Living in Zagreb

In Zagreb, unemployment is 2.8% (2024).

Zagreb is the national capital of Croatia. Zagreb had a population of 767,131 in August 2021. The city covered 641.4 km² in 2024. Population density was 1,196.1 people per km² in 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-1023 sources

Population767,131people31 Aug 2021Official source · 2021 Census population by towns and municipalities

Median gross salary (region)2,581EUR/month27 Aug 2026Official source · podaci.dzs.hr

Average net rent13.3EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2025Official source · MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025

Unemployment rate2.83%2024Official source · Unemployment rate

Recorded crime1,384incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Statistički pregled temeljnih sigurnosnih pokazatelja i rezultata rada u 2025. godini

PM2.5, annual mean14µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data

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

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 Zagreb.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Owner occupation accounted for 90.9% of homes in 2021. Living space averaged 28 m² per person in 2021. The housing-vacancy rate was 29.1% in 2021. The city had 314,567 dwellings in 2021.

How much does it cost to rent in Zagreb?

Average net cold rent is 13.3 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): 13.3 EUR/m²/month · MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025⁹

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€471

Utilities, 85 m² flat€190

Transport pass€48

Fitness club€47

Internet, 60 Mbps€30

Mobile plan, 10 GB€15

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Fitness club. The others are published prices.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	46.84 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Zagreb²¹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Grocery basket, monthly	72.95 EUR/month	3 Aug 2026	Numbeo²²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	29.56 EUR/month	31 Oct 2026	Cjenik Internet paketa, version 2026-04, last changed 29 September 2026²Official · national market
Private kindergarten, monthly	471.2 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Zagreb²¹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	12 EUR	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Zagreb²¹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	14.99 EUR/month	31 Oct 2026	Official Hrvatski Telekom mobile-services price list, version 2026-42, effective 2 October 2026¹¹Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	47.78 EUR/month	26 Jul 2026	Cijene karata - Grad Zagreb¹Official
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	189.9 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Lebenshaltungskosten in Zagreb²¹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	314,567 dwellings	2021	Number of conventional dwellings¹⁰Official · Eurostat City Statistics city (HR001C), not FUA/greater city
Housing vacancy rate	29.12 %	2021	Official statistics: housing vacancy rate percent¹⁴Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	13.3 EUR/m²/month	31 Dec 2025	MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025⁹Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Is Zagreb 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 worker57%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 47–67%

Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on housing · range 52–70%

Student56%strong on education, weak on work · range 46–66%

Family48%strong on family, weak on cost · range 37–59%

Retirement50%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 38–62%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 798 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 13.3 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 2.83% in 2024.

What is the unemployment rate in Zagreb?

The unemployment rate is about 2.8 % (2024).

Unemployment rate: 2.83 % · Unemployment rate²⁰

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public employment offices	4 count	15 Sept 2026	HZZ — Područna služba Zagreb⁸Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,581 EUR/month	27 Aug 2026	podaci.dzs.hr¹⁷Official
Unemployment rate	2.83 %	2024	Unemployment rate²⁰Official · Eurostat City Statistics city (HR001C), not FUA/greater city

Public employment offices in Zagreb

HZZ lists 4 public employment offices in Zagreb (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

Croatian Employment Service — Public employment service

Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje (HZZ)

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Croatia service overview

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Family and education

A monthly estimate placed private kindergarten fees at €471.17 in July 2026.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public language course providers	1 count	31 Aug 2026	Official public language-service provider/location register¹²Official

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; Zagreb's school authority applies it locally.

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

Safety

How safe is Zagreb?

Police recorded 1,384 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistički pregled temeljnih sigurnosnih pokazatelja i rezultata rada u 2025. godini¹⁹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	1,384 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Statistički pregled temeljnih sigurnosnih pokazatelja i rezultata rada u 2025. godini¹⁹Official · county

Mobility and administration

Car density was 390.4 vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2024. An estimate placed a monthly public-transport pass at €48 in 2026.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public transport monthly pass	53 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Eurostat⁶Official

Language courses and integration in Zagreb

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

1verified local records

1publicly funded course provider

Croaticum — Centre for Croatian as a Second and Foreign Language

Ivana Lučića 13, Zagreb

View official record

Check courses in Zagreb How the country programme works

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

Find courses near Zagreb

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperatures were 1.4°C in January and 22.2°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 45.7 mm in January and 80.4 mm in July. Annual PM2.5 was 14 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Annual NO₂ was 35 µg/m³ in 2016.

