Moving to Croatia
In Croatia, the median gross salary is €1,172 a month (2022) and a single worker on the average wage keeps 68.5% of gross pay after income tax and employee contributions (2025).
Croatia had GDP per capita of US$27,104 in 2025 and life expectancy of 78.9 years in 2024. The national unemployment rate was 4.9% in 2025. There were 3.909 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022, and the national crime rate was 1,626 offences per 100,000 people in 2024.
Can I move to Croatia?
Across 198 passports, 93 passports enter visa-free and 105 passports need a visa for Croatia. Check your passport below.
- Visa-free
- 93
- Visa required
- 105
Choose citizenship and purpose to see the relevant entry steps.
Entry.
Living & working.
Official requirements [66] · Visitor-entry rules
Residence rules and exceptions
| Citizenship / situation | Starting point |
|---|---|
| EU / EEA citizenship | Free movement; longer residence has conditions.[65] |
| Swiss citizenship | Separate Swiss arrangements, including residence documentation for longer stays.[65] |
| Other citizenship | Check work, study or family requirements.[66] |
| Existing status or family rights | A passport alone cannot establish your eligibility. Check the relevant authority’s guidance. |
These are national starting points, not an eligibility decision. Long-stay residence, work authorisation and in-country application rules differ by route; a visa-free visit never settles them. Check the route that matches your purpose and circumstances with the responsible authority.
Visa and entry rules
Sources checked through 6 Oct 2026.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Croatia?
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)22
This is the Eurostat labour-force survey series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.
What is the median gross salary in Croatia?
The median gross salary was 1,172 EUR/month in 2022.
Half of employees earn less than this. Mean gross and national-accounts averages use different definitions and are shown in the table below.
What is the minimum wage in Croatia?
The statutory minimum wage is about 6.06 EUR/hour, gross (as of 2026). Source: Minimalna plaća za 2026. godinu: 1.050 eura bruto35
National statutory floor, gross, before tax and social contributions.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary, monthly | 1,172 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)23Official · national figure |
| National unemployment rate | 4.9 % | 31 Dec 2025 | Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)22Official · national figure |
| Minimum gross hourly wage | 6.06 EUR/hour | 31 Dec 2026 | Minimalna plaća za 2026. godinu: 1.050 eura bruto35Official · national figure |
Public employment service in Croatia
Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.
Croatian Employment Service — Public employment service
A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Taxes in Croatia
National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.
What does an average earner take home in Croatia?
A single person on an average wage keeps about 17,256 EUR/year of about 25,199 EUR/year gross per year — 68.5% of pay.
Standardized Eurostat EARN_NT_NET (standardized scenario): single person, no children, earning the average wage. The same scenario is published for every covered country, so take-home shares compare directly.
| Component | Amount / year |
|---|---|
| Net wage earnings, kept | 17,256 |
| Employee social contributions | −5,040 |
| Income taxes | −2,903 |
| Gross wage earnings | 25,199 |
- Gross-to-net pay for a sample household: single person no children — 25,199 gross → 17,256 net a year (2025, EUR) · Annual net earnings (EARN_NT_NET), single person without children at 100% of average earnings
Benefits newcomers may qualify for in Croatia
Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.
