Moving to Croatia from Italy
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Italy to Croatia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Italy to Croatia, you would find that Croatia is 10.7% cheaper than Italy overall. A €65,577 salary in Italy would need to be roughly HRK443,211 in Croatia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Croatian.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Italy to Croatia.
What does your salary buy?
€65,577 → HRK443,211
To maintain the same standard of living in Croatia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 6.5% more
Groceries
pay 26.8% less
Transportation
pay 7.9% less
Housing
pay 6.5% less
Childcare
pay 28.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.4% less
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 Croatia cost about 4% less than cities in Italy.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Italy to Croatia, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Croatia?
Top countries of origin for Croatia's foreign-born residents.
- 381,100
- 48,170
- 31,783
- 18,432
- 9,462
- 5,815
- · · ·
-
8.2,953
Italy
Key Indicator Comparison
How Italy and Croatia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Italy performs better than Croatia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Croatia leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Italy generally does better on environment, though Croatia leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Italy generally does better on infrastructure, though Croatia leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Croatia generally does better on employment & economy, though Italy leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Italy generally does better on family life, though Croatia leads in education spending.
Data: Italian Revenue Agency, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Rome | Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 44°/29°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) | 69°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 50°/35°F (10°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Rome | Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) | 38°/25°F (3.1°/-4.0°C) |
| Feb | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) | 43°/28°F (6.1°/-2.5°C) |
| Mar | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) | 62°/41°F (16.4°/4.9°C) |
| May | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) | 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jun | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) | 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.7°C) |
| Jul | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) | 80°/58°F (26.7°/14.2°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) | 79°/57°F (26.2°/13.7°C) |
| Sep | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) | 72°/51°F (22.3°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) | 61°/42°F (16.2°/5.8°C) |
| Nov | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) | 49°/35°F (9.3°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) | 40°/29°F (4.4°/-1.9°C) |
Data:
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology,
Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Italy and Croatia. To live, work, or study long-term in Croatia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Croatia's immigration authority.
Italy passport holder visiting Croatia
Visa Free
Croatia passport holder visiting Italy
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Croatia than Italy?
Generally yes: Croatia runs about 10% cheaper than Italy on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Croatia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a €65,577 comparable salary, that's around HRK110,803 in Croatia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Croatia?
With 27.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Croatia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Italy and Croatia.
Is Croatia safe for expats?
Italy performs better than Croatia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Croatia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Italy.
How is healthcare in Croatia compared to Italy?
Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Croatia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Croatia, compared to 42.5 in Italy. Croatia scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Italy: 84).
What's the weather like in Croatia compared to Italy?
The average high temperature in Zagreb is 60°F, compared to 69°F in Rome. Zagreb receives around 33.7 in of rainfall per year, while Rome gets 31.7 in.
What language do they speak in Croatia?
The official language in Croatia is Croatian. In Italy, the official languages are Catalan and Italian.
