Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarajevo and Tesanj

For one person, living is cheaper in Tesanj: $869 a month against $1,202 in Sarajevo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sarajevo
Learn more

Sarajevo Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Tesanj
Learn more

Tesanj Living Index

Jump to prices

Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,202

/mo nomad

Tesanj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarajevo and in Tesanj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Sarajevo versus $869 in Tesanj.

Sarajevo $1,202
Tesanj $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,833 in Sarajevo versus $1,284 in Tesanj.

Sarajevo $1,833
Tesanj $1,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,464 in Sarajevo versus $1,699 in Tesanj.

Sarajevo $2,464
Tesanj $1,699

Living in Sarajevo is roughly 38% more expensive than in Tesanj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sarajevo 11% lower, Tesanj 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 BAM 15.34

$3.49 BAM 6.08

152.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.97 BAM 71.4

$16.11 BAM 28.07

154.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 BAM 15.43

$2.94 BAM 5.12

201.36%

Cappuccino

$2.36 BAM 4.11

$0.89 BAM 1.54

165.17%

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

$2.21 BAM 3.85

$1.40 BAM 2.45

57.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BAM 2.56

$0.90 BAM 1.57

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 BAM 4.95

$1.96 BAM 3.41

44.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 BAM 4.89

$1.70 BAM 2.96

65.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$0.82 BAM 1.42

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BAM 2.06

$0.88 BAM 1.53

34.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 BAM 3.73

$2.44 BAM 4.26

-12.30%

Eggs

$3.02 BAM 5.27

$3.03 BAM 5.28

-0.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 BAM 17.81

$9.94 BAM 17.32

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 BAM 13.43

$7.41 BAM 12.91

4.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 BAM 24.79

$14.14 BAM 24.65

0.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 BAM 2.52

$1.13 BAM 1.97

28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 BAM 2.98

$1.61 BAM 2.81

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 BAM 2.76

$1.42 BAM 2.47

11.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 BAM 3.47

$1.60 BAM 2.79

24.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BAM 1.65

$0.99 BAM 1.73

-4.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 BAM 1.88

$1.06 BAM 1.85

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 BAM 1.91

$1.13 BAM 1.97

-3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BAM 1.28

$0.93 BAM 1.63

-21.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 BAM 6.81

$3.93 BAM 6.85

-0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 BAM 12.19

$8.60 BAM 14.98

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 BAM 1.53

$1.11 BAM 1.93

-20.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BAM 2.72

$1.32 BAM 2.30

18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 BAM 2.23

$1.30 BAM 2.27

-1.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.18 BAM 59.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 BAM 2.58

$1.11 BAM 1.93

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 BAM 2.02

$0.56 BAM 0.97

107.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.69 BAM 15.14

$10.24 BAM 17.85

-15.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 BAM 2.88

$1.52 BAM 2.65

8.55%

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

$30.2K BAM 52.7K

$31.0K BAM 53.9K

-2.36%

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

$21.9K BAM 38.2K

$21.8K BAM 37.9K

0.63%

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

$215 BAM 375

$91.4 BAM 159

135.31%

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

$14.04 BAM 24.47

$18.51 BAM 32.25

-24.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.73 BAM 48.32

$28.34 BAM 49.38

-2.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.56 BAM 70.7

$32.73 BAM 57.0

23.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.58 BAM 34.11

$28.51 BAM 49.67

-31.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 BAM 11.96

$2.88 BAM 5.02

138.19%

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

$210 BAM 366

$135 BAM 235

55.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,887 BAM 6,773

$3,917 BAM 6,825

-0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BAM 156

$57.7 BAM 101

55.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.21 BAM 66.6

$32.02 BAM 55.8

19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 BAM 156

$94.0 BAM 164

-4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.5 BAM 172

$131 BAM 228

-24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 BAM 786

$345 BAM 601

30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 BAM 546

$248 BAM 432

26.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 BAM 1,735

$519 BAM 905

91.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 BAM 1,032

$366 BAM 638

61.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,302 BAM 5,753

$2,462 BAM 4,290

34.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,322 BAM 4,046

$1,757 BAM 3,061

32.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,054 BAM 1,837

$686 BAM 1,196

53.61%

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 Tesanj: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarajevo

$313 26%

Tesanj

$248 28.6% 20.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarajevo

$257 21.4%

Tesanj

$138 15.9% 46.2% $119

Groceries & Markets

Sarajevo

$229 19.1%

Tesanj

$223 25.7% 2.7% $6.1

Eating Out

Sarajevo

$160 13.3%

Tesanj

$70 8% 56.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Sarajevo

$142 11.8%

Tesanj

$142 16.3% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sarajevo

$54 4.5%

Tesanj

$38 4.4% 29.1% $16

Getting Around

Sarajevo

$47 3.9%

Tesanj

$9.1 * 1.1% 80.4% $37

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 $345 in Tesanj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarajevo pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Sarajevo vs $16 in Tesanj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $223 per month, with Tesanj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Tesanj

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

Same time as Sarajevo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,194 Capital

5,500

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 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 = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.574 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarajevo Tesanj 90 km

From you

Sarajevo
Tesanj

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 Tesanj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tesanj wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Sarajevo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tesanj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 54% 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: $451 in Sarajevo versus $345 in Tesanj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Sarajevo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Sarajevo versus $869 in Tesanj – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $869 in Tesanj versus $1,202 in Sarajevo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tesanj but tight or insufficient in Sarajevo. The gap between the two cities makes Tesanj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Sarajevo and Tesanj are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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