| Programme | Published amount | Source and application |
|---|---|---|
Doplatak za djecu — Family and child support | 30.9–61.8 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe official 2026 HZMO notice states a five-tier monthly child-benefit range of EUR 30.90 to EUR 61.80 per child, based on household per-member income and the 2026 budget base. The Croatian HZMO states that Child Allowance requires the applicant to have hrvatsko državljanstvo or status stranca s neprekinutim odobrenim stalnim boravkom and at least three years of uninterrupted prebivalište in Croatia; alternatively, it names status azilanta, stranac pod supsidijarnom zaštitom, or status člana njihove obitelji prema propisima o azilu without nationality or residence-length conditions. | ||
Material and non-material reception conditions for applicants for international protection — Arrival and reception support | In-kind support | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe current Croatian MUP page lists an in-kind and service package of food, toiletries, clothing, financial aid, healthcare, daily activities and language, creative and sports activities; it also states that income and resource conditions can affect accommodation costs and financial aid. The retained official page does not publish one national fixed EUR rate for the package; no fixed amount is asserted. The current Croatian Ministry of the Interior page states that ‘a foreign national is considered to be an applicant for international protection from the moment he or she expresses the intention to apply for international protection until a decision concerning his or her application becomes enforceable’. Protection Applicant In Croatia From Intention Until Enforceable Decision; the source-defined reception placement, financial-resource and income exceptions remain applicable and no broader foreign-resident status is inferred. | ||
Novčana naknada za vrijeme nezaposlenosti after work in other EU states — Unemployment support | Percentage-based / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe official HZZ explanation states 60% of the assessment base for the first 90 days, 35% for days 91–180 and 30% thereafter, with statutory minimum and maximum amounts by period. The source has no explicit 2026 start date, so 2026-08-10 is retained as the current-state locator. HZZ states that, for a person who worked in Croatia and in another EU Member State, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, the foreign unemployment-insurance period is taken into account when determining entitlement to Croatian unemployment benefit; the foreign employment service certifies the period, termination reason and wage on PD U1. | ||
Stambeno zbrinjavanje osoba s odobrenom međunarodnom zaštitom — Housing support | In-kind support | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe current official MPGI housing-care rule provides in-kind free accommodation for up to two years from delivery of the international-protection decision, subject to the stated financial-assets condition; no fixed cash amount is published. The current Croatian Ministry housing-care page states that persons with approved international protection are entitled to housing care. The exact protected profiles retained here are an asylum status holder (‘status azilanta’) and a foreign national under subsidiary protection (‘stranac pod supsidijarnom zaštitom’), both only within the source-defined approved-international-protection category. The gov.hr rights page confirms that a foreign national granted asylum or subsidiary protection can receive accommodation paid from the state budget for a maximum of two years after the decision becomes enforceable. Status Holder In Croatia and subsidiary Protection Beneficiary In Croatia; it does not generalise to ordinary foreign residents, asylum applicants or every housing allowance. | ||
Zajamčena minimalna naknada (ZMN) — Minimum-income support | Amount set per household by formula / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe 2026 base is EUR 170. Household shares are set by statutory percentages; the payment is reduced by household income and capped at EUR 1,575 in 2026. The current official Croatian Social Welfare Act, Article 19(2), states the exact migrant categories: ‘Stranac pod supsidijarnom zaštitom i azilant te članovi njihove obitelji koji zakonito borave u Republici Hrvatskoj, kao i stranac s utvrđenim statusom žrtve trgovanja ljudima mogu ostvariti naknade i usluge u sustavu socijalne skrbi...’ National Under Subsidiary Protection Or Asylum Status Lawfully Residing In Croatia, family Members Of Subsidiary Protection Or Asylum Status Holders Lawfully Residing In Croatia, and trafficking Victim Status Holder In Croatia. The ZMN scheme is the Article 23 minimum-income benefit; Article 19(2) supplies the migrant status scope, together with household means and statutory conditions. No generic foreigner or resident chip is used. | ||
ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.
Can migrants receive medical care in Croatia?
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Croatia when the official insurance or residence conditions are met.
Language courses and integration in Croatia
Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.
Approved education and examination programme in Croatian language and Latin script for foreigners — State Language Course
Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia
For foreigners.
Croatian Language Learning Scholarship Programme — State Language Course
Central State Office for Croats Abroad / Ministry of Demography and Immigration
For Croatian diaspora, returnees, immigrants from the Croatian diaspora.
Croatian language, history and culture course for asylum seekers and persons under subsidiary protection — State Language Course
Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia
For persons with asylum status, persons under subsidiary protection.
Integration of asylum seekers and persons under subsidiary protection into Croatian society, education and labour-market inclusion — Integration course
Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia
For persons with asylum status, persons under subsidiary protection.
Living and moving context for Croatia
Average gross salary was €1,679 per month and national median net income was €600 per month in 2024.
