Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Cluj-Napoca

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,206 a month against $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cluj-Napoca
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Cluj-Napoca Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,206

/mo nomad

Cluj-Napoca

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Sarajevo versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca.

Sarajevo $1,206
Cluj-Napoca $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Sarajevo versus $2,113 in Cluj-Napoca.

Sarajevo $1,834
Cluj-Napoca $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,461 in Sarajevo versus $2,819 in Cluj-Napoca.

Sarajevo $2,461
Cluj-Napoca $2,819

Living in Sarajevo costs roughly 14% less than in Cluj-Napoca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sarajevo is 11% below, Cluj-Napoca is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 BAM 14.97

$12.77 RON 60.4

-32.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.25 BAM 68.3

$54.8 RON 259

-28.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.40 BAM 14.60

$9.60 RON 45.41

-12.50%

Cappuccino

$2.34 BAM 4.07

$3.63 RON 17.18

-35.54%

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

$2.17 BAM 3.77

$2.31 RON 10.92

-6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BAM 2.47

$2.33 RON 11.01

-39.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 BAM 5.11

$3.27 RON 15.47

-10.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 BAM 5.10

$4.27 RON 20.21

-31.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 BAM 2.11

$1.53 RON 7.26

-20.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BAM 2.04

$1.51 RON 7.13

-22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 BAM 3.65

$1.81 RON 8.55

16.02%

Eggs

$3.10 BAM 5.39

$3.86 RON 18.28

-19.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 BAM 17.86

$9.15 RON 43.28

12.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 BAM 12.96

$7.28 RON 34.45

2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 BAM 25.13

$11.73 RON 55.5

23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 BAM 2.45

$1.42 RON 6.70

-0.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 BAM 2.91

$1.69 RON 8.00

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 BAM 2.61

$1.95 RON 9.21

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 BAM 3.56

$2.39 RON 11.30

-14.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BAM 1.64

$0.94 RON 4.44

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$0.90 RON 4.26

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 BAM 1.94

$0.90 RON 4.25

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BAM 1.27

$1.01 RON 4.79

-27.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 BAM 6.76

$6.11 RON 28.89

-36.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.25 BAM 12.61

$7.36 RON 34.84

-1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 BAM 1.53

$1.29 RON 6.08

-31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BAM 2.69

$1.77 RON 8.38

-12.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 BAM 2.21

$0.70 RON 3.29

81.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.16 BAM 59.4

$30.67 RON 145

11.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 BAM 2.52

$0.89 RON 4.22

62.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$0.92 RON 4.37

26.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 BAM 14.58

$8.39 RON 39.71

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BAM 3.01

$1.90 RON 9.00

-8.95%

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

$30.2K BAM 52.5K

$28.0K RON 132.5K

7.81%

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

$23.3K BAM 40.5K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

-6.03%

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

$222 BAM 386

$153 RON 725

44.93%

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

$14.05 BAM 24.44

$8.59 RON 40.64

63.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.44 BAM 47.72

$9.77 RON 46.24

180.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.33 BAM 70.1

$46.15 RON 218

-12.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.64 BAM 34.16

$22.53 RON 107

-12.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 BAM 12.01

$9.32 RON 44.09

-25.97%

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

$203 BAM 352

$587 RON 2,780

-65.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,817 BAM 6,638

$9,476 RON 44.8K

-59.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 BAM 154

$88.5 RON 419

0.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.24 BAM 64.8

$45.73 RON 216

-18.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 BAM 157

$101 RON 479

-10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 BAM 173

$108 RON 512

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 BAM 794

$622 RON 2,941

-26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 BAM 544

$524 RON 2,480

-40.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 BAM 1,762

$1,147 RON 5,429

-11.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 BAM 1,037

$806 RON 3,816

-26.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 BAM 5,700

$4,709 RON 22.3K

-30.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,341 BAM 4,070

$3,348 RON 15.8K

-30.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,041 BAM 1,811

$1,234 RON 5,837

-15.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

6.8

-40.00%

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

Last update for Sarajevo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cluj-Napoca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$313 26%

Cluj-Napoca

$524 37.3% 67.5% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$264 21.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$172 12.2% 34.9% $92

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$230 19%

Cluj-Napoca

$234 16.7% 1.9% $4.4

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$157 13%

Cluj-Napoca

$218 15.5% 38.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Cluj-Napoca

$155 11% 8.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Cluj-Napoca

$65 4.6% 19.7% $11

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Cluj-Napoca

$39 2.8% 16.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $457 in Sarajevo and $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cluj-Napoca pays 18% 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 $55.0 in Cluj-Napoca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $234 per month, with Sarajevo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇷🇴 Cluj-Napoca

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

1 h ahead of Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

324,576

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarajevo Cluj-Napoca 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarajevo
Cluj-Napoca

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 Cluj-Napoca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sarajevo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Cluj-Napoca. 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: $457 in Sarajevo versus $622 in Cluj-Napoca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sarajevo runs roughly 11% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $203 in Sarajevo versus $587 in Cluj-Napoca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,206 in Sarajevo versus $1,406 in Cluj-Napoca, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Cluj-Napoca. The gap between the two cities makes Sarajevo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Sarajevo and Cluj-Napoca 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 17% less than in Cluj-Napoca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.