Moving to Split, Croatia: cost of living, rent and visas

Is moving to Split worth it in 2026?

Split lost 17,500 residents in the decade between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, yet a one-bedroom flat in the centre still rents for about €900 a month - more than in Zagreb. That is the city in one sentence: the Adriatic, European Union and Schengen membership, and housing that locals and newcomers have to win back from tourists.

The 2021 census counted 160,577 people in Split, Croatia's second-largest city, according to DZS (Državni zavod za statistiku, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics). The average net salary in Split-Dalmatia County was €1,494 a month in the second quarter of 2026. A county, or županija, is Croatia's regional unit. That is below the national average of €1,553 and €290 less than in Zagreb.

The conclusion is blunt: moving to Split works when your money comes from abroad. The city lives on tourism, a busy port with ferries to the islands and to Ancona in Italy, its university and a growing IT and outsourcing scene. The last one matters to newcomers, because it means coworking spaces, English-language meetups and plenty of people billing foreign clients.

Split is not a museum, and that is what separates it from Dubrovnik. Ordinary people still live inside the walls of Diocletian's Palace, buy their bread there and argue about parking. The city is southern, loud and football-mad - its club, Hajduk, is closer to a religion than a sports team. Locals are friendly, but a real social circle takes years to build.

Three groups make the move. Remote workers from outside the European Union, including Americans, Canadians and, since Brexit, Britons, whose foreign salary Croatia exempts from income tax under the nomad scheme. European Union citizens, who need no visa at all. And members of the Croatian diaspora, who have had a dedicated residence route since 2025. Who should not move is covered at the end of this page.

The Ministry of the Interior (Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova, MUP) issues residence permits. The Tax Administration is Porezna uprava. DHMZ (Državni hidrometeorološki zavod) is the national weather service.

What is the cost of living in Split?

A single person in Split needs about €1,700 a month, including a one-bedroom flat in the centre. That is less than half of the income Croatia demands from digital nomads, so anyone who qualifies for the permit lives here with room to spare.

Day-to-day costs in Split and Zagreb are almost identical: €819 and €825 a month for one person excluding rent. Housing makes all the difference. A central one-bedroom averages €898 in Split against €775 in Zagreb.

Sample budget for one person: €898 in rent plus €819 for everything else, about €1,717 a month. Sample budget for a family of four: a three-bedroom outside the centre for €1,187 plus €2,911 in living costs, about €4,100 a month before any international school fees. The figures are averages for 2026; the fares of Promet, Split's municipal bus company, and the HZZO contribution are official.

On healthcare: HZZO (Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje) is the state health insurance fund. A foreign resident who is not covered through a job pays in directly: 16.5% of a €757.34 base, which comes to €124.96 a month in 2026. That follows from the Contributions Act (Articles 14 and 169) and the finance minister's order on 2026 contribution bases, published in Narodne novine 150/2025. Narodne novine, or NN, is Croatia's official gazette where laws are published. For the digital nomad permit, private or travel insurance that covers Croatia is enough.

Short-term summer rents rise with the tourist season, so build your budget on a year-round lease. For vegetables, cheese and fish, locals skip the supermarket and head to the Pazar and Ribarnica markets.

Where to live in Split: the best neighbourhoods for expats

Split's neighbourhoods differ in noise, parking and the age of the buildings rather than in crime, and living central costs about €240 a month more for a one-bedroom. The real choice is between a walkable life in old stone and the calm of newer districts with space for a car.

The old town works for a few months, not for years: renovating inside a protected monument is a bureaucratic ordeal, and in summer life runs on the tourist timetable. Families most often rent in Žnjan and Trstenik. People saving money look at Split 3 or the neighbouring towns: Solin has practically merged with Split, and Promet suburban buses run to Podstrana and Kaštela.

There are no dangerous districts in the usual sense. The practical risks are pickpockets in the August crowds along the Riva waterfront, rowdy groups near the clubs and an aggressive local driving style.

