Country research
Croatia
Prices overall are about 0.53 of United States prices at market exchange rates (2025), the Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Croatia 23rd of 163, and English proficiency is very high (EF 2025: 617, 2nd). The Aliens Act has a temporary stay of up to 18 months for people who work remotely for clients abroad; fixed broadband is 29.6 per 100 people (2024), just under the 30 line, and the law names no residence route for people living on a pension. [C1] [S1] [F1] [K1] [K2] [R1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
63 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.532 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
33 of 100Weak
Zagreb, the main city: 5 comfortable months a year (May to September) on DHMZ 1971-2000 normals, the latest period with published daily highs. April (16.3 °C) and October (15.8 °C) fall short of the 18 °C line; newer normals are likely warmer, so this may be understated. The coast scores better (Split and Dubrovnik 6 months each).
Source: Climate normals 1971-2000, Zagreb-Maksimir; Climatological normals (Klimatske normale). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
68 of 100Strong
Global Peace Index 2026: 23rd of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
55 of 100Mixed
WHO UHC service coverage index 76 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
Unknown
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
50 of 100Mixed
Mixed: one test holds. A residence route for remote workers exists (temporary stay of digital nomads, Aliens Act, up to 18 months), but fixed broadband is 29.60 per 100 people (2024), just under the 30 line.
Source: Temporary stay of digital nomads; Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima), Articles 3, 57 and 61: digital nomads; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
15 of 100Weak
Weak: the Aliens Act and the foreign ministry's pages name no residence route for people living on a pension or passive income. Temporary stay for 'other purposes' lasts at most one year with a six-month wait before reapplying; the only retirement mention is an extension exception for retired people over 60 who own real estate in Croatia. The conditions for that exception were not found, so this is a judgement.
Source: Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima), Article 57 paragraphs 4 and 6: temporary stay for other purposes; Temporary residence for third-country nationals. Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
66 of 100Mixed
29.60 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), just under the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
100 of 100Strong
EF EPI 2025 score 617 (rank 2), in EF's Very high band; the 2026 edition was not found on 15 October 2026.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
Topics
The detail on Croatia.
Guides
Croatia, by passport.
Each guide is written for citizens of one country.
Questions about Croatia.
How do prices in Croatia compare with the United States?
Prices overall in Croatia are about 0.53 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025: 53.20 against 100). That is an economy-wide average, not a budget for one household, and it does not show what rent, food or any single item costs.
How much income do I need for Croatia's digital nomad stay?
For 2026 the Interior Ministry asks 2.5 average monthly net salaries, or about €43,500 (12 months) to €65,200 (18 months) in the bank. To be safe, show more than €3,700 a month or more than €66,000 saved. Each family member adds 10% of the average net salary.
How long can I stay in Croatia without a visa?
Croatia has applied the Schengen rules in full since 1 January 2023: 90 days in any 180, counted across all Schengen countries. Canada's travel advice and the EU's visa-exempt list (Annex II, which names Australia, Canada and New Zealand) say passport holders need no visa; the EU page treats the US as visa-free too.
Is there a residence permit for retirees in Croatia?
We found none. The Aliens Act and the foreign ministry's pages name no pension or passive-income route. A stay for "other purposes" lasts at most one year, with a six-month wait before reapplying; the only retirement mention is an extension exception for retired people over 60 who own Croatian property.
How safe is Croatia?
The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Croatia 23rd of 163 countries (score 1.619). It measures peacefulness for the whole country, not crime in a city or street, so it says little about any one neighbourhood.
What is the weather like in Croatia?
It differs by region. On 1971-2000 normals the average daily high in Zagreb runs from 3.7 °C in January to 26.7 °C in July; in Split, on the coast, from 10.4 °C to 30.0 °C. Newer normals are likely warmer, but they publish no daily highs.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Croatia, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 53.20 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026 (series last updated 8 October 2026).
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Croatia ranks 23rd of 163 countries, score 1.619 (ranking table, report PDF opened 15 October 2026).
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Croatia, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 617, global rank 2; the page lists Zagreb 616; the page is the 2025 edition and the 2026 edition was not found on 15 October 2026.
- [K1] Temporary stay of digital nomads, Ministry of the Interior (MUP), Republic of Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026. English-language official page, opened 15 October 2026. Third-country nationals who work through communication technology for a foreign employer or their own company not registered in Croatia; temporary stay up to 18 months (extendable once, if granted for less); means of at least 2.5 average monthly net salaries paid for the previous year, currently EUR 3,622.50 a month or EUR 43,470 in the bank for 12 months or EUR 65,205 for 18 months, plus 10% of the average net salary for each family member; health insurance; a criminal-record certificate; reapplication six months after the stay ends. Cites the Regulation on means of subsistence (Official Gazette 14/21 and 3/26).
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Croatia, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 29.60 per 100 people (2023: 28.47), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [R1] Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima), Article 57 paragraphs 4 and 6: temporary stay for other purposes, Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette 133/20 as amended (consolidated text on zakon.hr, a private legal portal updated to NN 55/26). Checked 15 October 2026. A new application for 'other purposes' may be filed six months after the previous one ended; by exception, the stay can be extended for a retired third-country national older than 60 who owns real estate in Croatia (with a spouse or partner), for a minor athlete, and for continuing medical treatment. The Act names no pension or passive-income permit and sets no income test for retirees; the Ordinance on the stay of third-country nationals (which sets the documents) was not opened. Croatian text.
