Moving to Sweden from Croatia

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Croatia to Sweden — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Croatia to Sweden, you would find that Sweden is 18.3% more expensive than Croatia overall. A HRK494,038 salary in Croatia would need to be roughly SEK824,561 in Sweden to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Swedish.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Croatia to Sweden.

What does your salary buy?

HRK494,038 SEK824,561

To maintain the same standard of living in Sweden

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 1.3% more

Groceries

pay 53.2% more

Transportation

pay 33.8% more

Housing

pay 13.9% more

Childcare

pay 47.9% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 56.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 HRK = 1.46 SEK (July 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Sweden cost about 5% more than cities in Croatia.

Croatia

Dubrovnik 56%
Zadar 51%

Sweden

Vasteras 51%
Jonkoping 48%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Croatia to Sweden, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
698 ↓ 27% vs 2022

people moved from Croatia to Sweden · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Sweden?

Top countries of origin for Sweden's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Croatia and Sweden stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

HR
0.8
SE
1.1
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

HR
8.1
SE
2.1

Croatia generally does better on safety, though Sweden leads in road traffic deaths.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

HR
$3,229
SE
$7,770
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

HR
36.1
SE
71.5

Sweden generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Croatia leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

HR
31.0
SE
8.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

HR
4.8t
SE
3.6t

Sweden performs significantly better than Croatia across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

HR
27.0
SE
40.4
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

HR
1.5%
SE
3.6%

Sweden generally does better on infrastructure, though Croatia leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

HR
6.1%
SE
7.6%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

HR
$41,300
SE
$64,200

Croatia generally does better on employment & economy, though Sweden leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

HR
77.2 yrs
SE
82.7 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

HR
8.7
SE
2.3

Sweden performs significantly better than Croatia across all family life metrics.

Data: Croatia Tax Administration, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Zagreb Rain: 33.7 in/yr (856 mm)
60° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Stockholm Rain: 21.5 in/yr (546 mm)
52° / 41°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Zagreb Stockholm
Jan–Mar 44°/29°F (7°/-2°C) 36°/28°F (2°/-2°C)
Apr–Jun 69°/48°F (21°/9°C) 61°/45°F (16°/7°C)
Jul–Sep 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) 69°/56°F (21°/13°C)
Oct–Dec 50°/35°F (10°/2°C) 43°/36°F (6°/2°C)
View all months
Month Zagreb Stockholm
Jan 38°/25°F (3.1°/-4.0°C) 34°/27°F (1.0°/-2.9°C)
Feb 43°/28°F (6.1°/-2.5°C) 34°/26°F (1.2°/-3.2°C)
Mar 52°/34°F (11.3°/0.9°C) 40°/30°F (4.7°/-1.1°C)
Apr 62°/41°F (16.4°/4.9°C) 51°/37°F (10.7°/2.6°C)
May 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.2°C) 62°/45°F (16.5°/7.1°C)
Jun 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.7°C) 69°/53°F (20.8°/11.6°C)
Jul 80°/58°F (26.7°/14.2°C) 74°/59°F (23.6°/14.8°C)
Aug 79°/57°F (26.2°/13.7°C) 72°/58°F (22.1°/14.2°C)
Sep 72°/51°F (22.3°/10.4°C) 62°/50°F (16.6°/10.2°C)
Oct 61°/42°F (16.2°/5.8°C) 50°/42°F (10.1°/5.5°C)
Nov 49°/35°F (9.3°/1.8°C) 42°/35°F (5.4°/1.9°C)
Dec 40°/29°F (4.4°/-1.9°C) 36°/30°F (2.5°/-1.2°C)

Data: Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Croatia and Sweden. To live, work, or study long-term in Sweden, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Sweden's immigration authority.

Croatia passport

Croatia passport holder visiting Sweden

Visa Free
Croatia passport holders can enter Sweden without a visa.
Sweden passport

Sweden passport holder visiting Croatia

Visa Free
Sweden passport holders can enter Croatia without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Sweden than Croatia?

Day-to-day costs in Sweden run about 14% higher than Croatia on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Sweden?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a HRK494,038 comparable salary, that's around SEK206,140 in Sweden for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Sweden?

With 40.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Croatia and Sweden.

Is Sweden safe for expats?

Croatia generally does better on safety, though Sweden leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Sweden is 1.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Croatia.

How is healthcare in Sweden compared to Croatia?

Sweden generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Croatia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 71.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Sweden, compared to 36.1 in Croatia. Sweden scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Croatia: 80).

What's the weather like in Sweden compared to Croatia?

The average high temperature in Stockholm is 52°F, compared to 60°F in Zagreb. Stockholm receives around 21.5 in of rainfall per year, while Zagreb gets 33.7 in.

What language do they speak in Sweden?

The official language in Sweden is Swedish. In Croatia, the official language is Croatian.

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At a Glance

HR SE
Population 4,188,853 10,483,647
Currency Croatian Kuna (HRK) Swedish Krona (SEK)
Languages Croatian Swedish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +385 +46
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112