Cost #5/31 · Cost of living · Europe · Eurostat PLI 2024
🇭🇷 Cost of living in Croatia
Croatia undercuts most of the EU-27 across rent, groceries and transport - see the categories driving that gap and how far local income actually stretches.
- Cost rank · cheapest = #1 of 31
- #5
- Affordability rank · highest purchasing power = #1 of 29
- #18
Croatia's livability score
Livability score
67/100
Croatia, weighted across 8 of 8 tracked dimensions
A cost-and-income composite (price-level indices plus purchasing power), not an overall quality-of-life judgment, it does not weigh climate, safety, culture, or healthcare outcomes.
- Purchasing power F €15,057
Median net income adjusted for local cost level
- Overall cost A 73
Eurostat overall price level (EU27=100)
- Rent A+ 44
Housing / rent price level (EU27=100)
- Groceries C 104
Food and non-alcoholic beverages (EU27=100)
- Healthcare B+ 66
Healthcare price level (EU27=100)
- Transport B 85
Transport price level (EU27=100)
- Utilities A 55
Electricity / gas / water (EU27=100)
- Restaurants C- 95
Restaurants and hotels (EU27=100)
Croatia: large 2024 Eurostat move
Overall cost index moved +2.1 vs the 2023 archive - among the larger European shifts this release.
- Restaurants index 90 95 2023 → 2024
Restaurants index rose from 90 to 95 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Healthcare index 63 66 2023 → 2024
Healthcare index rose from 63 to 66 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Overall cost index 71 73 2023 → 2024
Overall cost index rose from 71 to 73 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Groceries index 102 104 2023 → 2024
Groceries index rose from 102 to 104 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Transport index 83 85 2023 → 2024
Transport index rose from 83 to 85 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
Croatia in the Under 85 cost band
On the EU-27 = 100 scale, Croatia's overall index (73) sits in the Under 85 band with 9 other published countries. The Europe-wide band mix lives on the rankings hub, not repeated here.
Where Croatia undercuts the EU basket
Bars + gauge for a below-EU overall index (73): which categories keep the basket cheap.
Croatia - price level by category (EU-27 = 100)
🇭🇷 Croatia vs EU-27 = 100
Gauge reads the same overall cost_index (73); the tick marks the EU average.
In Croatia, groceries is the most expensive category and housing & utilities the least.
Why Croatia reads cheap on Eurostat
Croatia's overall consumer price level is 27% below the EU-27 average. (How this index is built →)
Groceries stand out as the priciest category in Croatia, at index 104, ahead of housing & utilities at index 44 - a food basket costs proportionally more here than rent, transport or healthcare do.
That price gap works in Croatia's favor: because prices run below the EU average, the headline income of €15,057 stretches further than the sticker figure suggests, worth roughly €20,542 in EU-27-average purchasing power.
Eurostat PLI Basket · similar price levels and purchasing power
Two peer sets for Croatia: nearest overall price-level indices (EU-27 = 100) and nearest cost-adjusted incomes (median net income ÷ cost index). The cost band block above stays cohort-based; these neighborhoods vary by entity.
Similar overall cost index
Nearest countries by Eurostat price level (73 here, EU-27 = 100).
PLI neighbourhood · Croatia
Similar purchasing power
Nearest countries by cost-adjusted income (€20,542 here).
What to do with this Croatia data
Croatia ranks #18 of 29 for cost-adjusted purchasing power. A raw price index alone does not tell you whether income stretches further here than elsewhere.
- Run the numbers for Croatia in the calculator
- Compare Croatia vs Poland side by side
- See the full best-value ranking
- Browse every country we track
These are Eurostat comparative price-level averages for the whole country, not a personal budget. Regional and city-level costs can differ substantially from the national figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Croatia expensive to live in?
Croatia's overall cost of living is 27% below the EU-27 average (index 73). Groceries is the priciest category and housing & utilities the cheapest.
What are housing & utilities costs in Croatia?
Croatia's housing & utilities price index is 44, below the EU norm.
How does income compare to costs in Croatia?
That price gap works in Croatia's favor: because prices run below the EU average, the headline income of €15,057 stretches further than the sticker figure suggests, worth roughly €20,542 in EU-27-average purchasing power.
PlainCostOfLiving is rendered directly from Eurostat comparative price levels and median equivalised net income, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-20. Primary sources: Eurostat comparative price levels (prc_ppp_ind) and Eurostat median equivalised net income (ilc_di03).