Moving to Croatia from Romania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Romania to Croatia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Romania to Croatia, you would find that Croatia is 44.4% more expensive than Romania overall. A RON350,000 salary in Romania would need to be roughly HRK716,000 in Croatia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Croatian.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Croatia cheaper than Romania?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 31.9% more
Groceries
pay 33.8% more
Transportation
pay 26.6% more
Housing
pay 85.6% more
Childcare
pay 7.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.1% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Croatia?
What does your salary buy?
RON350,000 → HRK716,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Croatia
Calculate with your salary →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 31% more than cities in Romania.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Croatia
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Romania to Croatia, based on official data.
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
- · · ·
-
23.468
Romania
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Romania to Croatia.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Croatia performs significantly better than Romania 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
Croatia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania 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
Romania generally does better on environment, though Croatia leads in air pollution deaths.
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
Romania 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
Romania generally does better on employment & economy, though Croatia leads in unemployment rate.
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
Croatia performs significantly better than Romania across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) (2016), Croatia Tax Administration (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Weather in Croatia vs Romania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bucharest | Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 44°/29°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/49°F (23°/9°C) | 69°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/57°F (28°/14°C) | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 50°/35°F (10°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bucharest | Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C) | 38°/25°F (3.1°/-4.0°C) |
| Feb | 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C) | 43°/28°F (6.1°/-2.5°C) |
| Mar | 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C) | 62°/41°F (16.4°/4.9°C) |
| May | 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C) | 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jun | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C) | 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.7°C) |
| Jul | 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C) | 80°/58°F (26.7°/14.2°C) |
| Aug | 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C) | 79°/57°F (26.2°/13.7°C) |
| Sep | 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C) | 72°/51°F (22.3°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C) | 61°/42°F (16.2°/5.8°C) |
| Nov | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C) | 49°/35°F (9.3°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C) | 40°/29°F (4.4°/-1.9°C) |
Data:
National Meteorological Administration,
Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service
Can you move from Romania to Croatia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Romania 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.
Romania passport holder visiting Croatia
Visa Free
Croatia passport holder visiting Romania
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 Romania?
No — Croatia is on average about 44% more expensive than Romania. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Croatia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly HRK179,000 in Croatia on a RON350,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Croatia?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Croatia has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Croatia safe for expats?
Croatia performs significantly better than Romania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Croatia is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Romania.
How is healthcare in Croatia compared to Romania?
Croatia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 39.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Croatia, compared to 36.2 in Romania. Croatia scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Romania: 78).
What's the weather like in Croatia compared to Romania?
The average high temperature in Zagreb is 60°F, compared to 63°F in Bucharest. Zagreb receives around 33.7 in of rainfall per year, while Bucharest gets 23.4 in.
What language do they speak in Croatia?
The official language in Croatia is Croatian. In Romania, the official language is Romanian.
