Moving to Bosnia and Herzegovina from Iraq
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Iraq to Bosnia and Herzegovina — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Iraq to Bosnia and Herzegovina, you would find that Bosnia and Herzegovina is 70.4% more expensive than Iraq overall. A IQD98,353,840 salary in Iraq would need to be roughly BAM187,742 in Bosnia and Herzegovina to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sarajevo averages 62°F vs 87°F in Baghdad, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Iraq to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What does your salary buy?
IQD98,353,840 → BAM187,742
To maintain the same standard of living in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.1 times more
Groceries
pay 74.7% more
Transportation
pay 47.6% more
Housing
pay 7.8% more
Childcare
pay 47.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Bosnia and Herzegovina performs significantly better than Iraq across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Bosnia and Herzegovina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iraq leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Iraq generally does better on environment, though Bosnia and Herzegovina leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Bosnia and Herzegovina performs significantly better than Iraq across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Bosnia and Herzegovina performs significantly better than Iraq across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
Bosnia and Herzegovina performs significantly better than Iraq across all family life metrics.
Data: Ministry of Finance, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Baghdad | Sarajevo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 66°/43°F (19°/6°C) | 45°/30°F (7°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 97°/67°F (36°/20°C) | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 108°/74°F (43°/24°C) | 79°/56°F (26°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/50°F (25°/10°C) | 51°/37°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Baghdad | Sarajevo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°/39°F (15.5°/3.8°C) | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.9°C) |
| Feb | 65°/42°F (18.5°/5.5°C) | 44°/29°F (6.6°/-1.9°C) |
| Mar | 74°/49°F (23.6°/9.6°C) | 53°/35°F (11.5°/1.4°C) |
| Apr | 86°/59°F (29.9°/15.2°C) | 62°/41°F (16.5°/5.1°C) |
| May | 98°/68°F (36.5°/20.1°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/9.0°C) |
| Jun | 106°/74°F (41.3°/23.3°C) | 78°/55°F (25.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 111°/78°F (44.0°/25.5°C) | 82°/58°F (27.8°/14.2°C) |
| Aug | 110°/76°F (43.5°/24.5°C) | 83°/58°F (28.3°/14.3°C) |
| Sep | 104°/69°F (40.2°/20.7°C) | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 92°/61°F (33.4°/15.9°C) | 63°/44°F (17.3°/6.5°C) |
| Nov | 75°/49°F (23.7°/9.2°C) | 51°/37°F (10.6°/2.8°C) |
| Dec | 63°/41°F (17.2°/5.1°C) | 40°/29°F (4.3°/-1.7°C) |
Data:
Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology,
Federal Hydrometeorological Service of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina. To live, work, or study long-term in Bosnia and Herzegovina, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Bosnia and Herzegovina's immigration authority.
Iraq passport holder visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina
Visa Required
Bosnia and Herzegovina passport holder visiting Iraq
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Bosnia and Herzegovina than Iraq?
Day-to-day costs in Bosnia and Herzegovina run about 46% higher than Iraq on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Bosnia and Herzegovina?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a IQD98,353,840 comparable salary, that's around BAM46,936 in Bosnia and Herzegovina for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
With 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Bosnia and Herzegovina can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Iraq and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Is Bosnia and Herzegovina safe for expats?
Bosnia and Herzegovina performs significantly better than Iraq across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 9.4 in Iraq.
How is healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Iraq?
Bosnia and Herzegovina generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iraq leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 23.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, compared to 10.1 in Iraq. Bosnia and Herzegovina scores 66 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Iraq: 59).
What's the weather like in Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Iraq?
The average high temperature in Sarajevo is 62°F, compared to 87°F in Baghdad. Sarajevo receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Baghdad gets 4.8 in.
What language do they speak in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
The official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. In Iraq, the official languages are Arabic, Aramaic and Sorani.
