All costs of owning a residential property (real estate) in Croatia
Most of the costs of owning a residential property in Croatia overlap regardless of whether you have an apartment or a house. On the other hand, some costs tremendously vary depending on the property’s type and location.
Owning a residential property includes fixed monthly costs all of us must pay, such as utilities, and quarterly and annual costs like insurance. Variable costs are related to unpredictable situations and maintaining your household and yard.
In this guide, we listed all the costs of owning a residential property in Croatia. View how to buy real estate in Croatia in this post and all costs of purchasing property in this post.
Jump to a cost:
- Household utilities
- Television
- Internet and phone
- Loan repayment
- Pričuva (reserve)
- Indoor appliances
- House cleaning
- Wall maintenance
- Yard maintenance
- Home insurance
- Parking space
- Renting taxes
- Get help with buying a property
The facts are these…
All costs when owning residential property in Croatia
#1 Household utilities
Once you buy a Croatian property and move in, switching the utilities to your name is your priority. If you don’t do this on time, utility providers will send the bills to the previous owner and cause unnecessary stress to both. You won’t have this problem if you build a house from scratch and are the first owner.
Utilities in Croatia are mostly paid monthly, including electricity, water, gas, garbage, and heating (city gas plant). On an annual basis, you must pay for slivne vode or naknada za uređenje voda (water management fee) and komunalna naknada (communal fee).
The water management fee is a public benefit the property owners or users pay to finance the public water system management. The communal fee is a local self-government unit fee paid for the maintenance of public areas, unclassified roads, public lighting, cleaning of public areas, drainage of atmospheric water, cemeteries, crematoriums, and educational, health, and social facilities.
[Read: Guide to setting up utilities for a property in Croatia]
#2 Public and private TV
Although it’s been a while since the world has transformed to digital media, TV is still a mandatory piece of furniture in Croatian households. It is used for watching television channels and streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube videos. The costs depend on the providers, platforms, and channels.
Most Croatian residents are subscribed to Croatian public television called HRT and pay a monthly fee. View this guide to learn more about HRT, its channels, and fees. Some still have cable or satellite television.
#3 Internet and phone
More than 86% of Croatian households have an internet connection. Available internet providers have wide offers, and the costs of their services depend on your needs. Approximate prices range from 2,50 euro weekly to more than 35 euro monthly, depending on the package. In addition to the internet, packages may include phone and TV subscriptions, tablets, cameras, and PlayStation.
If you are looking for a Croatian internet and phone provider, you can find some options in this guide on mobile phone providers since they also provide internet.
#4 Loan repayment
Most Croatian residents take a housing or mortgage loan from a Croatian bank when buying their properties. Otherwise, they could not afford to purchase their sweet homes. Terms of getting a loan in Croatia depend on numerous factors, including your nationality, age, income source, and residence status.
Only some can get a loan, and each bank has its unique requirements for approval. Your monthly rate depends on the bank’s terms and financial status. The more you earn, the more the bank will consider you capable of repaying the loan.
View our guides on housing loans:
#5 Pričuva (reserve)
Pričuva (reserve) is a cost that apartment co-owners or renters pay for covering the maintenance of the common parts and devices of the building. This money covers compensations to the building’s manager and co-owner representative, building insurance, elevator maintenance, entrance cleaning, electricity for stairs, corridors, and elevators, fire protection, and other renovations and repairs.
Tenants pay pričuva to a separate giro account. The cost varies depending on various factors, including the building’s condition and location. The approximate minimum is 0,36 euro per square meter.
#6 Indoor appliances
You won’t be able to avoid particular costs related to maintaining and fixing household appliances, including heating and cooling devices, furnaces, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.
You must regularly maintain all other gas installations in your house and yard. Gas boilers must be checked periodically to avoid dangerous accidents that could harm your health. Approximate prices of a plinoinstalater (gas fitter) are available here.
At the end of the heating season or before winter, you must call a dimnjačar (chimney sweep) to check out the heating installations and clean the chimneys. View approximate prices here.
Don’t want to mess around with the electricity and call an električar (electrician) as soon as you notice any problem. Electrical installations that work inappropriately can harm your health, especially for children. View approximate prices of electricians’ services here.
If you have problems with your home water system, call a vodoinstalater (plumber). You can view the approximate costs of their services here.
#7 House cleaning
If you are busy or simply don’t want to clean your home, dedicate cleaning to an agencija za čišćenje (cleaning company) or a person called čistač(ica). You can pick between many cleaning services, including dry cleaning, apartment or house cleaning, cleaning of business premises, cleaning after construction works, and cleaning of door and glass surfaces.
