Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Riga

For one person, living is cheaper in Riga: $1,591 a month against $1,687 in Zadar, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zadar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zadar and in Riga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,687 in Zadar versus $1,591 in Riga.

Zadar $1,687
Riga $1,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,572 in Zadar versus $2,428 in Riga.

Zadar $2,572
Riga $2,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,457 in Zadar versus $3,264 in Riga.

Zadar $3,457
Riga $3,264

Living in Zadar is roughly 6% more expensive than in Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zadar 25% above, Riga 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.55 €12.95

$17.05 €15.17

-14.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.3 €69.7

$65.9 €58.6

18.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 €6.83

$8.94 €7.96

-14.21%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.13

$3.63 €3.23

-33.88%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.62 €1.44

82.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.20 €1.07

82.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$5.43 €4.83

-39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$4.96 €4.41

-8.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.19 €1.06

-1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.49 €1.33

9.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.50 €2.22

25.60%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$3.61 €3.21

4.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 €9.61

$10.61 €9.44

1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 €8.43

$8.86 €7.88

6.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 €10.71

$13.85 €12.32

-13.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.15 €1.91

-7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.82 €1.62

-16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.45 €2.18

-11.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$3.09 €2.75

-15.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.83 €0.74

166.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.95 €0.84

38.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.70 €1.51

-22.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.98 €0.87

27.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 €4.98

$6.75 €6.01

-17.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.97

$7.66 €6.81

2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.96 €1.75

-31.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.07 €1.84

-31.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.69 €1.51

3.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.69 €38.86

$33.13 €29.47

31.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.40 €3.02

0.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.97

$0.99 €0.88

124.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.05 €19.61

$17.89 €15.91

23.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.01 €1.79

-11.44%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$27.0K €24.0K

-2.71%

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

$25.1K €22.3K

$31.4K €28.0K

-20.15%

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

$182 €162

$369 €328

-50.60%

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

$22.01 €19.58

$19.45 €17.30

13.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 €35.73

$19.83 €17.64

102.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.92

$50.9 €45.28

10.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 €15.14

$35.88 €31.91

-52.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$11.05 €9.83

-4.25%

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

$240 €214

$690 €614

-65.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,907 €6,144

$17.7K €15.7K

-60.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.6

$69.3 €61.6

27.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.74

$50.5 €44.88

-29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$85.7 €76.3

21.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 €69.0

$140 €124

-44.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €804

$560 €498

61.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 €606

$383 €341

77.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$1,148 €1,021

27.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,009

$739 €657

53.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,481 €3,985

$2,993 €2,662

49.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,044 €3,597

$2,050 €1,824

97.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,360 €1,210

$1,478 €1,315

-7.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

4.77

-25.79%

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

Last update for Zadar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zadar

$681 40.4%

Riga

$383 24.1% 43.8% $298

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$267 15.8%

Riga

$268 16.8% 0.4% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$244 14.5%

Riga

$408 25.7% 67% $164

Eating Out

Zadar

$214 12.7%

Riga

$255 16% 19.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$138 8.2%

Riga

$155 9.8% 12.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$77 4.6%

Riga

$73 4.6% 5.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Zadar

$65 3.9%

Riga

$48 3% 26% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $904 in Zadar and $560 in Riga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riga pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Zadar vs $66.0 in Riga. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $268, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h ahead of Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zadar Riga 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Zadar vs Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zadar and Riga differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,687 vs $1,591 including rent). Riga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Riga. 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: $904 in Zadar versus $560 in Riga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Zadar versus $690 in Riga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Zadar pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,591 in Riga versus $1,687 in Zadar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Riga but tight or insufficient in Zadar. The gap between the two cities makes Riga 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, Zadar and Riga 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 Riga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Zadar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.