Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Istočno Sarajevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Istočno Sarajevo: $891 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Istočno Sarajevo
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Istočno Sarajevo Living Index

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Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Istočno Sarajevo

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Istočno Sarajevo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Istočno Sarajevo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Tbilisi versus $891 in Istočno Sarajevo.

Tbilisi $1,270
Istočno Sarajevo $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Tbilisi versus $1,356 in Istočno Sarajevo.

Tbilisi $2,008
Istočno Sarajevo $1,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,745 in Tbilisi versus $1,821 in Istočno Sarajevo.

Tbilisi $2,745
Istočno Sarajevo $1,821

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 43% more expensive than in Istočno Sarajevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 6% lower, Istočno Sarajevo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 ₾29.77

$8.59 BAM 14.97

33.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 ₾99.0

$37.38 BAM 65.1

2.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 ₾25.35

$6.83 BAM 11.90

43.48%

Cappuccino

$3.55 ₾9.18

$1.70 BAM 2.95

108.82%

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

$1.06 ₾2.74

$1.98 BAM 3.44

-46.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₾1.60

$1.40 BAM 2.44

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ₾7.15

$2.33 BAM 4.06

18.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₾7.76

$2.24 BAM 3.90

33.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ₾5.58

$1.46 BAM 2.55

47.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₾1.96

$1.32 BAM 2.29

-42.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.50

$2.12 BAM 3.69

-17.92%

Eggs

$2.79 ₾7.21

$3.15 BAM 5.48

-11.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 ₾23.82

$10.23 BAM 17.83

-10.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 ₾16.88

$7.66 BAM 13.35

-14.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ₾33.15

$14.03 BAM 24.45

-8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₾4.31

$1.41 BAM 2.45

18.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

$1.58 BAM 2.75

17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₾5.13

$1.51 BAM 2.63

31.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ₾6.49

$1.67 BAM 2.91

50.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ₾2.25

$0.92 BAM 1.60

-5.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ₾1.89

$1.11 BAM 1.93

-34.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.07 BAM 1.87

32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.88

$0.98 BAM 1.71

-26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₾8.74

$3.91 BAM 6.81

-13.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 ₾20.30

$8.20 BAM 14.29

-4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₾4.19

$0.87 BAM 1.52

86.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₾6.15

$1.56 BAM 2.71

52.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₾0.96

$1.30 BAM 2.27

-71.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.52 ₾40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.94

$1.42 BAM 2.47

-19.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$1.16 BAM 2.02

-31.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 ₾29.95

$8.80 BAM 15.33

31.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₾3.87

$1.58 BAM 2.75

-5.06%

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

$24.6K ₾63.7K

$29.8K BAM 51.9K

-17.35%

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

$22.4K ₾57.9K

$21.6K BAM 37.7K

3.49%

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

$88.3 ₾228

$90.8 BAM 158

-2.85%

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

$13.08 ₾33.84

$18.16 BAM 31.64

-27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.53 ₾50.5

$27.46 BAM 47.85

-28.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₾166

$33.45 BAM 58.3

91.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 ₾49.63

$13.90 BAM 24.22

37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₾18.09

$5.64 BAM 9.82

23.94%

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

$373 ₾965

$134 BAM 233

179.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.7K

$3,824 BAM 6,663

179.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₾266

$87.9 BAM 153

16.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 ₾105

$31.68 BAM 55.2

27.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₾301

$89.0 BAM 155

30.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾316

$98.1 BAM 171

24.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₾1,752

$215 BAM 375

214.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₾1,175

$185 BAM 322

145.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 ₾3,304

$253 BAM 441

404.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 ₾2,302

$213 BAM 371

317.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 ₾6,234

$1,722 BAM 3,000

39.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,418 ₾3,668

$1,356 BAM 2,363

4.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ₾1,818

$712 BAM 1,241

-1.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

4.08

209.31%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Istočno Sarajevo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$454 35.8%

Istočno Sarajevo

$185 20.7% 59.3% $270

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$233 18.3%

Istočno Sarajevo

$236 26.5% 1.3% $2.9

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Istočno Sarajevo

$139 15.6% 27% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Istočno Sarajevo

$138 15.5% 19.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.5%

Istočno Sarajevo

$136 15.3% 12.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Istočno Sarajevo

$45 5% 42.8% $33

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Istočno Sarajevo

$12 * 1.4% 43.8% $9.7

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 $677 in Tbilisi and $215 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $37 in Istočno Sarajevo. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $236, with Tbilisi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇧🇦 Istočno Sarajevo

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

3 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

10,642

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

1 BAM = 0.574 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

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 GEL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tbilisi Istočno Sarajevo 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Istočno Sarajevo

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

Tbilisi vs Istočno Sarajevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi and Istočno Sarajevo differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,270 vs $891 including rent). Istočno Sarajevo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,906 in Tbilisi and $1,337 in Istočno Sarajevo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $677 in Tbilisi versus $215 in Istočno Sarajevo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Tbilisi versus $134 in Istočno Sarajevo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,270 per month in Tbilisi versus $891 in Istočno Sarajevo – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $891 in Istočno Sarajevo versus $1,270 in Tbilisi, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Istočno Sarajevo but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Istočno Sarajevo 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, Tbilisi and Istočno Sarajevo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.