Living in Osijek

In Osijek, unemployment is 6.1% (2024).

Osijek had a population of 96,313 in August 2021. The city covered 174.8 km² in 2024. For Osijek, population density was 551.1 people per km² in 2024. Annual PM2.5 was 16 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. The available city measures cover housing and foreign residents in 2021, employment and car density in 2024, and PM2.5 at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-1415 sources

Population96,313people31 Aug 2021Official source · HR official material for population_total

Median gross salary (region)1,991EUR/month27 Aug 2026Official source · podaci.dzs.hr

Average net rent8.2EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2025Official source · MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025

Unemployment rate6.07%2024Official source · HR official material for unemployment_total_percent

PM2.5, annual mean16µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data

Which Croatia-wide rules apply when you move to Osijek?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in CroatiaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Osijek.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Owner occupation accounted for 90.1% of homes in 2021. Living space averaged 31 m² per person in 2021. The housing-vacancy rate was 24.2% in 2021. The city had 40,236 dwellings in 2021. The housing figures combine 90.1% owner occupation, 31 m² per person and a 24.2% vacancy rate in 2021.

How much does it cost to rent in Osijek?

Average net cold rent is 8.2 EUR/m² per month (2025), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

Average net rent (nettokalt): 8.2 EUR/m²/month · MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025¹³

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Transport pass€37

Internet, 60 Mbps€28

Mobile plan, 10 GB€17

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	28.43 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	A1 Mega NET fixed internet¹Official
Mobile plan, 10 GB	16.61 EUR/month	31 Mar 2026	HT private mobile tariff price list¹²Official
Monthly transport pass	36.5 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Opća kartica¹⁴Official
Dwellings	40,236 dwellings	2021	HR official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent⁸Official
Housing Vacancy Rate Percent	24.18 %	2021	HR official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent⁸Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	8.2 EUR/m²/month	31 Dec 2025	MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025¹³Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Is Osijek a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 38–58%

Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on safety · range 49–67%

Student59%strong on education, weak on safety · range 49–69%

Family55%strong on family, weak on safety · range 44–66%

Retirement48%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 36–60%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 492 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 8.2 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2025

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 6.07% in 2024.

What is the unemployment rate in Osijek?

The unemployment rate is about 6.1 % (2024).

Unemployment rate: 6.07 % · HR official material for unemployment_total_percent¹¹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	1,991 EUR/month	27 Aug 2026	podaci.dzs.hr¹⁵Official
Unemployment rate	6.07 %	2024	HR official material for unemployment_total_percent¹¹Official

Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2015–2024

5.2%

9.6%

14.0%

18.4%

6.1%20152017201920212024

Unemployment rate fell 65.2% between 2015 and 2024, from 17.5% to 6.1%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Osijek. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Croatian Employment Service — Public employment service

Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje (HZZ)

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Croatia service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Osijek. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Car density was 382.8 vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2024.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public transport monthly pass	36 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Eurostat⁵Official

Language courses and integration in Osijek

2 exact course-location records are linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

2verified local records

Department of Croatian Language and Literature

Trg Svetog Trojstva 3, Osijek

View official record

Ustanova za obrazovanje odraslih Dialog

Šetalište Petra Preradovića 8, Osijek

View official record

Check courses in Osijek How the country programme works

Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Osijek

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Osijek?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 16 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data³

