Moving to Croatia from Sweden
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Sweden to Croatia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Sweden to Croatia, you would find that Croatia is 16.1% cheaper than Sweden overall. A SEK740,000 salary in Sweden would need to be roughly HRK420,000 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 Sweden?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 7.7% less
Groceries
pay 29.1% less
Transportation
pay 21.6% less
Housing
pay 12.7% less
Childcare
pay 61.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.8% 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.
What salary do you need in Croatia?
What does your salary buy?
SEK740,000 → HRK420,000
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 8% less than cities in Sweden.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Sweden 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
- · · ·
-
22.588
Sweden
Key Indicator Comparison
How Sweden 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
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Croatia leads in homicide rate.
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
Sweden 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
Sweden performs better than Croatia across all environment metrics.
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
Sweden 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
Sweden 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
Sweden performs better than Croatia across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Skatteverket (2016), Croatia Tax Administration (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Croatia vs Sweden
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Stockholm | Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/28°F (2°/-2°C) | 44°/29°F (7°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 61°/45°F (16°/7°C) | 69°/48°F (21°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 69°/56°F (21°/13°C) | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/36°F (6°/2°C) | 50°/35°F (10°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Stockholm | Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34°/27°F (1.0°/-2.9°C) | 38°/25°F (3.1°/-4.0°C) |
| Feb | 34°/26°F (1.2°/-3.2°C) | 43°/28°F (6.1°/-2.5°C) |
| Mar | 40°/30°F (4.7°/-1.1°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 51°/37°F (10.7°/2.6°C) | 62°/41°F (16.4°/4.9°C) |
| May | 62°/45°F (16.5°/7.1°C) | 70°/49°F (21.3°/9.2°C) |
| Jun | 69°/53°F (20.8°/11.6°C) | 76°/55°F (24.6°/12.7°C) |
| Jul | 74°/59°F (23.6°/14.8°C) | 80°/58°F (26.7°/14.2°C) |
| Aug | 72°/58°F (22.1°/14.2°C) | 79°/57°F (26.2°/13.7°C) |
| Sep | 62°/50°F (16.6°/10.2°C) | 72°/51°F (22.3°/10.4°C) |
| Oct | 50°/42°F (10.1°/5.5°C) | 61°/42°F (16.2°/5.8°C) |
| Nov | 42°/35°F (5.4°/1.9°C) | 49°/35°F (9.3°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 36°/30°F (2.5°/-1.2°C) | 40°/29°F (4.4°/-1.9°C) |
Data:
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI),
Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service
Can you move from Sweden to Croatia?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sweden 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.
Sweden passport holder visiting Croatia
Visa Free
Croatia passport holder visiting Sweden
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 Sweden?
Generally yes: Croatia runs about 16% cheaper than Sweden 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 SEK740,000 comparable salary, that's around HRK105,000 in Croatia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Croatia?
With 29.6 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 Sweden and Croatia.
Is Croatia safe for expats?
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Croatia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Croatia is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Sweden.
How is healthcare in Croatia compared to Sweden?
Sweden generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Croatia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 39.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Croatia, compared to 44.1 in Sweden. Croatia scores 80 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sweden: 85).
What's the weather like in Croatia compared to Sweden?
The average high temperature in Zagreb is 60°F, compared to 52°F in Stockholm. Zagreb receives around 33.7 in of rainfall per year, while Stockholm gets 21.5 in.
What language do they speak in Croatia?
The official language in Croatia is Croatian. In Sweden, the official language is Swedish.
