21 Pros And Cons Of Living In Croatia: Read This Before You Move

If you’re thinking about moving to Croatia, you must read this! After more than ten years of living as an expat in Croatia, this is what I have learned.

It’s not hard to fall in love with Croatia, especially if you are like me and live on the stunning Adriatic Sea. But this pros and cons list, as well as other detailed information, will help you decide if living in Croatia will be right for you.

Before you choose to live in Croatia, please read on.

It’s not very hard to fall in love with Croatia – it’s a beautiful place. Like all countries, moving to Croatia has pros and cons. I know; I have lived here (from Australia) for nine years.

 

Pros And Cons Of Living As Expats In Croatia

4 Quick And Simple Things You Need To Know If You’re Moving To Croatia

Visa

Depending on where you come from, you may need a visa to enter Croatia. You will need to check the visa requirements with your local Croatian embassy. You can apply at the Croatian Embassy in your country if you need a visa. They will have an application form and explain to you the identification required.

Expats and digital nomads have different visa requirements.

You will need a heap of identification and proof of address. It is worth mentioning that certificates for birth, wedding, etc., need to have an issue date of fewer than six months. If you have a Croatian background/spouse, you can apply for your visa at the police station when you arrive in Croatia.

If you do not have a visa option, it will be difficult to stay longer than 90 days without a visa.

Insurance For Healthcare In Croatia

If you live in Croatia, it is mandatory to have Health Insurance. Anyone living in the country must pay for health insurance through HZZO, which is a government organization. Organizing this was prolonged and painful for us, but we finally got there. You will have to manage this once you arrive.

Jobs 

Jobs are easy to come by if you speak Croatian. If you manage to get a job, the pay rates in Croatia are relatively low compared to the rest of Europe.

Average Salaries – As At December 2023

Virovitica-Podravska County – €1,050
Brod-Posavska County – €1,063
Vukovarska-Srijemska County – €1,075
Bjelovarska-Bilogorska County – €1,076
Požega-Slavonska County – €1,079
Međimurje County – €1,099
Lika-Senjska County – €1,100
Koprivnica-Križevačka County – €1,100
Varaždin County – €1,002
Sisak-Moslavina County – €1,113
Dubrovnik-Neretva County – €1,030
Zadar County – €1,129
Osijek-Baran County – €1,126
Istria County – €1,126
Šibenik-Knin County – €1,136
Split-Dalmatia County – €1,140
Krapina-Zagorska County – €1,154
Karlovačka County – €1,167
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County – €1,194
Zagreb County – €1,210
City of Zagreb – €1,370

This list correctly displays the counties ranked from the lowest to the highest average net salary as per the details you’ve provided.

Language

Most young people speak English; however, you will find the older generation doesn’t speak English. Learning the language can be challenging; however, it is worth learning Croatian.

As someone married to a Croatian, I felt I adjusted well to living in Croatia.

However, I had spoken to many expats before me who went back’ home’ as the culture shock and difficult working conditions were too much.

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Tips For Moving To Croatia – Real Lessons Learned From 10 Years Of Living In Croatia As An Expat

Sigh, I get sick of being asked this question because moving to Croatia is different for everyone.

If you plan to move to Croatia, do not take advice from anyone who does not live in Croatia 24/7 – 365 days a year – for at least a full year.

They are too fresh to know anything less than a year (or two or three).

If they do not live here, 365 days a year, they have a skewed view of real life.

I would say you REALLY need to be prepared. Come for at least six months, try it out, and do not come when it’s summer, sunny, and everyone has pockets full of cash.

Come between November and April when the tourism and apartment money has been spent, and the weather is less than outstanding. Keep your eyes open and be honest with yourself.

Don’t quit your job; pack a shipping container until you know what you are in for. I have spoken to many people who returned after a failed attempt. Almost always, they returned home, as Croatia did not meet their unrealistic expectations about finding work, cost of living, etc.

Remind yourself that there is a reason that hundreds and thousands of Croats have moved abroad these past few years. This country can be tricky to live and survive in – it is not for everyone.

Also, join all of the ‘expats in (city)’ Facebook groups (see below for their list) and connect with others with similar situations. Don’t take anything one person says as gospel — not even mine.

Getting A Croatian Visa

Oh god, what a head fuck.

Getting a visa as a foreigner in Croatia is like winning a fluffy toy at the carnival – sure, it can be achieved, but it isn’t easy and will take many attempts. The only difference is it is free.

Oh wait, it is only free so long as you are from the EU. If not, be prepared to fork out hundreds of euros for the mandatory health insurance back payment fees. When you go to your local Hrvatski Zavod Za Zdravstveno Osiguranje (HZZO) office, you’ll discover that you have to pay for the 12 months you were not in the country. Ours was over 500 euro each back in 2012.