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

2°-5°

6°-2°

12°1°

18°6°

22°10°

25°14°

27°15°

27°14°

24°11°

18°6°

10°2°

4°-2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.516WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	16 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data³Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 2.3 · Feb 5.9 · Mar 11.9 · Apr 17.5 · May 22.5 · Jun 25.4 · Jul 27.4 · Aug 27.1 · Sep 23.7 · Oct 17.9 · Nov 10 · Dec 4.2 °C	1961–1990	DHMZ Climate Atlas — Osijek station climate normals 1961-1990²Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan -4.6 · Feb -2.1 · Mar 1 · Apr 5.6 · May 10.3 · Jun 13.5 · Jul 14.7 · Aug 14.2 · Sep 10.9 · Oct 5.9 · Nov 1.8 · Dec -2 °C	1961–1990	DHMZ Climate Atlas — Osijek station climate normals 1961-1990²Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -1.2 · Feb 1.6 · Mar 6.1 · Apr 11.3 · May 16.5 · Jun 19.5 · Jul 21.1 · Aug 20.3 · Sep 16.6 · Oct 11.2 · Nov 5.4 · Dec 0.9 °C	1961–1990	DHMZ Climate Atlas — Osijek station climate normals 1961-1990²Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 46.9 · Feb 40.2 · Mar 44.8 · Apr 53.8 · May 58.5 · Jun 88 · Jul 64.8 · Aug 58.5 · Sep 44.8 · Oct 41.3 · Nov 57.3 · Dec 51.6 mm	1961–1990	DHMZ Climate Atlas — Osijek station climate normals 1961-1990²Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 1.8 · Feb 2.9 · Mar 4.5 · Apr 5.8 · May 6.8 · Jun 7.6 · Jul 8.4 · Aug 8 · Sep 6.5 · Oct 4.8 · Nov 2.3 · Dec 1.6 hours	1961–1990	DHMZ Climate Atlas — Osijek station climate normals 1961-1990²Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Osijek?

The published population was 96,313 people in August 2021. Source: HR official material for population_total⁹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport99.6%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	382.8 cars/1000 residents	2024	HR official material for car_density_per_1000⁶Official
City area	174.8 km²	2024	HR official material for city_area_km2⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	0.5 %	31 Dec 2021	Eurostat⁴Official
Foreign residents	403 people	31 Aug 2021	HR official material for population_total⁹Official
Population density	551.1 people/km²	2024	HR official material for city_area_km2⁷Official
Population	96,313 people	31 Aug 2021	HR official material for population_total⁹Official
Students as a share of residents	14.34 %	2024	HR official material for student_population_share_percent¹⁰Official

Population over time13 published observations, 2001–2024

91,234

99,605

107,977

116,348

92,966200120142016202020222024

Population fell 18.9% between 2001 and 2024, from 114,616 to 92,966.

Foreign residents over time8 published observations, 2013–2021

391

449

507

565

4032013201620182021

Foreign residents fell 27.1% between 2013 and 2021, from 553 to 403.

International community in Osijek

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Population in the Croatian 2021 Census; POPULATION BY PLACE OF BIRTH1) AND SEX, BY TOWNS/MUNICIPALITIES, 2021 CENSUS; situation as on 31 August 2021 · 2021 Census (situation as on 31 August 2021)

Published group	People	Share
Total population	96,313	100.0%
Born in the Republic of Croatia	84,603	87.8%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In the place of residence	49,888	51.8%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In another county	14,173	14.7%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In another town/ municipality of the same county	13,462	14.0%
Born abroad	11,706	12.2%
Born abroad — Bosnia and Herzegovina	7,450	7.7%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In another settlement of the same town/ municipality2)	7,080	7.4%
Born abroad — Serbia	2,157	2.2%
Born abroad — Germany	832	0.9%
Born abroad — Other countries	651	0.7%

Show 4 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Born abroad — Macedonia	254	0.3%
Born abroad — Kosovo	214	0.2%
Born abroad — Slovenia	148	0.2%
Unknown place of birth — Source column 23	4	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Citizenship

Population in the Croatian 2021 Census; POPULATION BY CITIZENSHIP, BY TOWNS/MUNICIPALITIES, 2021 CENSUS; situation as on 31 August 2021 · 2021 Census (situation as on 31 August 2021)

Published group	People	Share
Total population	96,313	100.0%
Croatian citizenship	95,896	99.6%
Croatian citizenship — Out of that: Croatian and other	2,327	2.4%
Foreign citizenship — Foreign	403	0.4%
Stateless	8	0.0%
Unknown citizenship — Unknown	6	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Ancestry or ethnicity

Population in the Croatian 2021 Census; POPULATION BY ETHNICITY, BY TOWNS/MUNICIPALITIES, 2021 CENSUS; situation as on 31 August 2021 · 2021 Census (situation as on 31 August 2021)

Published group	People	Share
Serbs	4,188	4.3%
Hungarians	759	0.8%
Albanians	353	0.4%
Germans	221	0.2%
Slovaks	207	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Owner-occupied homes	90.1 %	2021	HR official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent⁸Official
Living space per resident	31 m²/person	2021	HR official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Osijek

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Rijeka as an Osijek alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 3.

