How Much Does It Cost to Stay in Mostar, Bosnia for a Month?
The budget for a month in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina depends on the level of luxury required. We believe that traveling full-time requires a moderate level of comfort. Most people (us included) could not stay in a hostel month after month and continue to travel indefinitely. With that in mind, two people can stay a month in Mostar comfortably for less than $2,200. On the other hand, if you require 4-star accommodations and white tablecloth meals, it will cost significantly more.
Where did this number come from? Well, we spent a month in Mostar, and I kept a detailed spreadsheet with all our daily expenses. I used this spreadsheet to put together three budgets (low, mid, and high) depending on various requirements. The budgets include a breakdown that will allow you to put together your own estimate based on your needs.
Of course, these budgets assume you live like us and stay in one place for the entire month. If you move around during the month, your budget will go up for the increase in lodging (shorter stays cost more per day) and transportation.
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Monthly Budget for Two People in Mostar, Bosnia
There are substantial savings when traveling as a couple or with a friend compared to traveling alone. For example, there are some savings on the grocery bill. It’s more than it would be for one person, but it’s not twice as much. On the other hand, some costs are twice as much. There are rarely discounts on museum tickets or other entertainment.
If you want to estimate how much it would cost to travel alone, you can make some deductions for Groceries and Dining, Entertainment, Transportation, and International Health Insurance. However, the Lodging and Miscellaneous costs will be about the same for one person as for two.
Lodging
Our apartment for May in Mostar cost $650, which is on the low end for Mostar. It was one of our most affordable destinations. We selected it to balance the very high costs of our other destinations to achieve our annual budget. It was located next to the Old Town and did have a terrace and washing machine.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| Airbnb in Old Town – Entire Home | $650 | $1,200 | $1,700 |
Groceries and Dining
The average cost of food in Mostar is less than in other European countries like Croatia and Italy.
Groceries cost less in Mostar than in other European countries like Croatia and Italy. Don’t forget your reusable grocery bags! They charge for each grocery bag.
But restaurants are where you will see tremendous value. Two people can have a meal with two entrees and four large beers for $30. We often joked that eating dinner out was cheaper than cooking at home. Make sure you have cash when you eat out. Several restaurants do not accept credit cards.
Mostar does not have bulk wine shops like in Italy, but some Bosnian wines are sold in liter bottles instead of 750ml. The grocery stores carry a good selection of wine, with bottles priced from $2 to $20.
If you want to try some fantastic Bosnian wine, there’s an excellent wine shop located a short walk from Old Town. It is called Vinoteka and is located at Vokica i Lorkovica 91. We went there to taste Bosnian wines by the glass and purchased three excellent bottles.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $600 | $850 | $1,150 | |
| Groceries | Y | Y | Y |
| Wine | N | less than $10 per bottle wine | $10 to $20 per bottle wine |
| Street Food | N | Y | Y |
| Sit Down Restaurants | N | four $30 dinner | eight $30 dinners |
Entertainment
In addition to the Museum of the Old Bridge, a handful of museums in Mostar have small entry fees. Those, plus day trips, make up the entertainment expense.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $100 | $150 | $200 | |
| Weekly Budget for Tickets and Experiences | $25 | $37.50 | $50 |
Transportation
This expense assumes that you come from Dubrovnik or Split, Croatia (the most popular destinations on the Dalmatian Coast). Renting a car in Croatia and returning it in Mostar is very expensive due to the fees charged for one-way and drop-off in another.
For this reason, I have provided two options – the bus and a private car transfer. We took a private car transfer to and from Dubrovnik, costing $200 each way.
For private transfers, check out some highly-rated options below.
For buses, check out FlixBus.
Local transportation in Mostar is very affordable. The cost of a bus ticket to any of the historic villages nearby is negligible. For example, the bus to the Dervish Monastery in Blagaj costs about $1 and takes less than 30 minutes.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $100 | $400 | $400 | |
| Bus Transfer to and from airport in Dubrovnik | Y | N | N |
| Private Car Transfer to and from airport in Dubrovnik | N | $200 each way | $200 each way |
| One Day Trip via bus | Y | Y | Y |
International Health Insurance
This fixed cost does not vary from month to month or location to location.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $300 | $350 | $400 | |
| Worldwide Coverage (except the USA) | Y | Y | Y |
| Inpatient Coverage | Y – $10,000 deductible | Y – $10,000 deductible | Y – $10,000 deductible |
| Outpatient Coverage | Y – $1,500 deductible | Y – $1,500 deductible | Y – $1,500 deductible |
| Wellbeing Coverage | N | Y | Y |
| Vision & Dental Coverage | N | Y | Y |
| International Evacuation | N | N | Y |
Miscellaneous
The miscellaneous expense budget is a catch-all for everything else. This includes toiletries, clothing, and technology costs. We only need one VPN subscription, one eSim plan, one Netflix subscription, and one Traveling Mailbox.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $400 | $500 | $600 | |
| VPN | $5 | $5 | $5 |
| eSIM | $7 for 3GB | $10.50 for 5GB | $16 for 10GB |
| Streaming Subscriptions | $15 budget | $30 budget | $50 budget |
| Traveling Mailbox | $21 | $21 | $21 |
Total
The monthly budget varies significantly based on the level of accommodation required, how often you eat at restaurants and the quantity and quality of wine you drink.
| Low Monthly Budget | Mid Monthly Budget | High Monthly Budget | |
| $2,150 | $3,450 | $4,450 |
In addition to the factors discussed above, the budget for a month in Mostar will also fluctuate based on whether it’s high season or low season. The summer months are the high tourist season and will be more expensive than the winter months. Although Mostar is a popular destination for day-trippers visiting from Dubrovnik, apartment prices are not inflated significantly in the summer.
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I have also prepared monthly budgets for other cities we have visited in Europe. If you combine budgets to calculate the cost of a longer, multi-city stay, you will need to include additional transfer costs.
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