Living in Croatia in 2026: My €1,600/Month Budget vs. Reality [Cost of Living Update]

The cost of living in Croatia keeps going up, mainly because of the economic growth, but also by the inflation that plagued the world in the past few years.

Now, since I’ve spent enough time here to have a better understanding of what it really costs to live in Croatia, I have this cost of living guide to share: I have calculated exactly what my family and I spend, on average, living here.

To come up with the real numbers when it comes to living in Croatia, I will use both my personal expenses with what fellow expats, digital nomads and everyday residents experience. In other words, the most reliable cost of living estimate for living anywhere in Croatia!

Quick Overview

If you don’t want to go through all the details – although you should, to get the full picture – here is what your monthly living expenses should look like for long-term living:

For a single person renting in a major city like Zagreb or Split, the realistic cost of living in 2026 is between €1,600 – €1,900 per month for a comfortable, yet moderate lifestyle.

For us, a family with a child, our combined household spending hovers around €2,800 – €3,200 each month, meaning my personal “share” is roughly €1,500 – €1,600.

If you are interested in estimates for a holiday here, it might be a better idea to check my travel prices in Croatia article.

Now let’s get more in-depth with the estimates and see how that monthly budget will be split!

Accommodation / Rental Costs

Rent is usually your biggest monthly expense, and this is where the market has changed the most, with prices increasing dramatically, especially in the large cities or the touristy ones.

We pay €950 per month for our 2-bedroom apartment in Split and the price is still good to today’s reality. We managed to find a year-round contract, which is difficult in coastal cities because landlords usually prefer to rent to tourists during the summer for €150/night, so finding a place that won’t kick you out in June is difficult.

But it’s not just the coastal towns that have huge rents – these have grown significantly everywhere in the past years. If you are looking for an apartment right now, here is what you should expect to pay for a modern, furnished place in a decent area:

• Studio (Garsonijera): €500 – €650/month.
• 1-Bedroom: €650 – €850/month (Sea views or premium locations will push this over €1,000).
• 2-Bedrooms (Family size): €900 – €1,200/month.

IMPORTANT: People in Croatia list their apartments based on total rooms, not bedrooms. That means a “3-room apartment” will have two bedrooms and a living room.

My insider tip: when renting or searching for a place to rent, make sure that you look at local agencies that are aimed at Croatians, and not the fancy ones for foreigners.

The latter are more expensive and have far fewer properties to offer. Check out websites like njuskalo.hr for local prices (the website, however, is in Croatian only – use Google Translate on it to make it easier to navigate).

IMPORTANT: If you need a residence permit, your contract must be “solemnized” (notarized). Some landlords refuse this to avoid taxes, so always ask upfront if they will do it. If they won’t, you have to walk away, because you won’t be able to use it for a residence permit or for registering your presence (if you are an EU citizen).

Another tip: Start searching for a place during the off season months (October – April) as prices are lowest during this time. From May to September, property owners who weren’t able to rent long term will usually switch to renting short term for higher earnings.

It also depends on where you want to live: larger cities are more expensive (Zagreb being the most expensive, for example), while smaller towns and villages are cheaper, as long as they’re not popular resorts.

If you want to spend a short time in Croatia only, I recommend looking at one of the top all inclusive resorts here to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Monthly food costs in Croatia

This is always one of the most difficult categories to estimate, because people can spend here anything from pennies to little fortunes.

I tend to cook at home with fresh ingredients from local farmers’ markets or the major supermarkets with low prices. When I eat out, I usually pick affordable konobas (family-run taverns) rather than tourist hotspots, and this helps keep costs low.

For our family of three, we spend around €750 per month on groceries. If you are single, expect to spend €450 – €500 per month on food. If you follow specific diets (gluten-free, vegan) or exclusively buy organic (“bio”) products, add at least 30% to this budget.

I repeat: these costs can vary greatly depending on your lifestyle. If you eat out a lot, or if you follow specific diets (mainly gluten-free or eating exclusively organic), expenses will go up really fast.

Here are some typical grocery prices (expect slight variation based on seasonality):

• Tomatoes (1 kg): €2.50
• Potatoes (1 kg): €1.20
• Lettuce (1 head): €1.00
• Apples (1 kg): €1.00 – €1.50
• Oranges (1 Kg): €1.50
• Bananas (1 Kg): €1.50
• Eggs (10 pack): €3.50
• Chicken Breasts (1 kg): €10.50
• Fresh Fish (Sea Bream 1 kg): €14.00 (Variable by catch)
• Bread (Artisan Sourdough): €4.50 (Standard supermarket loaves are cheaper, around €1.60)
• Milk (1 Liter): €1.20
• Local Wine (Mid-range bottle): €8.00
• Beer (0.5 liter): €1.10 (in stores)
• Sparkling water (1.5 l): €1.00
• Bottled water (7 l): €2.30
• Bottle of natural juice (1 liter): €2.5

Related reading: Best Restaurants & Pubs in Split, Croatia

Restaurant prices in Croatia

When it comes to eating out in a restaurant, prices have gone up a lot in recent years, especially after Croatia switched to using the Euro in 2023.