Croatia cities by population
The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.
All published cities in Croatia (4)
4 of 4 shownSearch all cities
Reports with this country
Accepted report pages with a row for this country.
What different occupation groups earn in Croatia
Mean gross monthly earnings by ISCO-08 major group, from the Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (employees in enterprises with 10–49 employees).
| Occupation group | Earnings | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Managers | ≈ 1,980 EUR/month (gross) | 2022 |
| Professionals | ≈ 1,931 EUR/month (gross) | 2022 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | ≈ 1,435 EUR/month (gross) | 2022 |
| Clerical support workers | ≈ 1,391 EUR/month (gross) | 2022 |
| Service and sales workers | ≈ 1,025 EUR/month (gross) | 2022 |
Source: Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_25)) · observed 2022 · checked 2026-07-30.
Method and sources for these figures
Mean gross monthly earnings in EUR from the Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_25); employees in enterprises with 10–49 employees; ISCO-08 major groups.
Eurostat — Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_25)
An occupation major group (ISCO or national equivalent) is not a job title: each figure is the average across all occupations in the group, so it is never a salary "for" one profession. Rows from different surveys, periods or statistics are shown as separate rows and are never merged or ranked against each other.
Profession pages for Croatia: Nurse · Physician · Teacher · Engineer · Architect · Software developer · Accountant · Childcare worker.
Croatia facts
Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.
Population and profile
How many people live in Croatia?
The published population was 3,866,200 people in 2024. Source: World Bank54
National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.
How many foreign residents live in Croatia?
The foreign-resident population was 153,756 people in 2025. Source: Eurostat13
Residents without Croatia citizenship. The migration-background population is a broader measure and appears in the table below.
Legal, tax and other context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent deposit can be paid in instalments | 0 | 8 Oct 2026 | Residential Lease Act48Official · national figure |
| Typical rent deposit | 1 months | 8 Oct 2026 | Living and working conditions: Croatia33Official · national figure |
| Public healthcare access for foreign residents | Conditional | 3 Aug 2026 | HZZO — Croatian Health Insurance Fund32Official · national figure |
| Area | 88,070 km² | 31 Dec 2023 | World Bank55Official · national figure |
| Gross-to-net pay for a sample household | single person no children — 25,199 gross → 17,256 net a year (2025, EUR) | 31 Dec 2025 | Annual net earnings (EARN_NT_NET), single person without children at 100% of average earnings2Official · country household scenario |
| Population by year | 3,933,511 people (2020) | 1 Jan 2020 | Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN)44Official · country annual series |
| Doctors per 1,000 residents | 3.91 per 1,000 | 31 Dec 2022 | World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS58Official · national figure |
| Household electricity price | 0.166 EUR/kWh | 31 Dec 2025 | Eurostat14Official · national figure |
| People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing | 78,290 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in mining and quarrying | 7,820 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in manufacturing | 276,340 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning | 13,380 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in water supply, sewerage and waste management | 35,050 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in construction | 140,340 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair | 249,010 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in transportation and storage | 97,040 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in accommodation and food services | 129,790 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in information and communication | 74,930 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in finance and insurance | 40,640 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in real estate | 12,210 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in professional, scientific and technical services | 91,100 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in administrative and support services | 48,820 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in public administration, defence and compulsory social security | 116,880 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
| People employed in education | 134,880 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu9Official · national figure |
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).
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2026.
Settling-in index
How the conditions a newcomer meets in Croatia compare with the other 35 scored destinations: integration policy, getting by in English, an established foreign community and language courses. Every point comes from the component table below.
Above the median on getting by in English; below it on integration policy and the size of the foreign community; about the median on language courses.
| Component | Reading | Score (0–100) | Weight | Adds | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integration policy (MIPEX) | 50 of 100 | 50 | 35 | 17.5 | MIPEX 2020 |
| Getting by in English (EF EPI) | 617 EF EPI points | 84 | 25 | 21 | EF EPI 2025 |
| An established foreign community | 4.0% of residents | 16 | 20 | 3.2 | Eurostat 2025; population 2024 |
| Language courses for newcomers | Croatian language, history and culture course for asylum seekers and persons under subsidiary protection (Free) | 100 | 20 | 20 | Croatian language, history and culture course for asylum seekers and persons under subsidiary protection |
Working as… in Croatia
Open a profession for its available regulation, recognition and work-route evidence.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
What is the unemployment rate in Croatia?
