Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croatia and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Croatia: $1,579 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Spain outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Croatia
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Croatia Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,579

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Croatia and in Spain

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 Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,579 in Croatia versus $1,775 in Spain.

Croatia $1,579
Spain $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Croatia versus $2,606 in Spain.

Croatia $2,390
Spain $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,202 in Croatia versus $3,438 in Spain.

Croatia $3,202
Spain $3,438

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $1,114–$1,999 in Croatia. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Croatia costs about 11% less than in Spain on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Croatia 16% above, Spain 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 €12.11

$16.69 €14.95

-18.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$55.7 €49.88

22.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 €8.47

$11.37 €10.18

-16.80%

Cappuccino

$2.45 €2.19

$2.42 €2.16

1.24%

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

$3.07 €2.75

$2.68 €2.40

14.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.79 €1.60

34.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.47

$3.42 €3.07

13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.88 €3.47

16.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.20 €1.07

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.48 €1.33

2.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.54

$1.67 €1.50

69.46%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.40

$3.42 €3.06

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 €10.81

$14.17 €12.69

-14.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 €8.49

$8.33 €7.46

13.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.59 €12.17

$16.20 €14.51

-16.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.45 €2.20

-23.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.03 €1.82

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.08 €1.86

-7.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.58 €2.31

-4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.83 €1.64

-24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.00 €1.79

-37.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.31 €1.17

-6.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.77 €0.69

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$6.36 €5.70

-10.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.13

$5.64 €5.05

41.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.30 €1.17

26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.09 €1.87

4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.64 €1.47

0.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 €45.26

$32.91 €29.48

53.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.33

$4.43 €3.96

-16.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.47 €1.31

-3.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.30 €17.28

$24.98 €22.38

-22.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.77 €1.59

1.13%

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

$27.3K €24.5K

$35.5K €31.8K

-23.11%

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

$24.9K €22.3K

$30.6K €27.4K

-18.81%

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

$190 €170

$149 €134

27.15%

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

$21.64 €19.38

$17.67 €15.83

22.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €32.88

$31.88 €28.55

15.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.55 €42.59

$44.24 €39.62

7.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.99 €13.43

$15.29 €13.70

-1.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$9.66 €8.65

-4.87%

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

$334 €299

$544 €487

-38.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,005 €8,065

$10.6K €9,499

-15.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 €87.8

$84.9 €76.0

15.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 €36.74

$37.11 €33.24

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €87.5

$89.2 €79.9

9.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.6

$106 €94.7

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 €633

$1,056 €946

-33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 €498

$808 €723

-31.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 €1,049

$1,621 €1,452

-27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 €809

$1,246 €1,116

-27.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,338 €3,885

$4,135 €3,704

4.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,508 €3,142

$2,633 €2,358

33.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,592 €1,426

$1,999 €1,790

-20.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.3

12.42%

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

Last update for Croatia: October 26, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Croatia

$556 35.2%

Spain

$808 45.5% 45.4% $252

Groceries & Markets

Croatia

$272 17.3%

Spain

$272 15.3% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croatia

$248 15.7%

Spain

$199 11.2% 19.9% $49

Eating Out

Croatia

$216 13.7%

Spain

$239 13.5% 10.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Croatia

$152 9.6%

Spain

$143 8% 6.2% $9.4

Getting Around

Croatia

$68 4.3%

Spain

$51 2.9% 24.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Croatia

$66 4.2%

Spain

$64 3.6% 3.6% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $676 in Croatia, $920 in Spain. Capital cities: $888 in Zagreb vs $1,508 in Madrid.

National salary averages: $1,358 in Croatia, $1,972 in Spain. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 36% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 11% more in Croatia.

Public transport is 48% more expensive in Croatia.

Salaries are 45% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Croatia

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

Same time as Croatia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,871,833

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Croatia Spain 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Croatia
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,579 per month in Croatia and $1,775 in Spain, Croatia comes out about 11% cheaper. 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 $920 in Spain and $676 in Croatia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Croatia wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.