While a casual dinner that used to cost €25 is now around €40, a daily menu can still be found for €10, which remains affordable.

My advice is to find the restaurants where locals eat, like the aforementioned konobas, and you can have a decent meal for a low price. Now here’s what you’ll spend eating out:

Eating Out Costs:

• Meal for two (casual): €40 – €60 (Main course & drinks).
• Meal for two (upscale): €90+.
• Gablec (Daily Lunch Menu): €10 – €13 (The most affordable way to eat out).
• Pizza: €12 – €16.
• Coffee (Espresso/Macchiato): €2.20 – €3.00.
• Beer (0.5 l): €3.20
• Coke (0.25 l): €2.50
• Fresh lemonade: €3.50

Related reading: Best Restaurants in Zagreb, Croatia

Croatia: Utilities cost

Usually, rent doesn’t include any utilities or common expenses for the building.

Inour case, our bills fluctuate a lot based on the time of the year – winter still needs heating in Croatia, while the AC has to run constantly during the summer. All in all, we spend around €220 per month for everything (Electricity, Water, Trash, Internet).

Average Monthly Utility Breakdown:

• Electricity, Water, Trash: €150 (Higher in winter/summer peaks).
• Communal building expenses (elevators, cleaning, etc.): 20 Euros
• Mobile, Internet & TV Package: ~60 Euros /month (fast internet, 120 TV channels including Streaming channels like Netflix and HBO Max, as well as unlimited calls).

All in all, the prices for utilities in Croatia have grown a lot in the past several years and they keep growing, although not at an alarming rate.

Important: The “Holding” Confusion. If you choose Zagreb over the coast, you won’t get just one bill. You will receive a bill from HEP (electricity) and a separate confusing bill called Zagrebački Holding (water, trash, maintenance).

Always clarify with your landlord who pays the “Pričuva” (building reserve fund) – usually, the landlord should pay this, but they often try to pass it to the tenant.

Additional expenses

This category is tough to define because it varies so much by person. Clothing, healthcare, transportation, and entertainment all add up.

Since we have a child, our budget looks different from a single digital nomad’s or a couple’s. Here is where the “extras” add up:

• Kindergarten: Public kindergartens are subsidized but hard to get into without permanent residency. Private kindergartens cost around €500 per month. International schools can range from €800 to €1,500 monthly.
• Gym Membership: We pay €55/month each.
• Health Insurance: Private insurance starts around €80/month per person.
• Public Transport: In Zagreb, a 30-minute tram ticket is just €0.53. In Split, we rely more on buses or walking, as the city is compact.
• Cinema: €7 – €9 per ticket.

The good thing is that most cities in Croatia are walkable – or at least a bike will do.

Can you live in Croatia on €1,000 per month?

Living on €1,000/month in Croatia has become impossible for most expats, even if you are sharing expenses and live a very modest life. A few years ago, the answer was “maybe,” but today, attempting to live on €1,000 a month will put you in survival mode.

While there are plenty of locals who make it work, their situation is different and usually they don’t have to pay rent or mortgage. For an expat or digital nomad, here is the math (for a single person):

• Rent: €550 (Optimistic studio price)
• Utilities: €150
• Food: €400 (Mostly cooking at home)
• Total: €1,100

We’re already over the 1,000 Euros/month mark, and zero budget for transport, clothes, toiletries, medicine, or emergencies.

Keep in mind that the average net salary in Croatia has risen to approximately €1,480, so at the very least, especially if you live alone, you will need at least €1,250 to make it work.

This amount becomes better if you can split costs with your partner and still live a modest life (the rent alone is reduced to half, for example, giving you more wiggle room).

So, if you don’t have a partner yet, make sure to read my guide to Croatian women (or Croatian men, depending on your interests) to get this sorted out.

How much money do you need to live comfortably in Croatia?

To live a good life, where you can rent a nice apartment, eat healthy food, run the AC when it’s hot, and not stress about every cent, you should budget €1,800 to €2,000 per month as a single person.

If you are a couple, a combined income of €3,000+ provides a very high quality of life. We spend a similar amount as a family of three and, even though we’re generally careful with out spending, we still can’t complain at all.

Croatia remains a cheap country to live in, especially if you compare it with others in Western Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and so on, but is no longer “cheap” in the way Southeast Asia is.

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If you have personal insights regarding the monthly living costs in Croatia, I would love to hear them: the more people we have sharing their personal expenses, the easier it will be for those interested in moving here to estimate their costs.

Thanks for sharing this article!