Is the air quality good in Zagreb?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 14 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 data⁴

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°

5°-2°

8°-1°

13°2°

18°7°

22°11°

26°15°

28°16°

23°12°

17°8°

11°3°

5°-1°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

104

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

103

150

190

246

266

294

274

184

131

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

PM2.514WHO 5 · EU 25

NO₂35WHO 10 · EU 40

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	35 µg/m³	2016	Official statistics: NO₂ — annual mean¹⁵Official
PM2.5 — annual mean	14 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data⁴Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 5 · Feb 7.8 · Mar 13 · Apr 18 · May 22.4 · Jun 26.2 · Jul 28.1 · Aug 28.1 · Sep 22.6 · Oct 17 · Nov 10.7 · Dec 5.3 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²³Independent
Average night-time low by month	Jan -2 · Feb -1.2 · Mar 2.5 · Apr 6.6 · May 11 · Jun 14.7 · Jul 16.2 · Aug 16 · Sep 11.8 · Oct 7.5 · Nov 3.4 · Dec -1.1 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²³Independent
Average temperature by month	Jan 1.4 · Feb 3 · Mar 7.4 · Apr 12.2 · May 16.7 · Jun 20.6 · Jul 22.2 · Aug 21.8 · Sep 16.7 · Oct 11.7 · Nov 6.8 · Dec 1.9 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²³Independent
Average precipitation by month	Jan 45.7 · Feb 45 · Mar 48 · Apr 60.6 · May 76.5 · Jun 90.8 · Jul 80.4 · Aug 85.6 · Sep 103.8 · Oct 88.5 · Nov 87.4 · Dec 61.8 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²³Independent
Average sunshine by month	Jan 69.1 · Feb 102.6 · Mar 149.9 · Apr 190.4 · May 246.1 · Jun 266 · Jul 293.6 · Aug 274.3 · Sep 183.7 · Oct 131.3 · Nov 66.4 · Dec 52.7 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV²³Independent

Population and city profile

How many people live in Zagreb?

The published population was 767,131 people in August 2021. Source: 2021 Census population by towns and municipalities³

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport99.1%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	390.4 cars/1000 residents	2024	Official statistics: cars per 1,000 residents¹³Official
City area	641.4 km²	2024	Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024 dataset⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	0.7 %	31 Dec 2021	Eurostat⁵Official
Foreign residents	6,559 people	31 Aug 2021	Croatian 2021 census municipality workbook³Official
Population density	1,196 people/km²	2024	Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024 dataset⁷Official
Population	767,131 people	31 Aug 2021	2021 Census population by towns and municipalities³Official
Students as a share of residents	10.41 %	2024	Official statistics: students as a share of residents¹⁶Official

Population over time14 published observations, 2001–2024

756,171

774,775

793,379

811,983

760,020200120172024

Population fell 2.5% between 2001 and 2024, from 779,145 to 760,020.

Foreign residents over time8 published observations, 2013–2021

5,541

5,905

6,270

6,634

6,5592013201620182021

Foreign residents rose 16.8% between 2013 and 2021, from 5,616 to 6,559.

International community in Zagreb

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	767,131	100.0%
Born in the Republic of Croatia	648,656	84.6%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In the place of residence	406,714	53.0%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In another county	205,312	26.8%
Born abroad	118,428	15.4%
Born abroad — Bosnia and Herzegovina	82,917	10.8%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — In another settlement of the same town/ municipality2)	36,608	4.8%
Born abroad — Other countries	10,237	1.3%
Born abroad — Serbia	7,781	1.0%
Born abroad — Germany	6,489	0.8%
Born abroad — Kosovo	5,726	0.7%

Show 4 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Born abroad — Slovenia	2,884	0.4%
Born abroad — Macedonia	2,394	0.3%
Unknown place of birth — Source column 23	47	0.0%
Born in the Republic of Croatia — Unknown place in the Republic of Croatia	22	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

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	767,131	100.0%
Croatian citizenship	760,442	99.1%
Croatian citizenship — Out of that: Croatian and other	25,337	3.3%
Foreign citizenship — Foreign	6,559	0.9%
Stateless	93	0.0%
Unknown citizenship — Unknown	37	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

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	12,034	1.6%
Bosniacs	6,566	0.9%
Albanians	3,475	0.5%
Roma	2,167	0.3%
Slovenians	1,312	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Owner-occupied homes	90.9 %	2021	Proportion of households living in owned dwellings¹⁸Official · Eurostat City Statistics city (HR001C), not FUA/greater city
Living space per resident	28 m²/person	2021	Official statistics: housing vacancy rate percent¹⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Zagreb

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.

