Revealed: The 15 most expensive places in Croatia to shop

Zagreb

A detailed new analysis by the Institute of Economics, Zagreb has revealed the 15 most expensive localities in Croatia, following a government mandate requiring retailers to publish in-store prices, Večernji list reports.

Topping the list are Sali, Starigrad, Vis, Šestanovac, Okrug, Vir, Privlaka (Zadar County), Vrsar, Tkon, Gornji Kneginec, Vela Luka, Hvar, Vrsi, Stari Grad and Tisno.

Among counties, Zadar, Dubrovnik-Neretva and Istria are the priciest, averaging 7.9%, 7.4% and 5.8% higher prices respectively than the least expensive county, Sisak-Moslavina.

The study is based on over 8 million price entries across 116,000 products in 776 physical shops.

Analysts Marina Tkalec and Ivan Žilić compiled the data from 11 major retail chains including Konzum, Lidl, Spar and Plodine.

Products such as Vindija kefir (1kg) showed up to 11 different prices nationwide, ranging from €2.09 to €3.19. Coca-Cola Zero (1L) had 13 different prices, from €1.30 to €1.85, with €1.48 being most common.

Sali appeared most often as the most expensive locality, while Čavle was most frequently the cheapest.

Baška and Belišće also ranked highly for affordability. Conversely, Komiža and Vrsar were among the most expensive for multiple

products.

The price publishing initiative was introduced in May 2025 to increase transparency and help consumers make informed decisions.

It covers categories like food, drinks, cosmetics, cleaning products and household items — which make up over 30% of the average household budget, according to Eurostat.

The move mirrors Israel’s model, where mandatory price transparency has been in place since 2015 and linked to improved consumer outcomes.

In Croatia, the policy applies to supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters and cash-and-carry stores, which account for 72% of all retail revenue.

Despite limited coverage in smaller towns, the data still represents 76.6% of the Croatian population.