Bosnia and Herzegovina budget guide – how much I spent in 10 days
In this post I’d like you to learn the most important information about how much it costs to travel around Bosnia. I wrote down an easy Bosnia and Herzegovina budget guide for you.
Bosnia and Herzegovina budget guide
How much I spent in 10 days in Bosnia
My whole trip took me exactly 2 weeks. I left my home town Snina in Slovakia on the 1st June 2019 in the morning and came back on the 14th June 2019 late evening.
I took 2 trains from Snina to Kosice, then a train to Budapest, and a bus to the airport to hop on my flight to Sarajevo.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina I took 2 buses and 1 train to travel from place A to place B. Then a flight from Sarajevo back to Budapest. Afterwards, I spent 2 days in Budapest with a friend and her family, and a day in Kosice with my mum on the way back home. In this post I am not counting the money I spent while in Budapest nor in Kosice, but only my trip to get to Bosnia, when there, and then to get back home.
on the train from Mostar to Sarajevo
charging my phone on the Mostar – Sarajevo train
Transportation cost me = 103.24 eur:
- 30.86 eur flights from Budapest to Sarajevo and back
- 4.49 eur train from Snina to Kosice
- 11 eur train from Kosice to Budapest
- 2.83 eur bus Budapest city center to Budapest airport
- 2 eur for 1 trolleybus and 1 tram ticket in Sarajevo
- 19.20 eur bus from Sarajevo to Neum
- 8.26 eur bus Neum to Mostar
- 6.32 eur train Mostar to Sarajevo
- 2.85 eur bus Budapest airport to Budapest city center
- 11 eur train from Budapest to Kosice
- 4.43 eur train from Kosice to Snina (I got off 1 train station earlier, that’s why it cost 6 cents less)
on the tram in Sarajevo
Food for 11 days= 108,78 eur:
- 1.33 + 5.57 + 7.96 + 7.96 + 1.91 + 1.12 + 2.95 + 5.33 + 8.82 + 8.24 + 1.30 + 2.65 + 5.59 + 6.38 + 5.57 + 1.10 = 73.78 eur by card
- and 35 eur in cash
- As you can see above, each meal at a restaurant cost me from 5 euros to almost 9 euros.
- I counted also what I ate on the trains, buses and airports
- I paid for all the food myself. I was not invited by anyone, nor worked with any brands so no food was sponsored on the trip (unlikely to most of my trips when I work with companies who usually also pay for my food).
- In Sarajevo and Mostar I ate out at the restaurants every day (dinner and desserts). For breakfast I had fresh fruit from the market.
- In Neum I dined out at a restaurant once and it was very expensive and not the best in that hot weather. Then for the other 4 days in Neum I decided to prepare my own meals in the kitchen from ingredients bought at Konzum supermarket.
- As it was unbearably hot for most of the trip, I cooled down with ice cream a few times. I was surprised to find delicious vegan ice cream in Mostar in Gelateria 5 on the Rade Bitange street.
- I bought only 1 drink during the entire trip at a restaurant. I got a glass of fresh orange juice in Mostar. It was too hot at lunch time so I needed to sit down for a few minutes to enjoy the view of the Old bridge and cool down. I made a live Instagram video from there watching a guy jumping off the Old Bridge.
- All the rest of trip I was drinking tap water everywhere. I did not pay for any water as I was carrying my 2 BPA-free water bootles that I could refill at hotels and restaurants for free in the bathroom or kitchen.
- The food prices were similar to those we have in my home country Slovakia.
vegan meal at Food House in Mostar cost 7.96 eur
Mostar market apricots
buying fruit at the Mostar market
Accommodation for 11 nights = 206.06 eur:
- 10 eur room in Budapest for 1 night – I had an early morning flight so I needed to stay in Budapest overnight the night before my flight
- 61.06 eur room in Sarajevo for 3 nights
- 95 eur room in Neum for 5 nights
- 40 eur room in Mostar for 2 nights
TIP: I booked all the accommodation easily via Booking.com. I have a $15 discount for your next Booking.com stay anywhere in the world. You will get $15 back after your stay. It does not have to be in Bosnia, but anywhere. Just book via this link.
As I was traveling solo, I had to pay more for a private room. Sharing with someone else would cost me less, but I have sleeping difficulties when sharing with strangers, so staying at a hostel in a shared room was not an option for me.
In Budapest I had a room with 5 beds to myself only, a shared bathroom and a shared kitchen.
Then in Bosnia at all the three places I had a room to myself, with a double bed or 2 single beds, and a private bathroom. In Neum I even had a fully-equipped kitchen shared with just one more room next door. All the three places had free fast wifi and were located in the city center so I could easily walk anywhere around the town. None of the accommodation had breakfast nor any other food included in the price.
by the Old Bridge in Mostar
I visited only 3 towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina to get to know them better without any rush: the capital Sarajevo, the only beach town in the country Neum and very photogenic Mostar.
Altogether for 11 days in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the flights included, I spent 418.08 eur.
It makes it 38 eur per 1 day.
I know the title of the article says 10 days, but I count 1 extra day for traveling to Bosnia and back so it was not 10, but 11 with the trains and flights.
Important information about money
- Speaking of money, in 2019 the national currency is Bosnian convertible mark BAM.
- But in many places you can use euro, too or pay by card. I paid by card at all the supermarkets, and most restaurants. I also bought my train and bus tickets online and paid for them by card. Just in a few places I had to use cash, so I had some euro and also BAM with me.
- Sarajevo: There’s many exchange offices in Sarajevo city center but they charge 1% commissions. However, most restaurants accept cards.
- Mostar: it was easier to pay by euro in cash or by card. I found just a few exchange offices there.
- Neum: there was an ATM close to the beach but I have not found any exchange office there. At small markets and souvenir shops they only accepted cash but you could pay by card at Konzum supermarket on the main road.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina is cheaper than the neighbouring Croatia.
TIP: My whole trip in Bosnia was very unusual. You can read about 3 reasons why my trip in Bosnia and Herzegovina was different to my regular trips.
I did not think twice when it came to where and what to eat. I simply had everything I wanted to. And yes, unfortunately, sometimes vegan meals at restaurants are more expensive than non-vegans. I know it makes no sense, but that’s how it is. Just want to say that I could have saved some money on food but I did not want to limit myself at all.
I hope my Bosnia and Herzegovina budget guide is helpful if you are planning a trip there. Tracking expenses is always good for me to have a better idea if the destination is really budget-friendly or not so much. In this guide I did not mention 2 souvenirs I bought for my parents.
*Have you been to Bosnia? How did you enjoy it? If you have not been there yet, I can highly recommend to pay a visit there. It’s an underrated country that has a lot to offer, trust me.
Girdhar
| #
Do they understand English well
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
| #
I would not say ”well” but it depends. Some people spoke fluent English, others no English.