Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varazdin and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,270 a month against $1,761 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varazdin and in Zagreb

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Varazdin versus $1,761 in Zagreb.

Varazdin $1,270
Zagreb $1,761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,842 in Varazdin versus $2,604 in Zagreb.

Varazdin $1,842
Zagreb $2,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,414 in Varazdin versus $3,447 in Zagreb.

Varazdin $2,414
Zagreb $3,447

Living in Varazdin costs roughly 28% less than in Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varazdin is 6% below, Zagreb is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.43 €10.17

$12.50 €11.12

-8.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 €55.0

$63.6 €56.6

-2.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 €9.03

$8.33 €7.41

21.85%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €2.01

$2.51 €2.23

-9.96%

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

$2.55 €2.27

$3.00 €2.67

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.54 €2.26

-22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 €3.50

$3.27 €2.91

20.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$4.36 €3.88

-21.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.23 €1.09

-4.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 €1.45

$1.66 €1.48

-1.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.72 €2.42

-5.15%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.02

$3.87 €3.45

-12.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 €4.88

$14.61 €12.99

-62.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 €7.39

$11.95 €10.63

-30.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 €12.77

$17.44 €15.51

-17.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.31 €2.05

-27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.78 €1.59

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.11 €1.88

-16.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.50 €2.22

-4.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.31 €1.17

-4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.19 €1.06

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.17 €1.04

-5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.37 €1.22

-16.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.78 €5.14

-2.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €7.08

$10.23 €9.10

-22.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$1.61 €1.43

-52.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.48 €2.20

-14.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.57 €0.51

142.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.38 €39.47

$53.5 €47.63

-17.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.03

$2.19 €1.95

55.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 €11.70

$11.67 €10.38

12.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.84 €1.64

-10.87%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$27.6K €24.6K

-4.98%

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

$23.5K €20.9K

$27.2K €24.2K

-13.41%

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

$146 €130

$214 €190

-31.82%

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

$13.93 €12.39

$23.36 €20.77

-40.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.69 €27.30

$41.16 €36.61

-25.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.23 €38.46

$51.1 €45.48

-15.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.78 €11.37

$18.82 €16.74

-32.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 €6.10

$9.13 €8.12

-24.86%

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

$154 €137

$501 €445

-69.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$9,878 €8,787

30.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 €65.4

$111 €98.3

-33.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.37 €29.68

$42.93 €38.19

-22.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 €54.6

$98.0 €87.1

-37.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 €64.0

$110 €98.3

-34.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €498

$868 €772

-35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 €375

$668 €594

-36.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 €779

$1,463 €1,301

-40.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 €416

$1,039 €924

-54.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,127 €2,782

$5,031 €4,475

-37.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 €2,204

$3,468 €3,085

-28.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,379 €1,227

$1,937 €1,723

-28.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

3.3

13.03%

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

Last update for Varazdin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varazdin

$422 33.2%

Zagreb

$668 37.9% 58.2% $246

Groceries & Markets

Varazdin

$239 18.8%

Zagreb

$315 17.9% 32% $77

Eating Out

Varazdin

$194 15.3%

Zagreb

$202 11.5% 4.5% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varazdin

$190 15%

Zagreb

$278 15.8% 46.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Varazdin

$108 8.5%

Zagreb

$163 9.3% 50.7% $55

Getting Around

Varazdin

$60 4.8%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 7.8% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Varazdin

$57 4.5%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 21.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $560 in Varazdin and $868 in Zagreb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays 40% 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: $62.0 in Varazdin vs $64.0 in Zagreb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $315 per month, with Varazdin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Varazdin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,782

767,131 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Varazdin vs Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varazdin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Zagreb. 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: $560 in Varazdin versus $868 in Zagreb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $154 in Varazdin versus $501 in Zagreb. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Zagreb. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,270 in Varazdin versus $1,761 in Zagreb, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Varazdin but tight or insufficient in Zagreb. The gap between the two cities makes Varazdin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Varazdin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Zagreb, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Varazdin and Zagreb 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 Varazdin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Zagreb. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.