Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubrovnik and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagreb: $1,761 a month against $1,979 in Dubrovnik, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubrovnik and in Zagreb

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

A single person spends $1,979 per month in Dubrovnik vs $1,761 in Zagreb, rent included.

Dubrovnik $1,979
Zagreb $1,761

A couple spends around $2,933 per month in Dubrovnik vs $2,604 in Zagreb, rent included.

Dubrovnik $2,933
Zagreb $2,604

A family of three spends $3,886 per month in Dubrovnik vs $3,447 in Zagreb, rent included.

Dubrovnik $3,886
Zagreb $3,447

Dubrovnik costs about 12% more than Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dubrovnik and Zagreb sit above the global median – Dubrovnik by 47%, Zagreb by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.49 €17.34

$12.50 €11.12

55.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 €68.8

$63.6 €56.6

21.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.30

$8.33 €7.41

52.58%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.74

$2.51 €2.23

67.73%

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

$4.50 €4.01

$3.00 €2.67

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$2.54 €2.26

76.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.27 €2.91

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 €7.10

$4.36 €3.88

83.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.23 €1.09

-12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.66 €1.48

-27.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.72 €2.42

-15.44%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$3.87 €3.45

8.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 €8.81

$14.61 €12.99

-32.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$11.95 €10.63

-25.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 €8.54

$17.44 €15.51

-44.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.31 €2.05

-23.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.78 €1.59

-23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.11 €1.88

-19.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.50 €2.22

9.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$1.31 €1.17

-34.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.19 €1.06

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.17 €1.04

-5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.37 €1.22

-8.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 €4.76

$5.78 €5.14

-7.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$10.23 €9.10

-56.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.61 €1.43

-18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.48 €2.20

16.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.51

$0.57 €0.51

396.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 €48.53

$53.5 €47.63

1.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$2.19 €1.95

101.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.42 €1.26

-14.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 €6.58

$11.67 €10.38

-36.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.84 €1.64

-2.17%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$27.6K €24.6K

-6.30%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$27.2K €24.2K

-6.19%

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

$178 €158

$214 €190

-17.03%

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

$22.58 €20.09

$23.36 €20.77

-3.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.34 €37.66

$41.16 €36.61

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 €62.4

$51.1 €45.48

37.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.39 €20.81

$18.82 €16.74

24.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 €7.12

$9.13 €8.12

-12.38%

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

$90.6 €80.6

$501 €445

-81.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,922 €6,157

$9,878 €8,787

-29.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 €65.2

$111 €98.3

-33.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 €24.43

$42.93 €38.19

-36.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 €58.9

$98.0 €87.1

-32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €69.7

$110 €98.3

-29.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$868 €772

66.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 €806

$668 €594

35.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,747

$1,463 €1,301

34.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$1,039 €924

38.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,912 €7,038

$5,031 €4,475

57.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$3,468 €3,085

19.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,437 €1,279

$1,937 €1,723

-25.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.3

14.85%

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

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8%

Zagreb

$668 37.9% 26.3% $238

Eating Out

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4%

Zagreb

$202 11.5% 37.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3%

Zagreb

$278 15.8% 14.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9%

Zagreb

$315 17.9% 34.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6%

Zagreb

$163 9.3% 47.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 19.4% $17

Getting Around

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 14.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,442 in Dubrovnik versus $868 in Zagreb. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Zagreb, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Dubrovnik versus $64.0 in Zagreb. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Dubrovnik vs $315 in Zagreb – so Dubrovnik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

Same time as Dubrovnik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,562

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Dubrovnik Zagreb 390 km

From you

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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

Dubrovnik vs Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,979 in Dubrovnik, $1,761 in Zagreb – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,969 per month in Dubrovnik and $2,642 in Zagreb. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zagreb, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 2% less in Zagreb. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $90.6 per month in Dubrovnik and $501 in Zagreb. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Zagreb, where all-in costs run around $1,761, than in Dubrovnik at $1,979. In Zagreb it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubrovnik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubrovnik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,761 in Zagreb to $1,979 in Dubrovnik. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zagreb. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubrovnik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.