Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Cascais

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagreb: $1,772 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cascais outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zagreb and in Cascais

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,772 in Zagreb versus $2,351 in Cascais.

Zagreb $1,772
Cascais $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,619 in Zagreb versus $3,777 in Cascais.

Zagreb $2,619
Cascais $3,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,467 in Zagreb versus $5,204 in Cascais.

Zagreb $3,467
Cascais $5,204

Living in Zagreb costs roughly 25% less than in Cascais, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zagreb 30% above, Cascais 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.05

$15.86 €14.21

-22.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.3

$44.62 €39.99

43.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.18

$9.49 €8.50

-15.60%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.24

$2.69 €2.41

-7.06%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$2.16 €1.94

43.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$2.21 €1.98

18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$3.30 €2.96

3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.04

$5.49 €4.92

-17.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.31 €1.17

-3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.30 €2.06

-30.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.64 €1.47

63.41%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.54

$3.32 €2.97

18.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.07

$10.79 €9.67

35.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.28

$7.02 €6.29

63.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.55

$15.08 €13.52

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.84 €2.54

-18.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.51 €1.35

9.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.55 €2.28

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.25 €2.01

13.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.56 €1.40

-12.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$2.29 €2.05

-47.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.71 €1.53

-30.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.06 €0.95

21.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.45

$5.70 €5.11

6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.92

$7.73 €6.93

43.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.27 €1.14

33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$4.42 €3.96

-44.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.19 €1.96

-73.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.71

$45.02 €40.34

18.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.21 €1.98

-1.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.10

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.06 €1.85

-7.77%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$34.2K €30.6K

-18.32%

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

$26.0K €23.3K

$38.0K €34.0K

-31.53%

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

$215 €193

$134 €120

60.96%

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

$22.34 €20.02

$24.90 €22.31

-10.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.70

$56.0 €50.2

-30.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.60

$42.84 €38.39

13.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €16.98

$11.36 €10.18

66.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.32

$7.12 €6.38

46.21%

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

$499 €447

$839 €752

-40.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,710

$18.6K €16.7K

-47.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.3

$77.5 €69.4

40.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.84

$37.50 €33.60

12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.7

$105 €93.9

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.0

$136 €122

-18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €796

$1,859 €1,666

-52.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €612

$1,358 €1,217

-49.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,316

$4,213 €3,776

-65.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €956

$3,032 €2,717

-64.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,727

$7,644 €6,850

-30.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,288

$5,128 €4,596

-28.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,770

$2,246 €2,013

-12.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.67

-10.08%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cascais: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8% 98.8% $675

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Cascais

$273 11.6% 13% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Cascais

$214 9.1% 22.3% $62

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Cascais

$233 9.9% 15.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Cascais

$160 6.8% 2.1% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Cascais

$57 2.4% 17.8% $12

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Cascais

$56 * 2.4% 13.7% $8.9

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 $888 in Zagreb and $1,859 in Cascais. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 14% 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: $64 in Zagreb vs $45 in Cascais for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $273 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇵🇹 Cascais

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h behind Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

214,158

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zagreb Cascais 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
Cascais

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

Zagreb vs Cascais: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zagreb is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% 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: $888 in Zagreb versus $1,859 in Cascais. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cascais – a meal for two runs $45 versus $64 in Zagreb. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Zagreb gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Zagreb and Cascais are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Zagreb wins on affordability, Cascais on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.