Rent: €10.90/m² Rijeka vs €8.20/m² Osijek+33%
Foreign residents: 1.0% Rijeka vs 0.5% Osijek+100%
Annual PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³ Rijeka vs 16.0 µg/m³ Osijek−50%
Unemployment: 4.7% Rijeka vs 6.1% Osijek−23%
Transport pass: €48 Rijeka vs €36 Osijek+33%
Median gross pay, region: €2,156 Rijeka vs €1,991 Osijek+8%
Empty flats: 21.6% Rijeka vs 24.2% Osijek−11%

Full comparison More about Rijeka

Tallinn as an Osijek alternative in another country

Better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Annual PM2.5: 3.0 µg/m³ Tallinn vs 16.0 µg/m³ Osijek−81%
Rent: €7.33/m² (2008) Tallinn vs €8.20/m² (2025) Osijekno percentage
Median gross pay, region: €2,068 (2025) Tallinn vs €1,991 (2026) Osijekno percentage
Transport pass: €30 Tallinn vs €36 Osijek−17%

Full comparison More about Tallinn

Alternative cities in Croatia

Other cities in Croatia to compare with Osijek, nearest in population first.

All Croatia cities

Rijeka107,964 residents Split160,577 residents Zagreb767,131 residents

How does Osijek compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Osijek's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Osijek when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 15, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Support programme for learning Croatian as L2 for pupils of asylum/protected categories (Ordinance on education of asylum seekers). How to enrol a child (mzo.gov.hr).

A country-wide rule for Croatia; Osijek's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2026.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Osijek?

The published population was 96,313 people in August 2021. Source: HR official material for population_total.

How much does it cost to rent in Osijek?

Average net cold rent is 8.2 EUR/m² per month (2025), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 574 EUR a month before utilities. Source: MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025.

Is the air quality good in Osijek?

What is the unemployment rate in Osijek?

The unemployment rate is about 6.1 % (2024). Source: HR official material for unemployment_total_percent.

What is the typical salary around Osijek?

The median gross salary is 1,991 EUR/month. Source: podaci.dzs.hr.

How many foreign residents live in Osijek?

403 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: HR official material for population_total.

Is Osijek a good place to live?

Osijek may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Total population live in Osijek?

The official country of birth distribution records 96,313 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census (situation as on 31 August 2021). This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 29). Osijek, Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 5ad4d3ce768a445ebd86550a56c2fab6]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/hr/osijek/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_osijek-croatia-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_6b675d647472,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Osijek, Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-29},
  version = {5ad4d3ce768a445ebd86550a56c2fab6},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/hr/osijek/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Osijek, Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/hr/osijek/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 5ad4d3ce768a445ebd86550a56c2fab6; retrieved 2026-09-29; built 2026-09-29.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

A1 Mega NET fixed internet a1.hr · checked 2026-09-14
DHMZ Climate Atlas — Osijek station climate normals 1961-1990 DHMZ Climate Atlas · klima.hr · checked 2026-07-29
EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
HR official material for car_density_per_1000 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
HR official material for city_area_km2 gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
HR official material for housing_vacancy_rate_percent ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
HR official material for population_total podaci.dzs.hr · checked 2026-07-18
HR official material for student_population_share_percent ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18

Show 5 more sources

HR official material for unemployment_total_percent ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
HT private mobile tariff price list hrvatskitelekom.hr · checked 2026-09-14
MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025 MPGI/EIZ · mpgi.gov.hr · checked 2026-07-29
Opća kartica web.gpp-osijek.com · checked 2026-09-14
podaci.dzs.hr podaci.dzs.hr · checked 2026-08-27

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