Mostar is one of the most expensive and the most expensive cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina BiH to live in, according to statistical reports.
The consumer basket for the month of January of the current year was almost 3.000 BAM, according to the data from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of BiH. These prices are not normal, considering the standard of living. One of the main factors that influence the situation is the fact that Mostar is one of the main tourist attractions in BiH, but the citizens suffer because of it, according to experts.
There is no excuse for this.
Marin Bago, the president of the Mostar association for consumer protection Fortuna, spoke about the problem and the reasons that caused the abnormal prices.
This situation cannot be acceptable for the citizens of Mostar because the prices on our market have no justification. Our country's activities, transport, water supply, and other activities of public and economic importance are in complete disarray. These are contractual services, and there are no such contracts in Mostar. Bago explains that it goes beyond the legal framework and someone there without documents and contracts establishes his own conditions, and in this way the citizens are being manipulated.
Some food products are more expensive in Mostar than other cities, which is something that is not quite true and is marketed to the public. The prices are taken from the average of the items on the shelves. There are items that are more expensive in Mostar but are not available in some other places in BiH, so it turns out that rice or flour is more expensive in Mostar. The prices of basic foodstuffs are almost the same as in Zenica, Bijeljina, and other cities of BiH. Bago says that citizens don't have to buy these more expensive items.
The president of the Fortuna association does not deny that Mostar and Siroki Brijeg are traditionally the most expensive places in BiH, and often there is no justification for this.
Bago concludes that the citizens are victims of disordered systems. What is the problem, but is there a solution in sight and does a solution exist? Bago believes that there is strength in unity.
A one-way ticket in Mostar costs 2 BAM, while a one-way ticket in Sarajevo costs 1.40 BAM. A monthly ticket for public transport in Mostar is 57.50 BAM, while the price for a monthly ticket in Sarajevo is 53 BAM. The starting price of taxis in Mostar is 3 BAM and in Sarajevo 2 BAM. A kilogram of rice is 3.31 BAM in Mostar and 2.94 BAM in Sarajevo. A kilogram of beef in Mostar is more expensive by 1 BAM, while apples, bananas, cheese, milk, and fuel are more expensive.
In Mostar, real estate prices are cheaper than in the capital of BiH, so a square meter of a flat in the centre of Mostar averages 2.534. You will pay about 4.392 when you pay 57 BAM, while in the centre of Sarajevo. Kindergartens in Mostar are slightly cheaper than real estate, and prices in certain restaurants are cheaper.
The average monthly net income in Mostar is 1.182 BAM, while the salary difference in Sarajevo is significant, and it is 1.403 BAM, according to Klix.ba.