How to rent an apartment in Split long term

The hardest part of moving to Split is not the visa but a year-round lease. Split-Dalmatia County logged 20.9 million tourist nights in 2025, second in Croatia after Istria, and many landlords take residents only from October to May before switching to holiday lets for the summer.

The state is trying to tilt the market back towards residents. Since 1 January 2025, a new short-term let in an apartment building needs written consent from two thirds of the building's co-owners and from every neighbour whose walls, floor or ceiling adjoin the flat, and existing hosts have five years to obtain it (amendments to the Hospitality Act, NN 152/2024). A property tax also applies from 2025, and for 2026 Split raised it from €1.99 to €5 per square metre a year (Tax Administration table). Homes used as a permanent residence or let long term are exempt, which makes a year-round tenant attractive to landlords.

How to search in practice:

• Start in September and October, when landlords decide who gets the winter and the year. By May the supply of year-round flats shrinks sharply.
• Insist on a written lease (ugovor o najmu). You need it to register your address with the police, and a foreign resident is required to report where they live.
• Get your OIB (osobni identifikacijski broj, a personal identification number) straight away. It is free, issued by the Tax Administration, and required for a lease, a bank account and a SIM card.
• Check the heating and ask for last winter's bills: stone buildings are cold in winter and electric heating is expensive.

Buying is possible, but it is expensive and does not come with residence. A square metre in central Split averages about €6,435 and about €4,446 outside the centre. The buyer pays a 3% real estate transfer tax. A citizen of a country outside the European Union needs reciprocity - their country must let Croatians buy on the same terms - and the consent of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation. Agricultural land is off limits to such buyers. More on the country in our Croatia overview.

If you decide to buy, Murblz specialists handle the shortlist, the checks, the ministry consent and the deal: property in Croatia. For rent and everyday payments, a personal account in Croatia helps.

How can a citizen from outside the European Union move to Croatia?

Croatia has no golden visa, and a flat in Split does not give you residence on its own. There are five legal routes - remote work, a local job, family, study or your own business - and the business route turns out to be the most expensive.

The business route deserves a straight answer. Under Article 113 of the Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima), the owner of a d.o.o. (društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću, a limited liability company) or an obrt (a Croatian sole proprietorship) gets residence only after investing at least €26,544.56, keeping at least three Croatian citizens on staff and paying themselves at least 1.5 times the average gross wage. A freelancer with foreign clients does not need this: nomad status is cheaper and simpler.

Where to apply. Americans, Canadians, Australians, Britons and other nationals who can enter Schengen visa-free for 90 days in any 180 may file their application directly with the police where they live; in Split that is Policijska uprava splitsko-dalmatinska, the Split-Dalmatia police administration. Nationals who need a Schengen visa apply at a Croatian embassy or consulate. Once approved they receive a D visa (dugotrajna viza, a national entry visa valid for up to 30 days), enter the country and collect the card from the police. Family members of Croatian citizens, students, researchers and EU Blue Card applicants are exempt from applying abroad.

Russian citizens face an extra hurdle. Under European Commission decision C(2025) 7552 of November 2025, those applying in Russia now generally receive only single-entry Schengen visas, so every trip before residence is granted needs a new visa.

Permanent residence takes time. Long-term residence (dugotrajni boravak, the European Union equivalent of permanent residence) comes after five years of continuous temporary residence, provided you were not away for more than 10 months in total or 6 months in a row, and requires knowledge of the Croatian language and Latin script (Articles 150 and 153 of the Aliens Act). Citizenship takes 8 years of continuous residence with permanent status, a test on language, culture and the political system, and giving up your previous citizenship (Article 8 of the Croatian Citizenship Act). For Americans and Britons used to keeping two passports, that last condition is usually the deal-breaker.

