Slovenia is small enough that choosing where to live is less about the country than about the pace and the price. The capital, the second city, a short stretch of Adriatic coast, the mountain towns of the north-west and the plains of the north-east make five different answers to the same question. This guide ranks none of them, because the best places to live in Slovenia depend on what you need. It compares them on figures from official sources: rent, property prices, schools and languages.
How do the best places to live in Slovenia compare on price?
EURES gives these indications for a two-bedroom flat, utilities not included, and 2025 averages for used housing.
| Area | Two-bedroom rent per month | Used housing per m², 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Ljubljana | about €850 to €1,100 | almost €4,900 |
| Coast | similar to Ljubljana | €4,760 |
| Kranj and surroundings | similar to Ljubljana in Gorenjska's tourist centres | €3,640 |
| Maribor | about €630 | not given |
| Prekmurje | about €500 | €1,100 to €1,140 (with Bela Krajina) |
What the table hides: the gap between regions is wider for buying than for renting. The national average for used housing was over €3,000 per m² in 2025. A house with land averaged €180,000 nationally and over €440,000 in Ljubljana. The EURES page gives no date for the rents. See cost of living in Slovenia for the other items in a budget.
Why is Ljubljana among the best places to live in Slovenia?
Because it is the capital and, on the official figures, the place with the widest choice of schools and the highest prices. Employers and state offices are concentrated there too. EURES puts a two-bedroom flat at about €850 to €1,100 a month and a studio at about €600, with rents around 20% lower in most other regions.
For families, Ljubljana is where the international options are concentrated. The European School Ljubljana follows the European Schools programme and awards the European Baccalaureate, and Gimnazija Bežigrad offers the International Baccalaureate in English. See schools in Slovenia.
If you work for a state body or a large company, or you need a hospital and several schools within reach, Ljubljana is the default for a reason. If your work is remote, you may not need to pay its prices.
What about Maribor?
Maribor is the second city. EURES puts its rents some 30% to 40% below Ljubljana, with a two-bedroom flat at about €630. It also has one of the four gymnasiums offering the International Baccalaureate in English: II Gimnazija Maribor.
It suits people who want urban services without the capital's price level. Check the job market before you commit: this guide does not cover local employers, and a remote contract or a self-employed activity gives you the most freedom. See working in Slovenia.
If you are weighing two or three towns against a budget, a job and children's schooling, Moovy can set out the trade-offs and tell you which official pages to check for each. It does not choose the town for you, and it cannot view a flat on your behalf.
What is the Slovenian coast like?
The coast is the place of Koper, Izola and Piran, and its prices are close to Ljubljana's. EURES reports an average of €4,760 per m² for used housing there in 2025, just under Ljubljana, and says rents in the coastal and Gorenjska tourist centres are similar to Ljubljana's.
Italian is an official language in the ethnically mixed areas, where children can be taught in Italian. Ask the municipality whether your chosen town is one of them; in any case the administration works in Slovenian.
What about Gorenjska and the mountains?
Gorenjska is the north-west region of the Alps, and its tourist centres have rents similar to Ljubljana's, according to EURES. Kranj and its surroundings had an average of €3,640 per m² for used housing in 2025, well below Ljubljana. Gimnazija Kranj offers the International Baccalaureate in English.
The outdoors comes first in daily Slovenian life: the mountains, skiing, cycling, running and family outings in nature are all noted by EURES as part of local life. If that is why you are coming, the north-west is where it is most within reach.
And the cheaper east and south?
Prekmurje, in the north-east, is the cheapest region EURES lists: about €500 a month for a two-bedroom flat, and €1,100 to €1,140 per m² for housing in Prekmurje and Bela Krajina combined. Hungarian is an official language in the ethnically mixed areas of the region. Novo Mesto has a gymnasium offering the International Baccalaureate in English.
The trade-off is the same as in any quiet region: lower costs, fewer services within a short walk, and the need to check that you can get to a doctor and a school. Ask your future municipality and the local school before you sign a lease.
What rules apply wherever you choose?
Whatever the place, the home must have a flat number, be meant for living in and offer at least 8 m² of living space per person for your address to be registered. Your address then feeds your tax number, your health insurance and your school place. Read renting in Slovenia for the lease and the residence certificate article for the sequence. For a purchase, see buying property in Slovenia.
Which of the best places to live in Slovenia suits which profile?
Use these pairings to narrow the list, not as a verdict. They come from the figures above and nothing else.
- Families who want international schooling: the figures point to Ljubljana first, for the European School and the IB at Gimnazija Bežigrad. The IB is also taught in English at Kranj, Maribor and Novo Mesto, so those towns are worth a look too.
- Remote workers and freelancers: your income does not depend on the local market, so rent is the main variable. Maribor at about €630 and Prekmurje at about €500 are far below the capital for a two-bedroom flat.
- Retirees: the cost of living and access to care decide. Rents in Ljubljana and on the coast are the highest; for how health cover works, see health insurance in Slovenia.
- Buyers: the spread between used housing at almost €4,900 per m² in Ljubljana and about €1,100 to €1,140 in Prekmurje and Bela Krajina is the biggest number in this guide. See buying property in Slovenia.
- Employees: start from the job. A written contract before you start is the law; see working in Slovenia.
Start with the constraint that cannot move: a job, a school, a health need. Then take the EURES rent for your shortlisted town and see what is left. If you can, rent for a few months before buying. And whatever you pick, the paperwork is the same everywhere; our moving to Slovenia guide gives the order.