Beyond average wage: 70 percent of youth in FBiH still living with parents

Financial data highlights the difficulty of entering the housing market. In November, the average salary in FBiH was 1,603 Bosnian marks (approx. €820). However, over 51 percent of employed youth earn less than or around this average, with 27.7 percent earning between 600 marks (approx. €307) and 900 marks (approx. €460). Consequently, many young couples report that even with two salaries, basic living expenses such as rent and food leave little room for savings or mortgage payments.

Rising real estate costs

The cost of purchasing a 50-square-meter new-build apartment in FBiH has reached approximately 153,650 marks (approx. €78,560), based on an average price of 3,000 marks (approx. €1,534) per square meter. While older apartments may be cheaper, they often carry additional costs for taxes and renovations. Furthermore, obtaining a mortgage requires a permanent employment contract, a hurdle that excludes many young workers.

Government credit programs

To address these challenges, the FBiH Government offers a housing credit program for individuals under 40 with permanent employment. These loans, reaching up to 300,000 marks (approx. €153,388) with repayment terms up to 25 years, include incentives such as interest rate reductions for children born or adopted during the term. According to KULT, over 1,800 such loans have been realized to date, totalling more than 213,000,000 marks (approx. €108,905,250) across 50 cities and settlements.