Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rijeka and Karlovac

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.

77

Cost of Living Index in Rijeka
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Rijeka Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index

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Rijeka

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,588

/mo nomad

Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rijeka and in Karlovac

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

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

Rijeka $1,588
Karlovac $1,222

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

Rijeka $2,430
Karlovac $1,821

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

Rijeka $3,272
Karlovac $2,419

Living in Rijeka is roughly 30% more expensive than in Karlovac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.20

$11.20 €10.06

21.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.9 €64.6

$44.46 €39.94

61.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 €8.94

$7.61 €6.84

30.75%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €2.03

$1.96 €1.76

15.31%

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

$3.11 €2.80

$2.45 €2.20

26.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.61 €1.45

16.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 €3.37

$2.43 €2.19

54.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.08

$2.46 €2.21

84.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.13 €1.02

6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.13 €1.02

36.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.09

$1.53 €1.38

124.84%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.28

$3.16 €2.84

15.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.79 €14.18

$9.05 €8.13

74.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 €9.12

$9.86 €8.86

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 €12.76

$12.02 €10.80

18.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 €1.48

$1.97 €1.77

-16.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.84 €1.66

-5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.83 €1.64

2.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$2.01 €1.81

26.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.20

$1.38 €1.24

-3.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.06 €0.95

19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.23

$1.63 €1.46

-16.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.17 €1.05

17.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 €5.28

$5.69 €5.11

3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €7.04

$6.67 €5.99

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.61 €1.45

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.31 €2.07

-9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 €2.47

$3.33 €2.99

-17.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 €48.37

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €5.00

$5.66 €5.09

-1.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.09 €0.98

31.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.85 €25.02

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.69 €1.52

10.65%

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

$28.1K €25.2K

$26.3K €23.6K

6.76%

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

$24.9K €22.4K

$24.7K €22.2K

0.75%

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

$188 €169

$178 €160

5.15%

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

$24.20 €21.74

$27.68 €24.86

-12.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.87 €35.82

$38.87 €34.91

2.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 €46.95

$38.63 €34.70

35.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 €9.88

$18.24 €16.39

-39.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.29

$6.55 €5.88

57.86%

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

$553 €497

$427 €384

29.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.5K

$6,876 €6,176

85.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.2 €87.3

$89.3 €80.2

8.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.16 €36.97

$49.51 €44.47

-16.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.1

$88.8 €79.8

14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €97.2

$78.3 €70.3

38.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 €612

$478 €429

42.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 €470

$349 €313

50.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 €1,077

$733 €659

63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €780

$530 €477

63.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,001 €3,594

$2,746 €2,467

45.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,809 €3,422

$2,382 €2,139

59.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,473 €1,323

$1,399 €1,257

5.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.72

0.27%

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

Last update for Rijeka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karlovac: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rijeka

$523 33%

Karlovac

$349 28.5% 33.4% $175

Groceries & Markets

Rijeka

$292 18.4%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 16.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rijeka

$252 15.9%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 2.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Rijeka

$213 13.4%

Karlovac

$169 13.9% 20.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Rijeka

$157 9.9%

Karlovac

$138 11.3% 12.1% $19

Getting Around

Rijeka

$78 4.9%

Karlovac

$24 * 2% 68.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Rijeka

$73 4.6%

Karlovac

$52 4.2% 29.1% $21

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 $681 in Rijeka and $478 in Karlovac. 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: $72 in Rijeka vs $44 in Karlovac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $245 per month, with Karlovac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Rijeka

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

Same time as Rijeka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,964

41,869

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rijeka Karlovac 88 km

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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

Rijeka vs Karlovac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovac is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Rijeka, 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: $681 in Rijeka versus $478 in Karlovac. 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 $1,588 per month in Rijeka versus $1,222 in Karlovac – Karlovac is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Rijeka and Karlovac are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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.