Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarajevo: $1,212 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,212

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $1,212 per month in Sarajevo vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Sarajevo $1,212
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,843 per month in Sarajevo vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Sarajevo $1,843
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,473 per month in Sarajevo vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Sarajevo $2,473
Medellin $3,186

Sarajevo is about 26% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sarajevo sits 11% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.52 BAM 14.92

$8.09 COP 26.1K

5.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.08 BAM 70.2

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-14.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 BAM 14.76

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-11.37%

Cappuccino

$2.26 BAM 3.95

$3.01 COP 9,735

-24.92%

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

$2.17 BAM 3.80

$1.80 COP 5,809

20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BAM 2.47

$1.41 COP 4,561

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 BAM 5.12

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 BAM 4.90

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-51.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 BAM 2.06

$1.51 COP 4,876

-21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 BAM 2.11

$2.38 COP 7,678

-49.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 BAM 3.72

$1.77 COP 5,720

19.77%

Eggs

$2.96 BAM 5.19

$2.89 COP 9,333

2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 BAM 18.16

$10.19 COP 32.9K

1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 BAM 13.02

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-24.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.64 BAM 25.65

$13.99 COP 45.2K

4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 BAM 2.60

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-62.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 BAM 2.83

$1.55 COP 5,012

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 BAM 2.60

$2.18 COP 7,048

-32.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 BAM 3.61

$2.18 COP 7,051

-5.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 BAM 1.73

$1.96 COP 6,337

-49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 BAM 1.93

$1.59 COP 5,132

-30.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 BAM 1.98

$1.15 COP 3,699

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 BAM 1.18

$1.24 COP 4,014

-45.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 BAM 6.75

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 BAM 12.58

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-47.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BAM 1.62

$1.66 COP 5,359

-44.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 BAM 2.60

$2.26 COP 7,291

-34.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 BAM 2.19

$1.17 COP 3,771

6.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.99 BAM 59.5

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 BAM 2.55

$1.27 COP 4,094

14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 BAM 1.98

$2.05 COP 6,612

-44.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 BAM 14.70

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-1.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BAM 3.04

$1.35 COP 4,349

28.15%

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

$29.6K BAM 51.9K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-13.11%

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

$21.9K BAM 38.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-36.80%

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

$221 BAM 387

$170 COP 547.8K

30.34%

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

$14.49 BAM 25.39

$13.55 COP 43.8K

6.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 BAM 48.18

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 BAM 73.2

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-4.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.37 BAM 33.94

$17.19 COP 55.5K

12.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.06 BAM 12.37

$6.91 COP 22.3K

2.17%

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

$206 BAM 361

$797 COP 2.6M

-74.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,810 BAM 6,674

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-58.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 BAM 153

$84.7 COP 273.5K

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.82 BAM 66.3

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 BAM 162

$135 COP 435.8K

-31.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 BAM 174

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 BAM 761

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-64.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 BAM 561

$642 COP 2.1M

-50.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 BAM 1,691

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-52.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 BAM 1,062

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-40.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,150 BAM 5,519

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-24.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,429 BAM 4,256

$1,910 COP 6.2M

27.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 BAM 1,825

$657 COP 2.1M

58.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

10.94

-62.71%

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

Last update for Sarajevo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$320 26.4%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 100% $321

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$263 21.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 19.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$229 18.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 29.5% $68

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$155 12.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 9.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$143 11.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 18.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$56 4.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 2.9% $1.6

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$46 3.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 103% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Sarajevo versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 59% higher in Sarajevo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Sarajevo versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $297 – making Sarajevo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

20:46 8:46 PM

6 h behind Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.571 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sarajevo Medellin 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarajevo
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,819 per month in Sarajevo and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarajevo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Sarajevo and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,212 in Sarajevo and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Sarajevo about 26% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,212 in Sarajevo and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Sarajevo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 26% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.