Moving to Bosnia and Herzegovina from Saudi Arabia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Saudi Arabia to Bosnia and Herzegovina — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Saudi Arabia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, you would find that Bosnia and Herzegovina is 25.8% cheaper than Saudi Arabia overall. A SAR280,000 salary in Saudi Arabia would need to be roughly BAM96,700 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 92°F in Riyadh, making it significantly cooler.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Saudi Arabia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What does your salary buy?
SAR280,000 → BAM96,700
To maintain the same standard of living in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 27.8% more
Groceries
pay 8.6% less
Transportation
pay 10.1% more
Housing
pay 49.1% less
Childcare
pay 32.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 54.9% 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.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina cost about 27% less than cities in Saudi Arabia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Saudi Arabia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Saudi Arabia generally does better on safety, though Bosnia and Herzegovina leads in road traffic deaths.
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
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Bosnia and Herzegovina 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
Bosnia and Herzegovina performs significantly better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.
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
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Bosnia and Herzegovina leads in water stress level.
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
Saudi Arabia performs better than Bosnia and Herzegovina 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
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Bosnia and Herzegovina leads in literacy rate.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Department of Zakat and Income Tax (2016), Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Riyadh | Sarajevo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) | 45°/30°F (7°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) | 70°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) | 79°/56°F (26°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) | 51°/37°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Riyadh | Sarajevo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.9°C) |
| Feb | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) | 44°/29°F (6.6°/-1.9°C) |
| Mar | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) | 53°/35°F (11.5°/1.4°C) |
| Apr | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) | 62°/41°F (16.5°/5.1°C) |
| May | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/9.0°C) |
| Jun | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) | 78°/55°F (25.4°/12.6°C) |
| Jul | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) | 82°/58°F (27.8°/14.2°C) |
| Aug | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) | 83°/58°F (28.3°/14.3°C) |
| Sep | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) | 63°/44°F (17.3°/6.5°C) |
| Nov | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) | 51°/37°F (10.6°/2.8°C) |
| Dec | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) | 40°/29°F (4.3°/-1.7°C) |
Data:
National Center for Meteorology,
Federal Hydrometeorological Service of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Saudi Arabia 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.
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina
Visa Required
Bosnia and Herzegovina passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
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 Saudi Arabia?
Yes — Bosnia and Herzegovina is on average about 26% cheaper than Saudi Arabia. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly BAM24,175 in Bosnia and Herzegovina on a SAR280,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Bosnia and Herzegovina has 29.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Bosnia and Herzegovina safe for expats?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on safety, though Bosnia and Herzegovina leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 1.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.9 in Saudi Arabia.
How is healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Bosnia and Herzegovina leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 25.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, compared to 34.1 in Saudi Arabia. Bosnia and Herzegovina scores 66 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Saudi Arabia: 74).
What's the weather like in Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Saudi Arabia?
The average high temperature in Sarajevo is 62°F, compared to 92°F in Riyadh. Sarajevo receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Riyadh gets 4.4 in.
What language do they speak in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
The official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. In Saudi Arabia, the official language is Arabic.
