Zagreb average net salary reaches €1,758 as wages continue to rise

(Photo: Sebastijan Carek/Zagreb Tourist Board)

ZAGREB, 12 August 2026 (Croatia Week) – The average monthly net salary paid to employees in legal entities in Zagreb reached €1,758 in May 2026, according to the latest figures published by the City of Zagreb’s Office for Economy, Ecological Sustainability and Strategic Planning.

The average net salary was 1.3% lower than in April, but remained 6.4% higher than in May 2025, pointing to continued annual wage growth in the Croatian capital.

The average monthly gross salary stood at €2,528, down 1.9% from April but up 7.0% year-on-year.

The highest average net salary in May was recorded in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas, at €2,598. The lowest was recorded in clothing manufacturing, where the average net salary was €1,019.

The figures also show a significant difference between average and median earnings. The median net salary was €1,500, meaning half of employees received €1,500 or less, while the other half received the same amount or more. The median gross salary was €2,110.

Average net pay per paid hour stood at €10.28, while the average gross hourly wage was €14.79.

Looking at the three-month period from March to May 2026, the average monthly net salary in Zagreb was €1,777, an increase of 7.2% compared with the same period a year earlier. Average gross pay rose 8.0% to €2,563.

The salary distribution data also provides a broader picture of earnings. The lowest 10% of employees received a net salary of €911 or less, while the ninth decile stood at €2,787. The upper quartile was €2,031, indicating that 75% of employees earned that amount or less.

The statistics cover employees in legal entities, state bodies and local and regional government institutions in Zagreb. Workers in crafts, liberal professions and insured agricultural workers are not included.

The report was published on 12 August 2026, with data sourced from Croatia’s State Bureau of Statistics (DZS).