View the approximate prices of cleaning services here.
#8 Wall maintenance
Occasionally, you will have to paint the walls. If you are creative (and each of us is!), you can paint them yourself. This is much cheaper than hiring a professional painter called soboslikar. However, if you need a professional to paint your walls and save you some time on cleaning, you only have to buy the paint. View the approximate prices of painters’ services here.
#9 Courtyard maintenance
If you live in a house, you most likely have an outdoor space – a yard, lawn, orchard, or garden. Although this is not a rule, most Croatian residents have quite spacious yards next to their houses. Croatians love decorating them with flowers, grass, and trees, which require regular maintenance.
[Read: Croatian culture of gardening – the most common vegetables, herbs, and flowers]
Costs of yard and landscaping maintenance can sometimes be higher than costs related to indoors. These healthy activities will be much cheaper if you do them by yourself. Once you buy the necessary tools, you will only have to maintain or replace them occasionally. If you want to hire someone for horticulture services, view the approximate prices here.
#10 Home insurance
Insuring your house or apartment against accidents and disasters is not mandatory but highly recommended. Insurance companies based in Croatia sell various forms of home insurance. They offer protection from burglaries, fire, earthquakes, natural disasters, explosions, motor vehicle impacts, aircraft falls, lightning strikes, water spills, and glass breakages.
Home insurance prices vary depending on the insurance provider, the house’s location, and the insurance package you pick. Approximate costs may range from 84 euro to 200 euro monthly.
We listed some insurance companies in our guide to dodatno health insurance available here and dopunsko available here. Those providers most likely offer home insurance as well.
#11 Parking space
If you have a car and live in a house, you probably have a garage or outdoor parking space. However, living in an apartment without a parking spot may be an additional cost. In smaller towns, there is a chance the parking is free of charge, or you can park at your friend’s property. In bigger cities, you will probably have to buy your own parking space.
As a resident of a particular street where parking is charged or an owner of a company with headquarters, you should have an option to purchase a privileged parking ticket. The tickets are usually sold at a special discount and are valid for 12 months. To get a feeling of possible prices, view the ones for Zagreb here.
View our driving guides:
- Guide to driving in Croatia including highways, tolls, gas stations, car washes, and parking
- How to buy a car in Croatia
- How to exchange a foreign driver’s license for a Croatian one
- How to get a driver’s license in Croatia
- How to import your car and belongings to Croatia
- How to register a car or motor vehicle and get an annual inspection in Croatia
#12 Renting taxes
You are obliged to pay certain taxes to Croatia if you rent your property. View this guide for more information on taxes related to renting a house or apartment to long-term tenants. If you want to rent accommodation to tourists, learn more about the renting conditions and taxes in this post.
Need help buying real estate in Croatia?
If you need help purchasing a property, we can help! We have carefully vetted a network of real estate lawyers who can help you buy real estate in Croatia safely and with confidence. Buying property in Croatia can get sticky, so it is vital you have a skilled advocate who is looking after your interests.
Real estate agents usually have an existing network of lawyers that they work with. However, those lawyers are focused on the interests of the real estate agency first, and the seller second. As the buyer, it’s imperative to have your own lawyer to protect your interests.
Our vetted property lawyers can:
- Answer all of your property questions
- Find property records
- Clean property titles
- Help you purchase a property and represent you during the process
- Ensure you are not taken advantage of by property sellers
- Prepare and review contracts
- Help you sell a property
- Engage local contractors and interior designers
To get help from a vetted real estate lawyer, please share your needs with us using the below form. Based on those needs, we’ll match you with the right person best suited to help.
View our other Croatian property posts
- All costs when buying a property (real estate) in Croatia
- Guide on how to get a residence permit based on property
- How to buy residential real estate in Croatia
- How to find property ownership records in Croatia
- How to get a building permit (građevinska dozvola) in Croatia
- How to get a mortgage loan in Croatia
- How to create a legally binding contract
- Residential property prices in Croatia’s biggest cities
- Things to know about getting a mortgage
Sources:
Naknada za uređenje voda by Hrvatske vode
Što je komunalna naknada i tko je plaća by Grad Vodnjan
Minimalna visina pričuve by Hrvatski poslovni centar
Please note: Information provided by Expat in Croatia is only for the purposes of guidance. It does not constitute legal or financial advice in any form. Croatian laws and bureaucratic rules often change, and each personal case is individual, so different rules may apply. For legal advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian lawyer. For financial advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian tax advisor or accountant.