The legislation is constantly changing, so be sure to ask at your Croatian embassy where you live – more than once. But be warned, most embassies are hopeless. They don’t always know the current legislation, and I have heard from many people over the years – that many embassies do not want to deal with helping new people move back to the motherland. Head straight to the Ministry of Police (MUP) when you arrive and start the lengthy process of getting your visa.

While we are on the topic of the MUP, be sure to take someone with you who speaks Croatian fluently. Even in the foreigner’s line, getting an English-speaking staff member is not always possible – and if it’s like the one in Zadar, the service will also be provided without a hint of trying to speak English.

My recent trip there to inquire about getting my citizenship was met with a deathly look of disgust; the women at the counter had to ask a colleague what the process was – and all they could agree on was that I should just come back when it expires and see what the rules are then.

Five years ago, I was told that once I reached the 5-year mark, I could return to MUP  and be given my Croatian citizenship. But now, I am not sure. So, I go back in a few months to see what rules apply and/or have changed. I am mentally preparing to take the citizenship test. 

Language

If you don’t speak Croatian, life will be tough. I know that everyone says that Croatians speak English – and they do, but not in all cases.

You’ll be able to communicate with the majority of people who are younger than 40. But even then, maybe the doctor will refuse, and you’ll find yourself explaining your symptoms with hand gestures.

Croatian is a damn complex language to learn and even harder to speak correctly. Why must there be so many crazy grammar rules? I mean, seven noun declensions……

Please don’t leave it too late to take lessons and get help. Trust me; you’ll need it.

I restarted my Croatian lessons and can genuinely say that life here would have been even more challenging had I not taken them. 

Money

The salaries in Croatia are meager when compared to most developed nations. Not much is left over once you pay bills, rent an apartment, and buy food.

On the other hand, if you have a salary from abroad, you’ll live like a King or Queen. If you plan to work locally, you’ll have to live like a local.

Eating out, traveling, or paying for services like a babysitter are affordable, so long as you earn more than minimum wage (or have those dollars from aboard on hand); otherwise, you’ll be hard-pressed to get someone to look after your child. At the same time, you work, so you’ll need to enroll your kids in a kindergarten.

Want a job as soon as you arrive? Good luck. It’s not as easy as you think. Make plans to freelance or set up your own business if you need money immediately. Or else have savings to get you by until you can find work.

Schools In Croatia – Education In Croatia

If you plan to move to Croatia with school-age children, then you’ll be happy to know that public education in Croatia is (almost) free. Just be sure to have money for many books and appropriate school clothing, as there are no school uniforms.

Kindergarten (suitable for ages 1-6) is not mandatory, and while this is subsidized, it is not free and will set you back at least 80 euros a month, up to several hundred if you plan to go to the British kindergarten in Zagreb.

Primary school education is, of course, compulsory – that begins at seven years of age.

The secondary education system is vastly different from what I am used to in Australia, and I have yet to master its complexities, so be sure to ask people with kids the same age as yours how it all works.

Healthcare

Hmm, this one is tricky.

You can obtain primary healthcare all over the county, no matter where you live. You’ll wait. And wait, and wait. I have heard of people waiting 6-12 months for an MRI and more than six months for a mammogram to check a breast lump. We waited four months for a specialist appointment for my newborn son.

That said, my son was treated with immediate and astounding care when he was born with severe complications. He spent several weeks in Zagreb in the NICU  at the country’s best hospital – all expenses paid. My treatment was less than stellar (think plenty of tears and confusion),  but I never once doubted the care he received.

He also spent a week in Zadar Hospital, and I have zero complaints. Sure, the place is old and run down, and I had to sleep overnight sitting up on a desk chair, but his medical treatment is what I would have received in Australia.

If you have a job, your employer will pay your essential healthcare contributions, and you can also pay a small amount extra to avoid paying fees when going to the hospital or each time you go to the doctor or dentist. If you do not work, you will need to add to your budget to pay for this yourself.

But, this is the tricky part – getting access to this ‘free’ service (should you be eligible) is a pain in the ass. Leave around 2 or 3 days over three weeks to achieve the steps necessary to access this service, and then about another six months for your card to arrive in the mail.

I advise having a savings fund for emergency healthcare to go private. You can find blood tests, MRIs, doctors, dentists, etc., all over the country that you can see fast, provided you have money in that pocketbook.

As a rough guide, we paid between 40 and 80 euros per appointment for private doctors to see my newborn son and avoid waiting months for the hospital to get him into an appointment.

Retiring In Croatia

Sigh. Yeah, yeah, Croatia is an excellent place to come to live out the end of your days. But really, where are all of the young families, singles, hard-working movers, and shakers?  Come on, people, move to Croatia. 

Travel LIfe In Croatia

What a place to live. After five years of traveling this magnificent country, I can tell you there is no shortage of things to do and new places to discover. And, when you are bored with Croatia, we have so many neighboring countries just waiting for your euros.