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a).
How many people live in Croatia?
The published population was 3,866,200 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.
What is the median gross salary in Croatia?
The median gross salary was 1,172 EUR/month in 2022. Source: Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly).
What is the minimum wage in Croatia?
The statutory minimum wage is about 6.06 EUR/hour, gross (as of 2026). Source: Minimalna plaća za 2026. godinu: 1.050 eura bruto.
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). Moving to Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e182784676b6e493962b8ce9f7c22aee]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/croatia/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-croatia-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_d0e641f7544b,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Moving to Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {e182784676b6e493962b8ce9f7c22aee},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/croatia/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Moving to Croatia: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/croatia/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e182784676b6e493962b8ce9f7c22aee; 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
Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.
- Administrative Fees Act narodne-novine.nn.hr · checked 2026-10-08
- Annual net earnings (EARN_NT_NET), single person without children at 100% of average earnings ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-30
- Applying for long-stay visa (D) and supporting documents mvep.gov.hr · checked 2026-10-08
- Croatia — compulsory education age range Croatia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Croatia — public school free Croatia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Croatia — school enrolment authority url Croatia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Croatia — school language support programme Croatia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Croatian public holidays in 2026 mvep.gov.hr · checked 2026-09-25
- ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
- EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
Show 56 more sources
- Eurofound, Working time in 2021–2022 (EF23007EN), Figure 11 'Minimum number of days of paid annual leave, 2022' and Annex 2 notes assets.eurofound.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-18
- European Medicines Agency ema.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-20
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-07
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- Eurostat — Distribution of income by household composition (ilc_di04) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat — National accounts aggregates (nama_10_a10) and employment (nama_10_a10_e) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat crim off cat (ICCS0101, NR) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
- Eurostat demo_pjan ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
- Eurostat earn mw cur ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat hbs exp t121 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat ilc_di03 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat lfsta_ewhuis — Usual weekly hours of work of full-time employees (sex total, 15-64, employees, main job) Eurostat lfsta_ewhuis · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-18
- Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
- Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- HZZO — Croatian Health Insurance Fund HZZO · hzzo.hr · checked 2026-08-03
- Living and working conditions: Croatia eures.europa.eu · checked 2026-10-08
- Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-30
- Minimalna plaća za 2026. godinu 1.050 eura bruto mrosp.gov.hr · checked 2026-09-17
- MIPEX mirovni-institut.si · checked 2026-08-03
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- Overview of the basic indicators for public safety 2015-2024 mup.gov.hr · checked 2026-07-26
- Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
- Porezna uprava (Croatian Tax Administration) porezna-uprava.gov.hr · checked 2026-08-03
- Porezna uprava (Croatian Tax Administration) porezna-uprava.gov.hr · checked 2026-08-03
- Real Estate Brokerage Act narodne-novine.nn.hr · checked 2026-10-08
- Residential Lease Act narodne-novine.nn.hr · checked 2026-10-08
- Tax system — corporate profit tax Tax system · investcroatia.gov.hr · checked 2026-09-20
- UNdata Table 28 — Population by religion, sex and urban/rural residence UNdata Table 28 · data.un.org · checked 2026-07-30
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- Work of third-country nationals mup.gov.hr · checked 2026-10-08
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o strancima (NN 40/2025) narodne-novine.nn.hr · checked 2026-10-08
- Zakon o radu, Article 61 narodne-novine.nn.hr · checked 2026-09-25
- Croatian Ministry of Interior — EEA stay and work
Official Croatia starting point for EU/EEA/Swiss residence; national guidance only, not a personal eligibility decision.
- Croatian Ministry of Interior — stay and work
Official Croatia national residence and immigration guidance; not a personal eligibility decision.