Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riga and Zadar

For one person, living is cheaper in Riga: $1,591 a month against $1,687 in Zadar, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zadar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riga and in Zadar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,591 in Riga versus $1,687 in Zadar.

Riga $1,591
Zadar $1,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,428 in Riga versus $2,572 in Zadar.

Riga $2,428
Zadar $2,572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,264 in Riga versus $3,457 in Zadar.

Riga $3,264
Zadar $3,457

Living in Riga costs roughly 6% less than in Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Riga 18% above, Zadar 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.17

$14.55 €12.95

17.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.6

$78.3 €69.7

-15.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 €7.96

$7.67 €6.83

16.56%

Cappuccino

$3.63 €3.23

$2.40 €2.13

51.25%

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

$1.62 €1.44

$2.96 €2.63

-45.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.19 €1.95

-45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.83

$3.29 €2.92

65.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 €4.41

$4.54 €4.04

9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.17 €1.04

1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.63 €1.45

-8.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$3.14 €2.79

-20.38%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.21

$3.77 €3.35

-4.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.44

$10.80 €9.61

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 €7.88

$9.47 €8.43

-6.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 €12.32

$12.03 €10.71

15.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.98 €1.76

8.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.52 €1.35

19.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.16 €1.92

13.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.60 €2.31

18.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.21 €1.97

-62.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.32 €1.18

-28.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.32 €1.17

28.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.25 €1.12

-21.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$5.59 €4.98

20.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 €6.81

$7.83 €6.97

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.35 €1.20

45.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.41 €1.25

46.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.75 €1.56

-3.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.13 €29.47

$43.69 €38.86

-24.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.42 €3.04

-0.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.22 €1.97

-55.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 €15.91

$22.05 €19.61

-18.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.78 €1.59

12.92%

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

$27.0K €24.0K

$26.3K €23.4K

2.78%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$25.1K €22.3K

25.23%

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

$369 €328

$182 €162

102.44%

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

$19.45 €17.30

$22.01 €19.58

-11.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 €17.64

$40.17 €35.73

-50.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.28

$56.1 €49.92

-9.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.88 €31.91

$17.02 €15.14

110.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.05 €9.83

$10.58 €9.41

4.44%

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

$690 €614

$240 €214

187.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K €15.7K

$6,907 €6,144

156.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 €61.6

$88.4 €78.6

-21.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 €44.88

$35.68 €31.74

41.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.3

$104 €92.7

-17.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$77.5 €69.0

80.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €498

$904 €804

-38.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 €341

$681 €606

-43.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,460 €1,299

-21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 €657

$1,135 €1,009

-34.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,993 €2,662

$4,481 €3,985

-33.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,050 €1,824

$4,044 €3,597

-49.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,478 €1,315

$1,360 €1,210

8.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

3.54

34.75%

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

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zadar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riga

$408 25.7%

Zadar

$244 14.5% 40.1% $164

Accommodation & Living

Riga

$383 24.1%

Zadar

$681 40.4% 77.8% $298

Groceries & Markets

Riga

$268 16.8%

Zadar

$267 15.8% 0.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Riga

$255 16%

Zadar

$214 12.7% 16% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Riga

$155 9.8%

Zadar

$138 8.2% 11.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Riga

$73 4.6%

Zadar

$77 4.6% 5.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Riga

$48 3%

Zadar

$65 3.9% 35.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $560 in Riga and $904 in Zadar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riga pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Riga vs $78.0 in Zadar. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $267, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Riga

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h behind Riga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,187 Capital

67,309

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Riga Zadar 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Riga vs Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riga and Zadar differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,591 vs $1,687 including rent). Riga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Riga, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $560 in Riga versus $904 in Zadar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $690 in Riga versus $240 in Zadar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Zadar pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,591 in Riga versus $1,687 in Zadar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Riga but tight or insufficient in Zadar. The gap between the two cities makes Riga 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, Riga and Zadar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Riga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Zadar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.