Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wausau, WI and Zadar

For one person, living costs are similar in Wausau, WI and in Zadar: $1,756 and $1,696 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Wausau, WI
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Wausau, WI Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index

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Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,756

/mo nomad

Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wausau, WI 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 Wausau, WI and in Zadar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,756 in Wausau, WI versus $1,696 in Zadar.

Wausau, WI $1,756
Zadar $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,748 in Wausau, WI versus $2,573 in Zadar.

Wausau, WI $2,748
Zadar $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,740 in Wausau, WI versus $3,450 in Zadar.

Wausau, WI $3,740
Zadar $3,450

Living in Wausau, WI is roughly 4% more expensive than in Zadar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wausau, WI 30% above, Zadar 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$14.51 €12.91

39.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$79.2 €70.4

-5.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.58 $8.58

$7.68 €6.84

11.72%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$2.53 €2.25

98.02%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$2.93 €2.61

-3.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.11 €1.88

-4.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 $5.62

$3.46 €3.08

62.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$4.58 €4.07

22.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.12 €1.00

-25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.70 €1.51

62.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.02 €2.68

75.83%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$3.83 €3.41

15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$10.88 €9.68

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 $6.49

$9.51 €8.46

-31.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$12.16 €10.81

11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.89 €1.68

118.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.57 €1.40

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.07 €1.84

85.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.59 €2.31

59.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.21 €1.96

-19.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.33 €1.18

83.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.32 €1.17

67.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.21 €1.07

-14.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$5.66 €5.04

47.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 $8.96

$8.07 €7.17

11.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.38 €1.23

43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.48 €1.31

49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.98 €39.12

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 $2.72

$3.28 €2.92

-17.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.23 €1.98

-27.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.12 $21.12

$22.02 €19.59

-4.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.81 €1.61

-55.25%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$26.5K €23.6K

26.28%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.8K €22.0K

3.63%

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

$160 $160

$182 €162

-12.00%

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

$66.5 $66.5

$22.19 €19.74

199.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$40.87 €36.35

74.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.10 $30.10

$56.0 €49.79

-46.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.74 €14.89

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 $6.03

$10.66 €9.48

-43.43%

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

$1,855 $1,855

$247 €220

650.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$6,857 €6,099

259.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.25 $25.25

$89.3 €79.4

-71.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.16 $40.16

$35.91 €31.94

11.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 $64.0

$104 €92.9

-38.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 $84.8

$79.1 €70.3

7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 $939

$898 €799

4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 $699

$686 €610

1.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$1,445 €1,285

7.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$1,116 €993

21.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$4,649 €4,135

-61.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,809 $1,809

$4,028 €3,583

-55.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,488 $3,488

$1,412 €1,256

146.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

3.54

87.85%

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

Last update for Wausau, WI: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zadar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wausau, WI

$699 39.8%

Zadar

$686 40.4% 1.9% $14

Eating Out

Wausau, WI

$306 17.4%

Zadar

$216 12.8% 29.4% $90

Groceries & Markets

Wausau, WI

$303 17.3%

Zadar

$267 15.8% 11.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wausau, WI

$298 17%

Zadar

$245 14.4% 17.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5%

Zadar

$139 8.2% 44% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4%

Zadar

$77 4.6% 83.3% $35

Getting Around

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6%

Zadar

$65 3.9% 503% $55

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 $939 in Wausau, WI and $898 in Zadar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 147% 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: $75.0 in Wausau, WI vs $79.0 in Zadar. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $267, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🇭🇷 Zadar

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

05:56 5:56 AM

7 h ahead of Wausau, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,435

67,309

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wausau, WI Zadar 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Wausau, WI
Zadar

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

Wausau, WI vs Zadar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zadar wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Wausau, WI. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zadar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 147% higher in Wausau, WI, 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: $939 in Wausau, WI versus $898 in Zadar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,855 in Wausau, WI versus $247 in Zadar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zadar – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $75.0 in Wausau, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,696 in Zadar versus $1,756 in Wausau, WI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zadar but tight or insufficient in Wausau, WI. The gap between the two cities makes Zadar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zadar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,696 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zadar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Wausau, WI 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 Zadar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Wausau, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.