Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croatia and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Croatia: $1,572 a month against $1,804 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Croatia
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Croatia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,572

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Croatia and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Croatia and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,572 in Croatia versus $1,804 in Italy.

Croatia $1,572
Italy $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,376 in Croatia versus $2,778 in Italy.

Croatia $2,376
Italy $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Croatia versus $3,752 in Italy.

Croatia $3,180
Italy $3,752

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,035 to $2,560, compared to $1,115–$1,979 in Croatia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Croatia costs about 13% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Croatia 16% above, Italy 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.18 €11.73

$19.89 €17.69

-33.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$77.0 €68.5

-13.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 €8.33

$11.00 €9.78

-14.91%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.28

$1.99 €1.77

28.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.73

$2.96 €2.63

3.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.41 €1.25

71.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.45

$5.60 €4.98

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.98

$5.67 €5.05

-20.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.61 €1.43

-27.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.30 €2.05

-33.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.99 €2.66

-1.00%

Eggs

$3.78 €3.36

$4.06 €3.61

-6.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.87 €10.56

$17.23 €15.33

-31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 €8.58

$12.68 €11.28

-23.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 €12.18

$20.36 €18.11

-32.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.54 €2.26

-27.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.15 €1.91

-23.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.56 €2.28

-25.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$3.22 €2.86

-25.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.92 €1.70

-31.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.84 €1.64

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.51 €1.34

-16.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.55 €0.49

123.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.55 €4.94

$6.81 €6.06

-18.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 €6.76

$8.03 €7.15

-5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.72 €1.53

-8.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.37 €2.11

-3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.88 €1.67

-12.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.19 €39.30

$43.31 €38.52

2.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 €3.24

$5.57 €4.95

-34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.63 €1.45

-10.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.40 €17.25

$33.78 €30.04

-42.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.04 €1.81

-9.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.7K €23.7K

$35.6K €31.7K

-25.15%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K €23.1K

$35.4K €31.5K

-26.71%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$191 €170

$222 €198

-13.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.89 €19.47

$11.43 €10.17

91.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.95 €32.87

$30.65 €27.26

20.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.50 €44.03

$52.7 €46.89

-6.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 €13.14

$23.82 €21.18

-37.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$10.51 €9.35

-13.23%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$331 €294

$541 €481

-38.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,209 €8,190

$11.7K €10.4K

-21.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.2 €85.5

$90.0 €80.0

6.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.04 €37.39

$39.08 €34.76

7.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 €85.7

$101 €90.2

-4.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.8

$132 €117

-22.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 €618

$805 €716

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 €493

$619 €550

-10.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 €1,049

$1,388 €1,235

-15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 €804

$1,050 €934

-13.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,289 €3,814

$3,623 €3,223

18.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,372 €2,999

$2,229 €1,983

51.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,533 €1,364

$1,889 €1,680

-18.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

3.56

4.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Croatia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Croatia

$555 35.3%

Italy

$619 34.3% 11.5% $64

Groceries & Markets

Croatia

$271 17.3%

Italy

$347 19.2% 27.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croatia

$250 15.9%

Italy

$265 14.7% 5.7% $14

Eating Out

Croatia

$215 13.7%

Italy

$273 15.1% 27.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Croatia

$151 9.6%

Italy

$163 9% 7.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Croatia

$68 4.3%

Italy

$74 4.1% 8.9% $6

Getting Around

Croatia

$62 3.9%

Italy

$65 3.6% 4.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $671 in Croatia, $721 in Italy. Capital cities: $868 in Zagreb vs $1,222 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,353 in Croatia, $1,888 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 7% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 16% more in Italy.

Salaries are 40% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Croatia

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

Same time as Croatia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,871,833

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Croatia Italy 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Croatia
Italy

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Croatia vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,572 per month in Croatia and $1,804 in Italy, there's a 15% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $721 in Italy and $671 in Croatia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Croatia, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Croatia wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.