- [G1] Geography of Croatia, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Coastline 5,835 km: mainland Adriatic coast 1,777 km and 1,246 islands and islets; the Dinaric Alps hold the highest mountains (Dinara 1,831 m), with peaks above 1,500 m; the Pannonian Plain in the north-east.
- [G2] 2021 Census, population by ethnicity by towns and municipalities (sheet 1), Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS). Checked 15 October 2026. Final results of the 2021 census (published 22 September 2022). City of Zagreb 767,131 residents; of the 555 towns and municipalities in the table, 531 have fewer than 20,000 residents (counted by script from the table).
- [G3] Rural population (% of total population), Croatia, World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 42.2% of the population is rural (national definitions), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [G4] Agricultural land (% of land area), Croatia, World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 26.2% of land area, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [W1] Climate normals 1971-2000, Zagreb-Maksimir, Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ), Climate Atlas of Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026. DHMZ (Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service) publishes station normal tables as PDFs from the Climate Atlas of Croatia: 1961-1990 and 1971-2000 side by side. 1971-2000 is the latest period with monthly mean daily highs (tmax) and rain totals that DHMZ publishes; the 1991-2020 tables with daily highs were not found on meteo.hr or klima.hr on 15 October 2026 (DHMZ says it has used 1991-2020 as its standard normal for climate monitoring since January 2023, but publishes only mean temperatures for that period). Station Zagreb-Maksimir, 1971-2000 block of the table (right-hand block): mean daily highs (tmax) 3.7 (January), 6.8, 11.9, 16.3, 21.5, 24.5, 26.7 (July), 26.3, 22.1, 15.8, 8.9, 4.6 (December); mean monthly temperature 0.3 (January) to 20.6 (July); monthly rain 38.9 mm (February) to 95.3 mm (June), all under 150 mm.
- [W2] Climate normals 1971-2000, Split-Marjan, Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ), Climate Atlas of Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026. DHMZ (Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service) publishes station normal tables as PDFs from the Climate Atlas of Croatia: 1961-1990 and 1971-2000 side by side. 1971-2000 is the latest period with monthly mean daily highs (tmax) and rain totals that DHMZ publishes; the 1991-2020 tables with daily highs were not found on meteo.hr or klima.hr on 15 October 2026 (DHMZ says it has used 1991-2020 as its standard normal for climate monitoring since January 2023, but publishes only mean temperatures for that period). Station Split-Marjan, 1971-2000 block: mean daily highs 10.4 (January), 11.2, 13.8, 17.2, 22.7, 26.8, 30.0 (July), 29.7, 24.9, 19.9, 14.7, 11.4 (December); mean monthly temperature 8.0 (January) to 25.7 (July); monthly rain 25.5 mm (July) to 101.7 mm (November), all under 150 mm.
- [W3] Climate normals 1971-2000, Dubrovnik, Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ), Climate Atlas of Croatia. Checked 15 October 2026. DHMZ (Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service) publishes station normal tables as PDFs from the Climate Atlas of Croatia: 1961-1990 and 1971-2000 side by side. 1971-2000 is the latest period with monthly mean daily highs (tmax) and rain totals that DHMZ publishes; the 1991-2020 tables with daily highs were not found on meteo.hr or klima.hr on 15 October 2026 (DHMZ says it has used 1991-2020 as its standard normal for climate monitoring since January 2023, but publishes only mean temperatures for that period). Station Dubrovnik, 1971-2000 block: mean daily highs 12.3 (January), 12.6, 14.4, 16.9, 21.5, 25.3, 28.2, 28.5 (August), 25.1, 21.1, 16.6, 13.4 (December); mean monthly temperature 9.2 (January) to 24.8 (August); monthly rain 28.3 mm (July) to 142.3 mm (November), all under 150 mm. Used only for the 'mild' weather type; Dubrovnik is not listed as a city.
- [W4] Climatological normals (Klimatske normale), Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ). Checked 15 October 2026. Page text (Croatian) says that from January 2023 most climate-monitoring products use the 1991-2020 standard normal, and that the Zagreb-Maksimir annual mean temperature rose 0.9 degrees C in 1991-2020 against 1981-2010 (11.2 degrees C). The station tables for download are on https://meteo.hr/klima.php?section=klima_hrvatska¶m=k1_2 and carry 1961-1990 and 1971-2000 only.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Croatia: 76 out of 100 (2023; also 76 in 2021 and 2022), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory data service (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026.
- [K3] Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima), Articles 3, 57 and 61: digital nomads, Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette 133/20 as amended (consolidated text on zakon.hr, a private legal portal updated to NN 55/26; the official gazette index page opened but not the full consolidated text). Checked 15 October 2026. Article 3 defines the digital nomad (third-country national working through communication technology for a company, or own company, not registered in Croatia, and not serving Croatian employers); Article 57(1) lists temporary stay for digital nomads (point 11) and 'other purposes' (point 10); Article 61 sets validity up to 18 months, extendable once. Croatian text.
- [R2] Temporary residence for third-country nationals, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP). Checked 15 October 2026. Official English page, opened 15 October 2026: temporary residence for 'other purposes' may be granted for a maximum of one year, and a new application may be submitted after six months from expiry. The page names no retirement or pension purpose.