Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovac and Rijeka

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovac: $1,222 a month against $1,588 in Rijeka, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
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Rijeka Living Index

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Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlovac and in Rijeka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Karlovac versus $1,588 in Rijeka.

Karlovac $1,222
Rijeka $1,588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,821 in Karlovac versus $2,430 in Rijeka.

Karlovac $1,821
Rijeka $2,430

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,419 in Karlovac versus $3,272 in Rijeka.

Karlovac $2,419
Rijeka $3,272

Living in Karlovac costs roughly 23% less than in Rijeka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karlovac is 10% below, Rijeka is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.20 €10.06

$13.58 €12.20

-17.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.46 €39.94

$71.9 €64.6

-38.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 €6.84

$9.95 €8.94

-23.52%

Cappuccino

$1.96 €1.76

$2.26 €2.03

-13.27%

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

$2.45 €2.20

$3.11 €2.80

-21.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.88 €1.68

-14.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 €2.19

$3.75 €3.37

-35.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$4.54 €4.08

-45.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.20 €1.08

-5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.54 €1.39

-26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.38

$3.44 €3.09

-55.52%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.84

$3.65 €3.28

-13.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 €8.13

$15.79 €14.18

-42.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 €8.86

$10.15 €9.12

-2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.02 €10.80

$14.20 €12.76

-15.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.64 €1.48

20.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 €1.66

$1.74 €1.56

5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.88 €1.69

-2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.81

$2.55 €2.29

-21.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.33 €1.20

3.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.27 €1.14

-16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.36 €1.23

19.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.37 €1.23

-14.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.11

$5.88 €5.28

-3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 €5.99

$7.83 €7.04

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.64 €1.47

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.09 €1.88

10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 €2.99

$2.75 €2.47

21.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 €48.37

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.09

$5.57 €5.00

1.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.43 €1.28

-23.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.85 €25.02

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.87 €1.68

-9.63%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$28.1K €25.2K

-6.33%

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

$24.7K €22.2K

$24.9K €22.4K

-0.74%

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

$178 €160

$188 €169

-4.90%

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

$27.68 €24.86

$24.20 €21.74

14.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.87 €34.91

$39.87 €35.82

-2.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.63 €34.70

$52.3 €46.95

-26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.24 €16.39

$11.00 €9.88

65.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 €5.88

$10.34 €9.29

-36.65%

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

$427 €384

$553 €497

-22.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 €6,176

$12.8K €11.5K

-46.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €80.2

$97.2 €87.3

-8.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.51 €44.47

$41.16 €36.97

20.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 €79.8

$101 €91.1

-12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 €70.3

$108 €97.2

-27.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €429

$681 €612

-29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 €313

$523 €470

-33.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €659

$1,198 €1,077

-38.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 €477

$869 €780

-38.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,746 €2,467

$4,001 €3,594

-31.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,382 €2,139

$3,809 €3,422

-37.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,399 €1,257

$1,473 €1,323

-4.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

3.73

-0.27%

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

Last update for Karlovac: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rijeka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlovac

$349 28.5%

Rijeka

$523 33% 50.1% $175

Groceries & Markets

Karlovac

$245 20.1%

Rijeka

$292 18.4% 19.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovac

$245 20.1%

Rijeka

$252 15.9% 2.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Karlovac

$169 13.9%

Rijeka

$213 13.4% 26% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovac

$138 11.3%

Rijeka

$157 9.9% 13.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovac

$52 4.2%

Rijeka

$73 4.6% 41% $21

Getting Around

Karlovac

$24 * 2%

Rijeka

$78 4.9% 218% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Karlovac and $681 in Rijeka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rijeka pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Karlovac vs $72 in Rijeka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $292 per month, with Karlovac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

Same time as Karlovac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,869

107,964

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karlovac Rijeka 88 km

From you

Karlovac
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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

Karlovac vs Rijeka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovac is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Karlovac. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $478 in Karlovac versus $681 in Rijeka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Rijeka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Karlovac versus $1,588 in Rijeka – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Karlovac versus $1,588 in Rijeka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovac but tight or insufficient in Rijeka. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Karlovac and Rijeka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Karlovac wins on affordability, Rijeka on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.