Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Croatia

Name: Croatia
Address: HR

For one person, living is cheaper in Croatia: $1,579 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Croatia
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Croatia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Croatia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,579 in Croatia.

Italy $1,843
Croatia $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $2,390 in Croatia.

Italy $2,816
Croatia $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $3,202 in Croatia.

Italy $3,788
Croatia $3,202

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,114–$1,999 in Croatia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 17% more expensive than in Croatia on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, Croatia 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$13.52 €12.11

51.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$68.1 €61.0

16.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$9.46 €8.47

17.86%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.45 €2.19

-16.73%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$3.07 €2.75

0.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.40 €2.15

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$3.88 €3.47

42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$4.53 €4.06

26.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.21 €1.08

29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.51 €1.35

57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.83 €2.54

2.47%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$3.80 €3.40

7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$12.07 €10.81

44.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$9.48 €8.49

32.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$13.59 €12.17

48.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.87 €1.67

37.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.74 €1.56

25.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.93 €1.73

38.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$2.47 €2.21

32.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.39 €1.24

36.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.26 €1.13

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.22 €1.10

28.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.21 €1.08

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$5.71 €5.11

17.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$7.97 €7.13

0.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.64 €1.47

7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.18 €1.95

7.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.65 €1.48

15.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$50.5 €45.26

-14.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$3.72 €3.33

51.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.42 €1.27

20.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$19.30 €17.28

74.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.79 €1.60

13.41%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$27.3K €24.5K

29.27%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$24.9K €22.3K

47.85%

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

$227 €203

$190 €170

19.36%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$21.64 €19.38

-46.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$36.71 €32.88

-17.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$47.55 €42.59

8.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$14.99 €13.43

58.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$9.19 €8.23

15.34%

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

$568 €508

$334 €299

70.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$9,005 €8,065

27.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$98.0 €87.8

-7.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$41.02 €36.74

-6.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$97.7 €87.5

5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$101 €90.6

29.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$707 €633

16.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$556 €498

16.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$1,171 €1,049

19.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$903 €809

16.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$4,338 €3,885

-15.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$3,508 €3,142

-34.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$1,592 €1,426

18.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.71

-4.04%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Croatia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Croatia

$556 35.2% 14% $90

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Croatia

$272 17.3% 21.7% $75

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Croatia

$216 13.7% 22.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Croatia

$248 15.7% 7.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Croatia

$152 9.6% 6.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Croatia

$66 4.2% 9.6% $7

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Croatia

$68 4.3% 4.1% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $676 in Croatia. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $888 in Zagreb.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $1,358 in Croatia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 8% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 16% more in Italy.

Salaries are 39% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇭🇷 Croatia

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

3,871,833

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Croatia 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Croatia

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

Italy vs Croatia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,579 per month in Croatia and $1,843 in Italy, Croatia comes out about 14% 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 $729 in Italy 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.