While social media often paints Croatia as overpriced, especially during summer, a recent Time Out article spotlights Zagreb as one of Europe’s most affordable travel destinations.
This piece explores how perceptions of cost often depend on location choices – and why Croatia is no longer the budget alternative it once was, but still offers excellent value.
The annual “Croatia is expensive” chorus
In recent years, it has become customary that as summer begins, a kind of competition also kicks off among influencers, celebrities, and even some foreign tourists, all claiming that everything in Croatia is expensive.
One British portal has recently gone a step further and listed Zagreb – often considered expensive by Croatian standards – among the more affordable destinations in Europe.
A budget-friendly European capital?
“Don’t worry – if your budget is tight this year, there are still places you can visit without going bankrupt,” reads the introduction of the Time Out magazine article.
“Despite being the capital of Croatia, the city is quite underrated, hidden in the shadow of popular destinations like Split and Dubrovnik, but I’m here to present it as a brilliantly budget-friendly destination,” the article continues.
The British journalist was impressed by Zagreb’s reasonable accommodation and food prices, and even highlighted the city’s streets as “the most pleasant for walking.”
So, let that be known as well.
Expensive or just selectively visited?
Generally, those who constantly speak of how expensive everything is in Croatia tend to frequent Dubrovnik, Hvar, or one of the Istrian towns.
They talk about the price of a scoop of ice cream, a bottle of beer, or the infamous coffee with milk.
The other day, a tourist shared how she had a lovely time on the island of Krk – claiming she spent just €4000 over four days.
Many portals, including local ones, picked up the story from Serbian sites without verifying its truth.
In the end, journalists went to Krk and confirmed – you can’t even find accommodation that would cost that much for four days.
Viral sarcasm and the chase for ‘likes’
That lady likely posted it as sarcasm or to rack up some “likes”, much like many other influencers who earn through social media by generating views in this way.
There have been plenty of similar, yet somewhat more believable situations.
Tourists sit down at an exclusive spot in some city and then complain about the prices.
At one time, a politician from a neighbouring country posted about receiving a bill for €7 for a beer on a terrace in the centre of an Istrian town. He drank it, paid, and said he would never return to Croatia.
Something similar happened recently with a former Croatian TV presenter. She sat with a friend at a beach café in Žnjan, Split.
Choosing luxury, complaining about cost
Among other things, they ordered a bottled water and, before opening it, saw it was priced at €5. They wanted to return it.
The café owner made a passing comment, and of course, she posted all about it.
The reactions weren’t entirely in her favour. The thing is – and her followers pointed this out – that just 50 metres away from the centre of any tourist city or 100 metres away from an exclusive beach, there are cafés and terraces, as well as ice cream shops, where prices are more than half as cheap. But such places won’t earn “likes”, nor will such posts go “viral”.
Croatia no longer a budget substitute – and that’s okay
Those who holiday in Croatia are aware of this.
The issue with the high prices constantly being written about lies in the fact that, until five or six years ago, Croatia was a cheap alternative to Italy, Spain, Greece… That is no longer the case – and that’s a good thing.