Language rules are tightening for workers too. Under amendments published in NN 55/2026, from 4 June 2027 foreigners who have worked in Croatia for a year on a standard work permit will have to pass a Croatian exam at level A1.1, the most basic rung of language ability. People who finished school or university in Croatia and speakers of South Slavic languages such as Serbian or Bosnian are exempt.

European Union citizens have it easy: they can stay three months with no formalities and must then register with the police no later than 8 days after that. The registration certificate is free. The general mechanics are on our residence permits page and in the Croatia overview. If you are weighing a neighbour outside the European Union, compare with Montenegro residence.

Send your income, family and timing to a manager, and we choose the route to Croatian residence for your move to Split.

Croatia digital nomad visa: requirements in 2026

Croatia writes it straight into law: a digital nomad's salary from a foreign employer is not subject to income tax, and with Split's rates reaching 32%, that is the strongest financial argument for the city. The rule sits in Article 9, paragraph 1, item 26 of the Income Tax Act (Zakon o porezu na dohodak), not in the Aliens Act.

Strictly speaking it is not a visa but a temporary stay permit (privremeni boravak) for the purpose of digital nomad work. The Ministry of the Interior's conditions for 2026:

• Who qualifies: a national from outside the European Union who works through communication technology for a company, or their own company, that is not registered in Croatia, and who does not provide services to Croatian clients.
• Income: at least 2.5 times Croatia's average net salary for the previous year, which is €3,622.50 a month in 2026, shown through bank statements with regular income or payslips.
• Savings instead of income: €43,470 in the bank for a 12-month stay or €65,205 for 18 months.
• Family: the threshold rises by 10% of the average net salary, or €144.90 a month, for each family member or partner.
• Duration: up to 18 months. A permit granted for less can be extended once, by no more than six months and within the same 18-month limit. File no later than 60 days before it expires.
• Afterwards: a new nomad permit, or a permit for other purposes, can only be requested six months after the previous one expires (Aliens Act amendments NN 40/2025, in force since 15 March 2025).
• Documents: private or travel health insurance covering Croatia for the whole stay, and a legalised criminal record certificate from your country of citizenship or the country where you lived for more than a year before arriving.
• Fees when applying at the police: €46.45 for the permit and €41.14 for the biometric card (€31.85 for the card itself plus a €9.29 administrative fee). Through a consulate: €55.74 for the permit and €93 for the D visa.
• Where to apply: online through the Ministry portal, at a Croatian embassy or consulate, or, for visa-free nationals, at the local police station.

Sample calculation for a family: a couple with two children must show €3,622.50 + 3 × €144.90 = €4,057.20 of monthly income. That is almost exactly what a family of four spends in Split while renting a three-bedroom outside the centre.

Two tax caveats. The exemption covers only income from remote work: dividends, interest and rental income are taxed under the normal rules. And nomad status is open only to nationals from outside the European Union, so a German or a Pole who moves to Split and works remotely pays Croatian income tax at the standard rates once they become tax resident.

How the Croatian permit compares with its Mediterranean neighbours:

On money, Croatia wins: zero tax on foreign pay. On long-term prospects it loses: Spanish and Portuguese permits are renewed and count towards permanent residence, while the Croatian permit ends after 18 months. Details are on our Croatia digital nomad visa page and in the nomad visas by country overview.

What taxes do you pay living in Split?

Split is one of only 26 of Croatia's 556 cities and municipalities that set the lower income tax rate above the default 20%. Since 1 March 2025 it has charged 21.5% and 32%, while neighbouring Solin, Kaštela and Podstrana stay at the standard 20% and 30% (Tax Administration rate table for 2026).

You become a Croatian tax resident if you have a home at your disposal in the country for at least 183 days, or if you spend 183 days or more here within one or two calendar years. Residents are taxed on worldwide income, non-residents only on Croatian-source income. A one-year lease can therefore make you resident before you have spent six months in the country.

Sample calculation: an annual tax base of €30,000. In Split the tax is €6,450 (21.5%); in Solin or Podstrana it is €6,000 (20%). Living in the next town saves €450 a year.

