Is Zagreb expensive? If you’re coming to Croatia and wondering if the capital city Zagreb is expensive, this blog post is for you!
Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia, and along with Dalmatia, it’s the most visited part of the country. Although it’s the capital, it’s still much more affordable than many other European capitals, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, or any of the Scandinavian capitals.
On the other hand, Zagreb, although located near Eastern Europe, is more expensive than the capitals of its Eastern European neighbors. Belgrade, Bucharest, and Sarajevo are much more affordable than Zagreb.
Ultimately, whether you’ll find Zagreb expensive or affordable truly depends on where you’re coming from and what’s your living standard. In any case, Zagreb is definitely more affordable than most places on the Croatian coast. If you’ve visited the Adriatic Coast, you will definitely need a smaller budget for Zagreb.
Keep reading this blog post to learn about the average cost of accommodation, transport, food, and entertainment per day in Zagreb. That way you can plan your Zagreb budget in great detail!
IS ZAGREB EXPENSIVE?
ACCOMMODATION COST
When coming to Zagreb, finding accommodation won’t be a hard task, but it won’t be cheap either. It will probably be the most expensive part of your trip. While in Zagreb, you’ll want to be situated in the city center, or at least fairly close to it. That means that you’ll have to pay a bit more, but trust me, it’s worth it!
Most of all attractions and activities are located in the city center, so there’s no reason to stay somewhere else. Another plus of staying in the city center is the fact that you probably won’t have to use public transportation. It might be better to pay a bit more for the hotel or Airbnb and be within walkable distance from everything, than having to spend time taking public transportation.
If you’d like a nice room in a hotel, you’ll have to pay from 120 to 200 euros per night. That, of course, depends on the type of room you want to book. Some of the most visited hotels in Zagreb are Hotel Westin, Hilton Hotel, Hotel Dubrovnik, and Maistra Zonar Hotel. If you want something cheaper, check out different apartments on Booking or AirBnBs for every budget in this blog post. There are also many hostels all over the city. If that’s enough comfort for you, you can spend much less!
Cost per day: 60-100 euros per person
TRANSPORT COST
One of the best perks of Zagreb is cheap public transportation, which is great if you’re visiting for a few days. The most popular ways of getting around Zagreb are by renting a car, using buses and trams, or getting taxis.
RENT-A-CAR
The traffic in Zagreb is quite congested, so unless you’re planning on doing several day trips or continuing down to the coast, you do not need a car. If you’re planning on doing a road trip to Split or Dubrovnik, I would highly encourage you to skip having a car while in Zagreb, and rent it on the day you’re planning to leave the city.
Why? Firstly, the majority of the attractions and things to do in Zagreb are in the pedestrian section of the town. At those locations you can’t even use a car. Furthermore, even if you manage to come near the city center by car, the parking garages are so expensive! While in Zagreb, the best thing to do would be to walk, and use public transportation if you need to go somewhere further away.
BUSES AND TRAMS
If you feel like venturing out of the city center, or you’re staying somewhere further away, buses and trams are a quick and cheap way to get to the city center. There are many lines and stations all over the city, and both buses and trams are quite frequent. It’s fairly easy to navigate if you’re using Google maps, so you shouldn’t have any problems.
The tickets for the buses and trams in Zagreb are really cheap compared to many other European cities. There are different types of tickets, but I would recommend buying the cheapest, 30-minute tickets. That ticket is valid for thirty minutes from the moment you validate it in the tram or bus. The 30-minute tickets are 0,80 euros in the bus or tram, or 0.53 euros if you buy them at a TISAK kiosk, they’re all over town.
TAXIS
If you need a taxi, there are plenty of Ubers and Bolts all over the city. The most expensive route will be from the airport to the city center. It’s usually around 15-25 euros, depending on the demand. If you’re using them in the city, there won’t be a ride over 15 euros, probably 10 at most.
Cost per day: 5-10 euros
ACTIVITIES AND ENTERNTAINMENT
There are many things to do in Zagreb, but honestly none of them are too expensive. Here are some of the activities you cannot miss while in Zagreb, and how much they cost!
read more >>> 20 BEST THINGS TO DO IN ZAGREB
FREE ACTIVITIES
Most of the important landmarks in the city are completely free to explore. The best way to do it by doing a walking tour. That can be a guided one, or a self-guided one like this one. It’s great when you can learn a lot about the city completely for free!
Some of the key landmarks you need to see in Zagreb are the Upper Town, Zrinjevac Park, Croatian National Theatre, Maksimir Park, and Ilica Street.
PAID ACTIVITIES
There are a few paid activities in Zagreb I would recommend doing, but they’re still pretty affordable, and nothing that would break the bank. You can do these even on a tight budget!
Firstly, there’s Zagreb’s stunning Botanical Garden. It’s situated close to the Main Railway Station in the city center, and it is home to hundreds of various plants. To enter this calm haven in the lively city center, you only need 2 euros!
Secondly, I would recommend visiting Zagreb’s Chocolate Museum. It’s located near Cvjetni Trg, and while “pricey”, it’s totally worth the visit. Especially because you get to try a LOT of chocolate! This is the priciest museum in Zagreb, and the ticket is 9.5 euros!
If you’re a museum person, you can also visit other unique museums such as Museum of Illusions (9 e), Museum of Hangovers (8.5 e), and Museum of Broken Relationships (7 e).
Finally, if you like art, try and grab a ticket to a play, opera, or ballet at the Croatian National Theatre. Sometimes they sell out really quickly, so if you’re a theatre fan, check out what they offer as soon as you know you’re coming to Zagreb.
Cost per day: 0 – 20 euros
FOOD AND DRINK COST
Zagreb has plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and pubs which you can make as affordable as you want. If you’re on a budget, there are great places where you can eat for 7-15 euros such as El Greco, Nokturno, and La Štruk. For a fancier dinner, you can go to Didov San, Submarine, Boban, SOI Fusion, Silk Izakaya, or Korcula restaurant, for 30 to 60 euros!
If you’re on a seriously tight budget, there are plenty of bakeries in Zagreb, where you can eat various pastries, pizzas, and sandwiches from 2-5 euros. That is a great deal if you don’t care for restaurant meals. There are also several fast food chains all over town if you want something really quick.
Drinks at bars and pubs usually range from 5-10 euros, depending on what you choose to drink. The non-alcoholic drinks are even cheaper, while the fancy, over-the-top cocktails go for around 13-15 euros.
Cost per day: 5 – 50 euros, depending on your choices.
NIGHTLIFE COST
Going out in Zagreb is not cheap, but it’s definitely cheaper than going out in any of the cities on the coast. There are several clubs in Zagreb which you can choose from, depending on your music preferences. Some of the popular clubs you should check out are Boogaloo, Aquarius, Peti Kupe, Masters, and Katran.
Some of them sell entrance tickets for the events they organize, and some are your typical club where you come and enter for free. The drinks usually start at 7-10 euros and go up to 20, or even more if you decide to buy a bottle instead of separate drinks.
Cost per day: from 20 euros upwards
IS ZAGREB EXPENSIVE: CONCLUSION
To conclude, while you will need a certain amount of money for accommodation and entertainment, most of the other necessities are pretty reasonably priced. In any case, you can visit and enjoy Zagreb on any budget, no matter how modest your budget might be.
