Cost of Living inZenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Image credit: Smooth O
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Bosnia and Herzegovina: $20,528/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 61% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
5.9 / 10
#64 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
Public-school quality, expat access, instruction language, and homeschool legality for relocating families.
Public schools
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Bosnia and Herzegovina; Zenica-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
Quality
Mixed quality
Assessment snapshot: 2022
Expat access
Resident families can use it
conditionalInstruction
Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
398
Well below OECD avg
PISA 2022 Β· OECD avg ~480
Why this quality rating
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a fragmented school system across two entities with below-average PISA outcomes. The administrative structure is unusually complex for its size.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can technically enroll in local public schools, but the fragmented system, Bosnian-medium instruction, and quality variation push most expat families toward private options.
β Homeschooling
Not clearly regulatedBosnia and Herzegovina's education system is highly decentralized (Entities + BrΔko District have separate systems). There is no uniform homeschooling framework. School attendance is generally required. Not a well-established path for expat homeschoolers.
Homeschool legality in Bosnia and Herzegovina β check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$600-$800
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,100-$1,500
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Zenica is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
MixedMaternal mortality is low help, but coverage looks thinner.
Public care
LimitedCountry-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but public coverage looks thinner.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
64/100
2023
Physicians
2.58/1k
2019
Hospital beds
2.35/1k
2019
Out of pocket
31%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
6/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
4.4/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedMultiple facilities have websites and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI Β· Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | β |
| Agriculture & Farming | β |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | β |
| Construction | β |
| Education | β |
| Finance & Insurance | β |
| Healthcare & Social Work | β |
| Hospitality & Food Service | β |
| Information & Technology | β |
| Manufacturing | β |
| Mining & Quarrying | β |
| Other Services | β |
| Professional & Scientific Services | β |
| Public Administration & Defence | β |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | β |
| Transport & Logistics | β |
| Utilities | β |
2024 annual wages in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Β· Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page β no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Zenica compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.1x further in Zenica than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Bosnia and Herzegovina here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Zenica cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Zenica is cheaper overall than New York City β overall living costs are about 61% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Zenica. We are using the country-level cost index for Bosnia and Herzegovina here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Zenica compare with New York City?
Rent in Zenica is about 92% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Bosnia and Herzegovina here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Zenica?
Groceries in Zenica are about 61% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 68% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Bosnia and Herzegovina here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Zenica
Zenica is the fourth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the central Federation entity along the Bosna River about 70 kilometers northwest of Sarajevo. With roughly 165,000 residents, it is historically the country's main steelmaking center, anchored by the ArcelorMittal-operated steelworks that still shape the economy and air-quality conditions in the valley. The surrounding landscape is mountainous, with the city tucked into a narrow river basin that traps winter inversions and contributes to recurrent particulate pollution problems. Bosnian is the working language; ethnic composition is predominantly Bosniak. The M-17 corridor and the partially built A1 motorway connect Zenica directly to Sarajevo. For relocation, costs are very low by European standards, but air quality, a contracting industrial base, and limited international flight connections via Sarajevo are real constraints.
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