Visiting New Friends

You’d be hard-pressed to find any Croatian family without an emphasis on family, friends, and food. Hospitality towards your guests is critical. Offering drinks, pre-meal snacks, a meal, a second helping, even a third helping, cake, coffee, and then more drink to your guests is necessary. Then your responsibility in return is not to decline… ever. Saying no would be plain rude.

To avoid being rude (or, in some cases, being nagged), here is what I suggest you do:

• Take a small serving the first go, thus allowing plenty of wiggle room in your jeans for that second helping you will be required to consume. Failure to heed this warning will see you having to hear repeatedly how you are too skinny, you must be hungry, and so on.
• Your host may also use guilt to force you into a second helping. My favorite one (yes, I have become one of ‘them’) is “Oh, did you not like the food”? Boom! Host 1-guest 0.

If you have listened to this very sane advice, you are still hungry by this stage, so when your hosts ask you to take another serving, you eagerly oblige. Everybody wins.

The tricky part is the third serving; you may want one, but chances are you’ve already indulged in two plates of  Kiseli Kapus and yummy ribe sa žara, so when that time comes, you’ll need to be polite and say no thanks. If you want to show off, you can use the phrase “ne mogu više, hvala,” which means you can’t take (eat) anymore.

Word of warning: be sure not to overuse this phrase, as your hosts may come not to believe you.

People

The people throughout the country who will tell you that you look fat and gained 10 pounds are the same people you can call when you need help. And you will need it.

Be warned that the Croatians are brutally honest – some too much so for my taste – but you have to roll with it for the most part. It will be worth it; my Croatian friends are worth their weight in gold – I treasure them dearly.

It is also the case that people can be such bullshitters. The plumber will tell you he will be at your house at 7 am, and by 10 am (if you are extra lucky), and you are into your second cup of coffee, he will knock on the door as if nothing happened. Either that or he will show up and have forgotten his tool and say he will be back tomorrow – which can quickly turn into a week. True story.

It’s always who you know. So network. You will have to ask many people for references and help along the way. We never networked at the start; it seemed so fake. But now I realize, here in Croatia, that old saying rings true: it is not what you know – but who. Don’t fight it; go with it.

Government Administration

You will have to do many rubbish admin types of jobs, just like any place in the world. But here, things are beyond disorganized.

While at government offices (and doctors), be warned. These breaks are known as ‘pauza.’ It’s when the whole place goes on a lunch break, and you must wait 30 minutes until they return. Please do your homework, find out when they are, and avoid them like the plague.

If your request is out of the ordinary, you need extra help, or the staff member is having a bad day, you’ll probably end up leaving in a bad mood and with nothing accomplished. I always now assume that I can’t complete a task, and then if I do, it’s a win. But when I do not, I usually take myself to a cafe, shake it off, and try again in a few days.

Safety In Croatia

So, is Croatia a safe country to live in? Yes, Croatia is recognized as a safe country with a low crime rate. While it boasts a strong sense of community, adopting common sense precautions is advised, as in any country you live or travel in. 

Taxes In Croatia

So, how are taxes in Croatia? Tax rates in Croatia vary from 12% to 36%, depending on income, aligning with the tax structures of other European countries. Expats looking to live and work in Croatia should consult a tax professional to navigate the complex tax system effectively.

Racism

Racism in Croatia. I do not have any firsthand experience with it. I never confirm or deny racism rumors in Croatia on my blog, social media, or any other form.  And I do not plan to start now. If you want to read a post covering both sides of the topic, I suggest you start here.

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FAQs You Need To Know About Living In Croatia

Do I need extra health insurance in Croatia?

Having extra health insurance in Croatia is highly recommended. Despite the universal healthcare system in place, additional coverage is advisable to ensure access to comprehensive medical services – fast.

Is Croatia part of the European Union?

Yes, Croatia has been a member of the European Union since 2013, allowing EU citizens to live and work in Croatia under the same rights as locals without needing additional permits.

How is life in Croatia for expats?

Expats often find living in Croatia very enjoyable, thanks to its high standard of living, scenic coastal areas, warm climate, and vibrant expat communities for socializing and networking.

What is the education system like in Croatia?

The Croatian education system is comprehensive and holds high standards, offering a range of public and private schooling options. The country places a strong emphasis on the importance of education at all levels.

How can I stay in Croatia for longer periods?

To stay in Croatia for extended periods, obtaining a residence permit is necessary. The type of permit required (e.g., work, study, family reunification) varies based on the purpose of your stay. Checking specific requirements and applying for the correct permit is crucial.

What are some important things to know before moving to Croatia?

Key considerations before moving to Croatia include understanding visa and residence permit requirements, the cost of living, the healthcare system, and the basics of the Croatian language. Familiarizing yourself with local customs and culture is also beneficial.