.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.01 BAM 61.1

$12.65 ₱793

176.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 BAM 2.56

$0.74 ₱46.32

98.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$0.21 ₱13.11

433.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 BAM 15.02

$4.33 ₱271

98.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BAM 3.03

$1.33 ₱83.5

30.83%

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

$29.9K BAM 52.2K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

37.53%

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

$23.2K BAM 40.5K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

19.60%

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

$220 BAM 384

$121 ₱7,563

82.71%

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

$14.25 BAM 24.86

$14.45 ₱907

-1.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.24 BAM 49.28

$28.29 ₱1,774

-0.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 BAM 70.1

$32.68 ₱2,050

22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 BAM 34.30

$6.39 ₱401

207.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 BAM 11.66

$5.46 ₱342

22.34%

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

$206 BAM 359

$273 ₱17.1K

-24.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,856 BAM 6,727

$8,156 ₱511.5K

-52.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 BAM 155

$49.57 ₱3,109

78.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.30 BAM 65.1

$24.87 ₱1,560

49.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 BAM 156

$76.6 ₱4,804

16.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 BAM 173

$59.3 ₱3,717

67.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 BAM 783

$506 ₱31.7K

-11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 BAM 533

$309 ₱19.4K

-1.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 BAM 1,740

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-5.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 BAM 1,024

$619 ₱38.8K

-5.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,243 BAM 5,658

$2,915 ₱182.9K

11.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 BAM 4,159

$1,867 ₱117.1K

27.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,023 BAM 1,785

$341 ₱21.4K

199.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

7.2

-43.33%

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

Last update for Sarajevo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$305 25.5%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 1.4% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$263 21.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 37.9% $99

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$231 19.3%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 9.1% $21

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$157 13.1%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 43.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 33.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 18.5% $9.9

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 67.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $449 in Sarajevo and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarajevo pays 200% 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 $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $210 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

6 h ahead of Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarajevo Cebu 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarajevo
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 200% 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: $449 in Sarajevo versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,204 per month in Sarajevo versus $934 in Cebu – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 177% less than in Sarajevo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $934 in Cebu versus $1,204 in Sarajevo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Sarajevo. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Sarajevo and Cebu 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 Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Sarajevo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.