Osijek as a Zagreb alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 4.

Rent: €8.20/m² Osijek vs €13.30/m² Zagreb−38%
Median gross pay, region: €1,991 Osijek vs €2,581 Zagreb−23%
Foreign residents: 0.5% Osijek vs 0.7% Zagreb−29%
Empty flats: 24.2% Osijek vs 29.1% Zagreb−17%
Transport pass: €36 Osijek vs €53 Zagreb−32%
Annual PM2.5: 16.0 µg/m³ Osijek vs 14.0 µg/m³ Zagreb+14%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,383 Osijek vs 1,384 Zagrebsame level

Full comparison More about Osijek

Tallinn as a Zagreb alternative in another country

A move, not a commute, at 1623 km, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2. Rent and median gross pay, region cannot be compared like for like.

Annual PM2.5: 3.0 µg/m³ Tallinn vs 14.0 µg/m³ Zagreb−79%
Rent: €7.33/m² (2008) Tallinn vs €13.30/m² (2025) Zagrebno percentage
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €280 Tallinn vs €190 Zagreb+47%
Median gross pay, region: €2,068 (2025) Tallinn vs €2,581 (2026) Zagrebno percentage
Transport pass: €30 Tallinn vs €53 Zagreb−43%
A meal out: €15 Tallinn vs €12 Zagreb+25%

Full comparison More about Tallinn

Alternative cities in Croatia

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

All Croatia cities

Split160,577 residents Rijeka107,964 residents Osijek96,313 residents

How does Zagreb compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Zagreb 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.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Zagreb?

The published population was 767,131 people in August 2021. Source: 2021 Census population by towns and municipalities.

How much does it cost to rent in Zagreb?

Average net cold rent is 13.3 EUR/m² per month (2025), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 931 EUR a month before utilities. Source: MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025.

Is the air quality good in Zagreb?

How safe is Zagreb?

What is the unemployment rate in Zagreb?

The unemployment rate is about 2.8 % (2024). Source: Unemployment rate.

What is the typical salary around Zagreb?

The median gross salary is 2,581 EUR/month. Source: podaci.dzs.hr.

Is Zagreb a good place to live?

Zagreb 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 Born in the Republic of Croatia live in Zagreb?

The official country of birth distribution records 648,656 people (84.6%) 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, October 16). Zagreb, Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 87a7dba8f16a5b2a2e41c184cb802423]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/hr/zagreb/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_zagreb-croatia-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_1ac4694ecd53,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Zagreb, Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {87a7dba8f16a5b2a2e41c184cb802423},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/hr/zagreb/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Zagreb, Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/hr/zagreb/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 87a7dba8f16a5b2a2e41c184cb802423; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

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

Cijene karata - Grad Zagreb zet.hr · checked 2026-07-26
Cjenik Internet paketa, version 2026-04, last changed 29 September 2026 hrvatskitelekom.hr · checked 2026-10-09
Croatian 2021 census municipality workbook podaci.dzs.hr · checked 2026-07-18
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
Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024 dataset gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
HZZ — Područna služba Zagreb HZZ · hzz.hr · checked 2026-09-15
MPGI/EIZ — Review of the Croatian real-estate market 2025 MPGI/EIZ · mpgi.gov.hr · checked 2026-07-29
Number of conventional dwellings ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-16

Show 13 more sources

Official Hrvatski Telekom mobile-services price list, version 2026-42, effective 2 October 2026 hrvatskitelekom.hr · checked 2026-10-09
Official public language-service provider/location register gov.hr · checked 2026-09-15
Official statistics: cars per 1,000 residents ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
Official statistics: housing vacancy rate percent ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
Official statistics: NO₂ — annual mean ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
Official statistics: students as a share of residents ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
podaci.dzs.hr podaci.dzs.hr · checked 2026-08-27
Proportion of households living in owned dwellings ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-16
Statistički pregled temeljnih sigurnosnih pokazatelja i rezultata rada u 2025. godini mup.gov.hr · checked 2026-10-03
Unemployment rate ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-16
Lebenshaltungskosten in Zagreb de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-26
Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 station CSV ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.