Ask ten people for the best places to live in Croatia and you will get ten answers, each backed by a fierce loyalty to the writer's own bay. A fairer way to choose is to compare what can be compared: the rent, the property price, the income tax your town sets and the winter reality. This guide puts the numbers we could check next to a plain description of each region.
Where are the best places to live in Croatia on the map?
Croatia is long and thin: the capital and most jobs in the north-west, the Adriatic coast and its islands to the west and south, Istria and Kvarner in the north-west corner of the coast, and the plains of Slavonia in the east. The euro has been the currency since 1 January 2023, and the cost of living changes sharply from one end to the other. The official figures from EURES put average rents at 923 euros in Zagreb, 904 in Split, 763 in Rijeka and 487 in Osijek, plus 120 to 240 euros a month in utilities.
Is Zagreb the best place to live in Croatia for work?
Zagreb is the capital, and for many it is one of the best places to live in Croatia for work. It has the largest job market, the universities and the main administrative services. EURES gives about 2,998 euros per square metre for a new apartment there. Its income tax can reach the top of the range (the 2026 table lists 23% and 33%). Expect a city with cafés that fill up on Saturday mornings, a continental climate with cold winters, and the easiest access to central Europe. It suits employees, families who want a wide choice of schools and people who need services nearby.
What is Split like for expats?
Split, on the Dalmatian coast, has an average rent of about 904 euros according to EURES, almost as high as Zagreb. It is a seaside city with a year-round population, a port and strong seasonal tourism. The coast often reaches 3,000 to 4,000 euros per square metre for property, according to EURES. The 2026 table lists income tax at 21.5% and 32% in Split. It suits remote workers, people who want sea access and those who accept a quieter, more expensive winter.
And Istria and Rijeka?
Istria, with towns such as Pula and Rovinj, is in the north-west and closer to Italy and Slovenia. The 2026 tax table gives Pula 22% and 32%, and Rovinj 20% and 30%. Rijeka, the main port of the Kvarner region, has a lower average rent of about 763 euros and a lower tax table of 20% and 25%, one of the lowest higher rates in the table. These areas often suit people who want the coast without Dalmatia's prices, or who need to cross borders by road. Check the distance to a hospital and a school before choosing a village.
What about Zadar, Dubrovnik and Osijek?
Zadar and Dubrovnik both sit at 20% and 30% in the 2026 table. Dubrovnik is the best known and the most dependent on visitors, which weighs on rents and on the feel of the old town between October and spring. Zadar is a smaller coastal city. Osijek, in the east, has the lowest average rent in the EURES list at 487 euros, and property in rural eastern Croatia is often under 1,500 euros per square metre. It is a quieter, more continental life with a different rhythm from the coast.
A comparison table does not tell you what matters most to you: the school, the job, the winter, the distance from a hospital. Moovy can turn your priorities into a shortlist of towns and tell you which official pages to check for each. It does not pick a home for you, and its figures come from the sources it names.
Can you live on an island all year?
Many people do, but the questions are different: the ferry timetable, the nearest doctor, the school bus, the heating, and whether the lease covers twelve months. Some small communities are classed in the first development group, where reductions apply: the tax administration describes a 50% cut of annual income tax on the part linked to a pension or salary in first-group communes and Vukovar, and a 25% reduction for flat-rate businesses on first-group islands. Check with the tax administration whether your chosen place qualifies.
What should you check in every town before choosing?
- The income tax rate set by the town for 2026.
- The rent and the lease. Ask for a year-round contract; see renting in Croatia.
- The nearest primary care doctor and the HZZO regional office; see healthcare in Croatia for expats.
- Schools and nurseries. See schools in Croatia for expat children.
- The property tax. A second home pays it from 2025.
How do you test one of the best places to live in Croatia before you commit?
The numbers narrow the list; the winter decides it. Think about who you are. A family with school-age children will start from the town's schools and nurseries, and the enrolment calendar in schools in Croatia for expat children. A remote worker will start from connections, a year-round lease and a place where the cafés stay open in January. A retiree will start from the nearest HZZO doctor, the hospital and the property tax on a second home. An employee will start from where the job is, which in practice often means Zagreb or one of the big coastal cities.
None of the sources we read ranks towns by quality of life, and this article does not either. What the official sources do give is rents, property prices, local tax rates and the legal framework. Everything else, the light, the neighbours, the noise in August, is a matter of going and seeing. Ask people who live in the town all year, not only those who run a summer business.
A last practical point: the lower income tax in a town is a real saving only if your income is Croatian. If you are taxed elsewhere under a convention, the local rate may not apply to you. Check with the tax administration.
How do you test a place before you commit?
Use the first three months of your stay, when you can live in Croatia with just your ID card. Rent for a winter month, not an August week. Visit the town hall, the pharmacy and the school. Talk to the people at the café. Then follow the guide to moving to Croatia for the next steps. Prices, rates and rents change, so use this article as a first filter and check current listings and the tax office table.