What Is the Minimum and Average Salary in Croatia in 2024? [Answered]

Over the past several years, both the minimum salary, as well as the average wage in Croatia have gone up steadily. This has also been fueled by the country switching to Euros on January 2023.

Today we’re going to find out just how good things are in the country, by looking at the the minimum wage, as well as the average salary in Croatia in 2024.

If you don’t want to go through all the details, here is what you should know:

  • The monthly minimum salary in Croatia, in 2024, is €840 (gross)
  • The average salary in the country is €1,650 (gross)

We’ll start by saying that, despite the increases over the past years, Croatia still ranks towards the bottom in the European Union when it comes to money earned each month by the people working here.

Living on minimum wage here is very difficult – so if you’re planning to relocate here and you’re looking to rent and live on your own, don’t consider the minimum wage enough for a decent life.

When it comes to the average salary in Croatia, the numbers are more or less the same in all the larger cities, with slightly lower amounts expected in the smaller cities and towns.

So large, popular cities like Zagreb, Split or Dubrovnik will be your best choices if you’re looking for the highest potential salaries in the country.

Knowing the minimum and average salaries will help you better estimate the cost of living in Croatia and if you will actually be able to afford the lifestyle you’re planning to live.

Because it theory, having an amount that is at least equal to the average earnings in the country would allow you to live a decent, mid-class life here.

With all these in mind, let’s get more in-depth with the salaries in the country and find both the gross, as well as the more useful net values.

What’s the Minimum Salary in Croatia in 2024?

minimum salary in Croatia

In 2024, the minimum take home salary in Croatia is 677 Euros per month. In terms of gross income, this translates to 840 Euros per month. The NET minimum salary is €117 higher compared to 2023.

This is a pretty massive increase, following two years of pretty large increases. For future reference, I am leaving the data below, to easily compare numbers. All values represent the take home wage:

  • Minimum Monthly Salary 2024: 677 Euros Net
  • Minimum Monthly Salary 2023: 560 Euros Net
  • Minimum Monthly Salary 2022: 500 Euros Net
  • Minimum Monthly Salary 2021: 450 Euros Net

Compared to last year, the increase was substantial, following trends set by 2019 and 2020 where the minimum wage also saw pretty solid boosts. So yes, things are looking good right now!

Just for comparison sake, in early 2013, the gross minimum salary here was around 370 Euros and in 2018 it was 462 Euros.

Today, the gross minimum wage in Croatia is 840 Euros – showing how quickly the country’s economy and quality of life has grown.

This is really good, having in mind that the inflation hit Croatia hard last couple of years (just like it did with most of the world and Europe in special), and probably it will still be pretty bad throughout 2024 also.

Average salary in Croatia in 2024

average salary in Croatia

The net (take home) average salary in Croatia in 2024 is estimated to be around 1,180 Euros per month, or €1,630 gross. The net earnings have only increased by €30 per month compared to last year.

This means that, even though the minimum salaries are growing rapidly in the country (being dictated by the government), the actual monthly earnings are not keeping up.

Pair this slow growth with the high inflation in Croatia in the past couple of years (14% in 2022 and around 6.5% in 2023), you’ll see that the wage increases are not keeping up.

Just for a better overview though, here is the evolution of the average monthly salaries in Croatia over the years (net values):

  • 2019 average monthly salary: €820
  • 2020 average monthly salary: €865
  • 2021 average monthly salary: €905
  • 2022 average monthly salary: €1,035
  • 2023 average monthly salary: €1,150
  • 2024 average monthly salary: €1,180

But, all things considered, as long as salaries go up, things are all good. I am sure that they will start growing at a faster pace from now on, if nothing unexpected happens (again, as the previous several years were full of unpleasant surprises).

Of course, if you compare the average wages in Croatia to those in the European Union, things don’t look that good, as Croatia is still towards the bottom, above 5 countries only.

Also have in mind that the prices in Croatia are also much lower than in the higher earning EU countries, so everything kind of evens up in the end, resulting in a good quality of life being lived on an average salary in any of the country’s cities.

It’s still best if you move here and don’t depend on local employment, though: this way, you will probably earn a lot more than the average and have a chance at living a much better life.

But if you can find employment here that pays at least the average amount listed in this article, things would still be pretty good!

What is a good salary in Croatia?

If your take-home pay is anything over 1,180 Euros each month, you can say that you have a decent salary by Croatian standards and you’ll be able to live a decent life.

For a single person, €1,500 per month can be considered a really good amount and allow you to live a good life.

It’s even better if you have a partner to share some costs with (so both of you would have 2,000 Euros or more per month to spend) as you would reduce rental costs and some of the food costs as well.

Conclusion

Hopefully, my article about the minimum and average salary in Croatia (as well as my analysis of the overall situation) helps you paint a better picture of both the cost of living here as well as what to expect to make if you plan to relocate to this beautiful country or search for a job.

And if you have questions, I will happily answer them if I can, so don’t hesitate to post them below!

Thanks for sharing this article!

6 thoughts on “What Is the Minimum and Average Salary in Croatia in 2024? [Answered]”

  1. thanks this is really helpful stuff if you can include the family cost of living that would be more valuable, for Example parents and 3 children’s cost of living.

    Reply
  2. I want to send my son to Croatia light duty driver having salary 700 euro + accommodation. Is it sufficient to live there and have any chance to save some euros?

    Reply

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