Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Croatia

Name: Croatia
Address: HR

For one person, living is cheaper in Croatia: $1,579 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Spain outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Croatia
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Croatia Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain 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 Spain and in Croatia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Spain versus $1,579 in Croatia.

Spain $1,775
Croatia $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Spain versus $2,390 in Croatia.

Spain $2,606
Croatia $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Spain versus $3,202 in Croatia.

Spain $3,438
Croatia $3,202

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $931 to $2,610, compared to $1,114–$1,999 in Croatia. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Spain is roughly 12% more expensive than in Croatia on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Spain 30% above, Croatia 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.96

$13.52 €12.11

23.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.91

$68.1 €61.0

-18.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$9.46 €8.48

20.19%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.17

$2.45 €2.19

-1.22%

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

$2.68 €2.40

$3.07 €2.75

-12.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.40 €2.15

-25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$3.88 €3.48

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.47

$4.53 €4.06

-14.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.21 €1.08

-0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.51 €1.35

-1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.83 €2.54

-40.99%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.07

$3.80 €3.40

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 €12.70

$12.07 €10.81

17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.46

$9.48 €8.50

-12.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 €14.52

$13.59 €12.18

19.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.87 €1.67

31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.74 €1.56

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.93 €1.73

7.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.47 €2.21

4.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.39 €1.24

31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.26 €1.13

58.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.22 €1.10

7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.21 €1.08

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.70

$5.71 €5.11

11.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.06

$7.97 €7.14

-29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.64 €1.47

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.18 €1.95

-4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.65 €1.48

-0.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.49

$50.5 €45.28

-34.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.97

$3.72 €3.33

19.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.42 €1.27

3.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 €22.39

$19.30 €17.29

29.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.79 €1.60

-1.12%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$27.3K €24.5K

30.05%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$24.9K €22.3K

23.17%

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

$149 €134

$190 €170

-21.35%

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

$17.67 €15.84

$21.64 €19.39

-18.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.88 €28.57

$36.71 €32.90

-13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.64

$47.55 €42.61

-6.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 €13.70

$14.99 €13.43

2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 €8.66

$9.19 €8.24

5.11%

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

$544 €488

$334 €299

63.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,504

$9,005 €8,070

17.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 €76.1

$98.0 €87.8

-13.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 €33.26

$41.02 €36.76

-9.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 €79.9

$97.7 €87.6

-8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$101 €90.7

4.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €947

$707 €633

49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$808 €724

$556 €498

45.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 €1,453

$1,171 €1,049

38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 €1,117

$903 €810

37.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,135 €3,706

$4,338 €3,888

-4.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,633 €2,359

$3,508 €3,144

-24.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,999 €1,791

$1,592 €1,427

25.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.71

-11.05%

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

Last update for Spain: 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

Spain

$808 45.5%

Croatia

$556 35.2% 31.2% $252

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.3%

Croatia

$272 17.3% 0.3% $0.8

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.5%

Croatia

$216 13.7% 9.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.2%

Croatia

$248 15.7% 24.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$143 8%

Croatia

$152 9.6% 6.6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.6%

Croatia

$66 4.2% 3.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Spain

$51 2.9%

Croatia

$68 4.3% 32.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $920 in Spain, $676 in Croatia. Capital cities: $1,508 in Madrid vs $888 in Zagreb.

National salary averages: $1,972 in Spain, $1,358 in Croatia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 36% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 11% more in Croatia.

Public transport is 48% more expensive in Croatia.

Salaries are 45% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇭🇷 Croatia

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

Same time as Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

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

Spain Croatia 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
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

Spain vs Croatia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,579 per month in Croatia and $1,775 in Spain, Croatia comes out about 11% 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 $920 in Spain 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.