Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,270 a month against $1,761 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,761

/mo nomad

Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zagreb and in Varazdin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,761 in Zagreb versus $1,270 in Varazdin.

Zagreb $1,761
Varazdin $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Zagreb versus $1,842 in Varazdin.

Zagreb $2,604
Varazdin $1,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,447 in Zagreb versus $2,414 in Varazdin.

Zagreb $3,447
Varazdin $2,414

Living in Zagreb is roughly 39% more expensive than in Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zagreb is 30% above, Varazdin is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 €11.12

$11.43 €10.17

9.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 €56.6

$61.8 €55.0

2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 €7.41

$10.15 €9.03

-17.93%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.23

$2.26 €2.01

11.06%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$2.55 €2.27

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.96 €1.75

29.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.94 €3.50

-17.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.88

$3.43 €3.05

27.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.18 €1.05

4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.64 €1.45

1.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.58 €2.29

5.43%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.45

$3.40 €3.02

13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €12.99

$5.49 €4.88

166.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$8.31 €7.39

43.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$14.36 €12.77

21.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.67 €1.49

38.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.70 €1.51

4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.77 €1.57

19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.38 €2.11

5.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.25 €1.11

4.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.14 €1.02

4.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.10 €0.97

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.15 €1.02

19.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 €5.14

$5.64 €5.01

2.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.23 €9.10

$7.96 €7.08

28.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.76 €0.67

111.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.12 €1.89

16.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.38 €1.23

-58.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 €47.63

$44.38 €39.47

20.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.41 €3.03

-35.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.67 €10.38

$13.15 €11.70

-11.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.64 €1.46

12.20%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$26.3K €23.4K

5.24%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$23.5K €20.9K

15.49%

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

$214 €190

$146 €130

46.67%

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

$23.36 €20.77

$13.93 €12.39

67.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.16 €36.61

$30.69 €27.30

34.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.48

$43.23 €38.46

18.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.82 €16.74

$12.78 €11.37

47.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 €8.12

$6.86 €6.10

33.09%

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

$501 €445

$154 €137

225.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,878 €8,787

$12.9K €11.5K

-23.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.3

$73.5 €65.4

50.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.93 €38.19

$33.37 €29.68

28.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €87.1

$61.4 €54.6

59.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.3

$71.9 €64.0

53.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$560 €498

54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$422 €375

58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 €1,301

$876 €779

67.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 €924

$467 €416

122.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,031 €4,475

$3,127 €2,782

60.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,468 €3,085

$2,478 €2,204

39.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,937 €1,723

$1,379 €1,227

40.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.73

-11.53%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 11, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$668 37.9%

Varazdin

$422 33.2% 36.8% $246

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$315 17.9%

Varazdin

$239 18.8% 24.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$278 15.8%

Varazdin

$190 15% 31.6% $88

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.5%

Varazdin

$194 15.3% 4.3% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$163 9.3%

Varazdin

$108 8.5% 33.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Varazdin

$57 4.5% 17.9% $12

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Varazdin

$60 4.8% 7.2% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $868 in Zagreb and $560 in Varazdin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays 40% 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: $64.0 in Zagreb vs $62.0 in Varazdin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $239 per month, with Varazdin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

43,782

💱 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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varazdin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% 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: $868 in Zagreb versus $560 in Varazdin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Zagreb versus $154 in Varazdin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Zagreb. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,270 in Varazdin versus $1,761 in Zagreb, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Varazdin but tight or insufficient in Zagreb. The gap between the two cities makes Varazdin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Varazdin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Zagreb, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zagreb and Varazdin 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 Varazdin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Zagreb. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.