Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tartu and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Pula: $1,580 a month against $1,661 in Tartu, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tartu
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Tartu Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Pula
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Pula Living Index

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Tartu

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,661

/mo nomad

Pula

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tartu and in Pula

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

A single person spends $1,661 per month in Tartu vs $1,580 in Pula, rent included.

Tartu $1,661
Pula $1,580

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Tartu vs $2,515 in Pula, rent included.

Tartu $2,514
Pula $2,515

A family of three spends $3,367 per month in Tartu vs $3,450 in Pula, rent included.

Tartu $3,367
Pula $3,450

Tartu costs about 5% more than Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tartu and Pula sit above the global median – Tartu by 23%, Pula by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 €15.24

$14.68 €13.06

16.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.1 €62.4

$68.1 €60.6

2.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €9.93

$8.92 €7.94

25.22%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.65

$2.55 €2.27

60.78%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$2.93 €2.60

12.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.29

$2.09 €1.86

77.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 €5.90

$3.42 €3.05

93.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 €6.52

$4.41 €3.92

66.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.23 €1.10

-2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.86 €1.65

5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.18 €2.83

-24.21%

Eggs

$3.02 €2.68

$3.78 €3.37

-20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 €11.50

$10.95 €9.74

17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 €7.77

$10.79 €9.59

-19.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 €13.04

$18.80 €16.72

-22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.98 €1.76

3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.87 €1.67

-19.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.14 €1.90

13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.59 €2.30

13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.36 €1.21

-22.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.33 €1.19

-35.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.30 €1.15

45.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.22 €1.08

0.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$5.59 €4.97

22.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.07

$7.80 €6.94

30.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.85 €1.64

11.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.40 €2.14

1.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.28 €2.03

-27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.69 €27.30

$33.26 €29.58

-7.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 €3.22

$3.28 €2.91

10.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.22 €1.98

-53.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.05 €24.06

$22.18 €19.73

21.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.83 €1.62

10.38%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$26.0K €23.1K

7.31%

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

$30.1K €26.7K

$26.6K €23.7K

12.94%

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

$311 €276

$156 €139

98.91%

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

$17.55 €15.61

$22.01 €19.58

-20.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.95 €31.98

$39.37 €35.02

-8.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.75 €35.36

$49.70 €44.21

-20.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.29 €30.50

$37.64 €33.48

-8.90%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 €10.48

$10.59 €9.42

11.33%

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

$436 €388

$240 €214

81.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.4K

$2,826 €2,514

312.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.4

$114 €101

-1.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.54 €44.06

$36.80 €32.74

34.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.3

$144 €128

-25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$131 €116

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 €551

$685 €609

-9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 €384

$522 €464

-17.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 €1,042

$1,315 €1,170

-10.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 €667

$999 €889

-24.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,474 €3,090

$4,363 €3,881

-20.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,597 €2,310

$3,650 €3,246

-28.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,960 €1,743

$1,517 €1,349

29.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

3.54

11.02%

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

Last update for Tartu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pula: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tartu

$432 26%

Pula

$522 33% 20.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tartu

$364 21.9%

Pula

$218 13.8% 40.3% $147

Eating Out

Tartu

$296 17.8%

Pula

$221 14% 25.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Tartu

$286 17.2%

Pula

$301 19% 5.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Tartu

$174 10.5%

Pula

$192 12.1% 10.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Tartu

$63 3.8%

Pula

$71 4.5% 12% $7.6

Getting Around

Tartu

$46 2.8%

Pula

$57 3.6% 23.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Tartu versus $685 in Pula. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Tartu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Tartu versus $68.0 in Pula. Groceries tell a different story – $286 in Tartu vs $301 in Pula – so Tartu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Tartu

🇭🇷 Pula

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h behind Tartu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,414

52,220

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Tartu Pula 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Tartu
Pula

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

Tartu vs Pula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,661 in Tartu, $1,580 in Pula – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,491 per month in Tartu and $2,370 in Pula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $436 per month in Tartu and $240 in Pula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Tartu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pula, where all-in costs run around $1,580, than in Tartu at $1,661. In Pula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tartu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tartu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,580 in Pula to $1,661 in Tartu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Pula. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tartu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.