The local surtax called prirez was abolished in 2024: instead, each city picks its own rates within a band set by law. The full breakdown is on our Croatia taxes page, and comparisons with other countries are in taxes by country.

Split vs Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Zadar or Rijeka: which city to choose

Split is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive city in Croatia. A central one-bedroom costs more than in Zagreb, Zadar and Rijeka, but over €400 a month less than in Dubrovnik.

Prices are averages; tax rates come from the Croatian Tax Administration table. There are fewer data points for Dubrovnik and Zadar, so treat those figures as a guide. Rijeka cut its top rate to 25% from 1 January 2026.

If you are choosing between Split and Zagreb, your income decides. On a Croatian salary Zagreb makes more sense: there are more jobs, and the average net salary in the capital is €1,784 against €1,494 in Split-Dalmatia County. On foreign income, Split gives you the sea, an airport with direct flights across Europe and a life without a car.

What is the weather like in Split and how does daily life work?

Split gets over 2,600 hours of sunshine a year, but it lives in two very different modes. In July 2025 around 785,000 passengers went through the airport, a fifth of the year's 3.88 million, while November brings the most rain.

The climate is Mediterranean. Under the 1991-2020 climate normal for the DHMZ weather station on Marjan hill, the average temperature is 26.8 °C in July and August and 8.2 °C in January, and summer daytime highs average about 31 °C. November and December are the wettest months, each with about 12 rainy days. In winter two winds dominate: the bura, a cold north-easterly off the mountains, and the jugo, a humid southerly that brings rain. May, June, September and October are the most comfortable months to live here.

Transport. A car in Split is mostly a liability: parking is paid and scarce, and the core is pedestrian. Promet buses cover the whole city and a monthly pass costs €35. Ferries run by Jadrolinija, the state ferry company, leave straight from the Riva for Brač, Hvar, Vis and Šolta, with timetables cut back in winter. The train to Zagreb is slow; the bus and the plane are faster.

Language and money. The official language is Croatian. Younger people and the service sector speak good English, government offices less so, and documents are accepted in Croatian with certified translations. Croatia has been in the eurozone and Schengen since 2023. Zagrebačka banka, PBZ, Erste and OTP open accounts more readily once you hold a residence permit and an OIB.

Healthcare. HZZO works, but specialist appointments can involve queues, so many newcomers top it up with private clinics. In winter the city empties noticeably: some seafront restaurants close and there are fewer flights.

The downsides of moving to Split and who should not move

The most expensive mistake when moving to Split is counting on a local job. The average net salary in the county is €1,494, and a central one-bedroom eats 60% of it.

• Seasonal leases. Many contracts end in May, and tenants end up moving every year.
• Nomad status does not lead to permanent residence. It lasts 18 months at most, then comes a six-month break, while long-term residence requires five years of continuous residence. To build that time you need a different route.
• Taxes for European Union citizens. The nomad exemption does not apply to them, so a remote salary is taxed at 21.5% and 32%.
• The business route is costly: €26,544.56 invested and three Croatian employees.
• Citizenship only after 8 years and only if you give up your current passport.
• Buying property gives no residence, and buyers from outside the European Union need reciprocity and ministry consent.
• Bureaucracy in Croatian: applications, certificates and correspondence with the police and the tax office run in the local language.
• Winter: damp stone houses, expensive electric heating and a city that empties out after the season.

Split is not for people counting on finding work locally; anyone who needs a fast route to permanent residence or a European Union passport; families of four living on less than about €4,000 a month; people who cannot stand summer crowds; and European Union citizens hoping for the nomad tax break.

Split suits remote workers from outside the European Union earning more than €3,622.50 a month who want a year and a half by the sea without tax on their foreign salary; European Union citizens with income from abroad who are ready to pay local taxes; and families who value safety, the sea and a city you can live in on foot. If you need a long horizon with permanent residence, compare the options in our nomad visas and residence permits overviews.