Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Dubrovnik

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagreb: $1,761 a month against $1,979 in Dubrovnik, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,761

/mo nomad

Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zagreb and in Dubrovnik

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 Dubrovnik actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,761 per month in Zagreb vs $1,979 in Dubrovnik, rent included.

Zagreb $1,761
Dubrovnik $1,979

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Zagreb vs $2,933 in Dubrovnik, rent included.

Zagreb $2,604
Dubrovnik $2,933

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Zagreb vs $3,886 in Dubrovnik, rent included.

Zagreb $3,447
Dubrovnik $3,886

Zagreb is about 11% cheaper than Dubrovnik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zagreb and Dubrovnik sit above the global median – Zagreb by 30%, Dubrovnik by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 €11.12

$19.49 €17.34

-35.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 €56.6

$77.3 €68.8

-17.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 €7.41

$12.71 €11.30

-34.46%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.23

$4.21 €3.74

-40.38%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$4.50 €4.01

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$4.49 €3.99

-43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 €2.91

$5.45 €4.85

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$7.98 €7.10

-45.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.08 €0.96

13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.21 €1.07

37.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.30 €2.05

18.26%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.45

$4.18 €3.72

-7.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €12.99

$9.90 €8.81

47.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$8.96 €7.97

33.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$9.60 €8.54

81.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.77 €1.58

30.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.36 €1.21

30.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.70 €1.51

24.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.74 €2.44

-8.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.86 €0.77

52.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.91 €0.81

30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.10 €0.98

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.25 €1.11

9.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 €5.14

$5.36 €4.76

7.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.23 €9.10

$4.41 €3.92

131.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.32 €1.18

21.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.88 €2.56

-13.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.83 €2.51

-79.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 €47.63

$54.6 €48.53

-1.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.95

$4.41 €3.92

-50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.22 €1.08

16.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.67 €10.38

$7.40 €6.58

57.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.80 €1.60

2.22%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$25.9K €23.0K

6.72%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$25.5K €22.7K

6.60%

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

$214 €190

$178 €158

20.52%

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

$23.36 €20.77

$22.58 €20.09

3.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.16 €36.61

$42.34 €37.66

-2.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.48

$70.1 €62.4

-27.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.82 €16.74

$23.39 €20.81

-19.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 €8.12

$8.00 €7.12

14.13%

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

$501 €445

$90.6 €80.6

452.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,878 €8,787

$6,922 €6,157

42.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.3

$73.3 €65.2

50.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 €38.19

$27.46 €24.43

56.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €87.1

$66.3 €58.9

47.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.3

$78.4 €69.7

40.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$1,442 €1,283

-39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$906 €806

-26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 €1,301

$1,964 €1,747

-25.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 €924

$1,442 €1,283

-27.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,031 €4,475

$7,912 €7,038

-36.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,468 €3,085

$4,158 €3,698

-16.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,937 €1,723

$1,437 €1,279

34.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.79

-12.93%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$668 37.9%

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8% 35.6% $238

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$315 17.9%

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9% 25.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$278 15.8%

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3% 12.9% $36

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.5%

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4% 60% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$163 9.3%

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6% 32.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4% 24.1% $17

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9% 17.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Zagreb versus $1,442 in Dubrovnik. 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 35% higher in Zagreb, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Zagreb versus $77.0 in Dubrovnik. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Zagreb vs $235 in Dubrovnik – so Dubrovnik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

Same time as Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

41,562

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Zagreb Dubrovnik 390 km

From you

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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 Dubrovnik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,761 in Zagreb, $1,979 in Dubrovnik – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,642 per month in Zagreb and $2,969 in Dubrovnik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2% less in Zagreb. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $501 per month in Zagreb and $90.6 in Dubrovnik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Zagreb, where all-in costs run around $1,761, than in Dubrovnik at $1,979. In Zagreb it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubrovnik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubrovnik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,761 in Zagreb to $1,979 in Dubrovnik. 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 Zagreb. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubrovnik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.