Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Karlovac

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovac: $1,222 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zagreb and in Karlovac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,772 in Zagreb versus $1,222 in Karlovac.

Zagreb $1,772
Karlovac $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,619 in Zagreb versus $1,821 in Karlovac.

Zagreb $2,619
Karlovac $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,467 in Zagreb versus $2,419 in Karlovac.

Zagreb $3,467
Karlovac $2,419

Living in Zagreb is roughly 45% more expensive than in Karlovac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zagreb is 30% above, Karlovac is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.05

$11.20 €10.04

10.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.3

$44.46 €39.84

43.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.18

$7.61 €6.82

5.26%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.24

$1.96 €1.76

27.55%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$2.45 €2.19

26.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.61 €1.44

62.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.43 €2.18

40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.04

$2.46 €2.20

83.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.13 €1.02

12.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.13 €1.02

41.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.53 €1.37

75.16%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.54

$3.16 €2.83

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.07

$9.05 €8.11

61.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.28

$9.86 €8.83

16.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.55

$12.02 €10.77

44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.97 €1.77

17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.84 €1.65

-10.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.83 €1.64

19.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.01 €1.80

27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.38 €1.24

-1.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.06 €0.95

13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.63 €1.46

-26.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.17 €1.05

10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.45

$5.69 €5.10

6.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.92

$6.67 €5.98

65.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.61 €1.44

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.31 €2.07

6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$3.33 €2.98

-82.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.71

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.95

$5.66 €5.08

-61.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.09 €0.98

32.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.10

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.69 €1.52

12.43%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$26.3K €23.6K

6.11%

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

$26.0K €23.3K

$24.7K €22.1K

5.30%

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

$215 €193

$178 €160

20.45%

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

$22.34 €20.02

$27.68 €24.80

-19.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.70

$38.87 €34.83

-0.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.60

$38.63 €34.61

25.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €16.98

$18.24 €16.35

3.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.32

$6.55 €5.87

58.93%

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

$499 €447

$427 €383

16.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,710

$6,876 €6,161

41.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.3

$89.3 €80.0

21.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.84

$49.51 €44.37

-14.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.7

$88.8 €79.6

15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.0

$78.3 €70.2

41.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €796

$478 €428

85.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €612

$349 €312

95.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,316

$733 €657

100.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €956

$530 €475

101.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,727

$2,746 €2,461

92.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,288

$2,382 €2,134

54.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,770

$1,399 €1,254

41.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.72

-11.29%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karlovac: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Karlovac

$349 28.5% 48.9% $334

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 21.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 11.2% $31

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Karlovac

$169 13.9% 16% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Karlovac

$138 11.3% 15.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Karlovac

$52 4.2% 25.5% $18

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Karlovac

$24 * 2% 62.3% $40

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 $478 in Karlovac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays 41% 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 $44 in Karlovac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $245 per month, with Karlovac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

Same time as Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

41,869

💱 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

Zagreb vs Karlovac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovac is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Zagreb, 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: $888 in Zagreb versus $478 in Karlovac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Zagreb. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,772 per month in Zagreb versus $1,222 in Karlovac – Karlovac is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,222 in Karlovac versus $1,772 in Zagreb, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovac but tight or insufficient in Zagreb. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovac 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, Zagreb and Karlovac are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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