City guides Croatia
Split
A Roman palace you can live in, the second-best English in the world and a nomad permit that leaves foreign-paid work income untaxed. The permit runs 18 months and then you must leave it for six. And Split-Dalmatia took 18.4 million tourist nights in 2025, so July and August belong to the crowds.
Every figure checked 8 Oct 2026
- EUR 18.61 per square metre a month Asking rent, whole city
- Usually under EUR 15 Marenda
- EUR 240 to 300 a month Coworking hot desk
- Country Croatia
- Time zone UTC+2 07:23 there now
- Language Croatian
- Currency Euro (EUR)
- Plugs Type C and F, 230V
How far English gets you Very good. Croatia scores 617 on the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, second in the world. It even reaches the state: the Interior Ministry (MUP) takes digital nomad documents in Croatian or English, and its application form is bilingual. It stops at the tax office, whose guidance is in Croatian, at police counters, at lease paperwork and in the HZZO health system. If you will pass 183 days, budget for a Croatian-speaking accountant.
Honestly
Is this your kind of place?
It suits you if
Remote employees and company owners from outside the EU, earning comfortably above EUR 3,622.50 a month, who want up to 18 months of sea, stone streets and easy English, and who see it as a chapter rather than a move. Work income from a non-Croatian payer is exempt from Croatian income tax on the permit. It works best from September to June, and best of all in the shoulder months, when the town is lived in and Krka costs EUR 20, not EUR 40.
It does not suit you if
Anyone who wants a path to staying: the permit tops out at 18 months, then you wait six months before applying again, and it does not build towards permanent residence. Anyone who hates crowds, because the old town is where the summer lands. Anyone earning from Croatian clients, which the permit bars. And anyone expecting cheap: asking rents of EUR 17 to 20 per square metre are western-European money, and most shops shut on Sundays.
Money
What everything else costs
| Asking rent, Centar | EUR 17.33 per square metre a month | nekretnine.hr, September 2026, the cheapest zone in the data |
|---|---|---|
| Asking rent, Meje-Spinut-Slatine | EUR 20.31 per square metre a month | nekretnine.hr, September 2026, the dearest zone |
| Studio, agent's estimate | EUR 500 to 800 a month | An estate agent on Nova TV, December 2025, who said flats rarely go for under EUR 700 |
| Coworking day pass | EUR 17 to 22 | Smartspace EUR 17, Re.Split EUR 22, from a travel blog |
| Bus ticket, zone 1 | EUR 1.50 | By app, machine or kiosk since 1 June 2026. EUR 3.00 bought on the bus |
| Espresso | EUR 1.50 to 2.00 | Cappuccino EUR 2.50 to 4.00, or EUR 3.00 to 4.50 on the Riva |
Paperwork
Can you legally stay?
| Or savings | EUR 43,470 in the bank for a 12-month stay, or EUR 65,205 for 18 months |
|---|---|
| Family | Each family member or partner adds 10 per cent of the average monthly net salary |
| The threshold moves | It is pinned to Croatian Bureau of Statistics salary data and resets every year. In 2025 it was EUR 3,295 |
| Official name | Temporary stay of digital nomads (privremeni boravak digitalnih nomada), under the Aliens Act |
| How long | Up to 18 months, raised from 12 on 15 March 2025. If you are given less, you can extend by up to 6 months, applying at least 60 days before expiry |
| Then a gap | A new nomad application can only be made 6 months after the last stay ends. There is no true renewal |
| Who qualifies | Employees of a company not registered in Croatia, and owners who work through their own non-Croatian company. Freelancers without a company are not mentioned. No work or services for employers in Croatia |
| Fees | From a consulate: EUR 55.74, plus EUR 93.00 for a D visa or EUR 41.14 for the card. Inside Croatia: EUR 46.45, plus EUR 9.29 admin and EUR 31.85 for the card |
| Tax | Work income from non-Croatian payers is exempt under the Income Tax Act. Dividends, interest, rent and capital gains are not |
| Permanent residence | Needs five years of unbroken temporary stay. The 18-month cap and the 6-month gap mean nomad stays alone do not get there |
| Citizenship | Eight years of unbroken registered residence, plus permanent stay and a test of Croatian language, script, culture and social order. Unchanged since 2020 |
| Without a visa | British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen. Croatia is in Schengen |
| Tax residency | At least 183 days in one or two calendar years, or a home owned or at your disposal for 183 days in a row, whether or not you stay in it |
Where to live
Where to base yourself
-
Varos and the Old Town
About EUR 17.33 per square metre asking (Centar zone)Stone lanes between the Riva, the Pazar market and the foot of Marjan, so everything is on foot
The catch Most of the city's 3.2 million tourist nights in 2025 land here, so long lets compete with holiday lets and summer streets are packed
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Bacvice and Firule
About EUR 19.06 per square metre askingA town beach five minutes from the ferry port and bus station, with the old town a short walk away
The catch Bacvice is Split's party beach, so summer nights are loud
-
Znjan
About EUR 19.06 per square metre askingNewer blocks behind a long seafront promenade and beach, with more space and parking than the centre
The catch A bus ride or a long walk to the old town, and despite its budget reputation it is not cheaper per square metre than the centre
-
Meje and Spinut
About EUR 20.31 per square metre askingQuiet villa streets backing onto Marjan forest park, near the Mestrovic Gallery and swimming coves
The catch The dearest zone per square metre, and hilly. Marjan was badly damaged by the July 2025 storm, and about 4,000 trees were still being cleared from January 2026
Timing
The best time to come
- Jan 8.2C, quiet, Krka EUR 7
- Feb 8.6C, 78mm, off-season calm
- Mar 11.5C, 69mm, still quiet
- Apr 15.5C, drier, Krka EUR 20
- May 20.1C, 55mm, pre-season
- Jun 24.5C, crowds, Krka EUR 40
- Jul 27.2C, peak crowds
- Aug 26.9C, peak prices
- Sep 21.7C, sea warm, still busy
- Oct 17.6C, crowds gone
- Nov 13.4C, wettest, 121mm
- Dec 9.5C, 85mm, quiet
Come now Fine Avoid
Aim for April, May, September or October. Split-Dalmatia county took 18.4 million tourist nights in 2025: 2.44 million of them in September alone, and only about 0.9 million across October to December. Krka's entry fee tracks the same curve, at EUR 7 from November to March, EUR 20 in April, May and October and EUR 40 from June to September. November is the wettest month, with 121mm.
Connectivity
The internet, honestly
That is the median fixed download for Croatia as a whole, 80.78 Mbps, from Ookla data for January 2025. There is no figure for Split. What matters more is the line: the regulator HAKOM reported about 950 to 1,000 Mbit/s on fibre (FTTH) in late 2025, against about 79 on HT's copper VDSL and about 50 on Telemach's. Ask the landlord which the flat has before you sign.
Cafes are built for sitting a long time over one coffee, and wifi is normal, but terraces, glare and few sockets make them a two-hour spot, not a workday. For any day with calls, book a coworking desk. Calls from the Riva in July are a mistake.
Work
Remote roles open to someone in Croatia
A remote job is not in any one city. These are roles whose employer will hire someone living here, pulled from the board as you load the page.
Eating
What to eat, and what it costs
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Burek
EUR 3.79Flaky pastry with cheese, 250g, the bakery breakfast and hangover cure. Meat is EUR 4.20 (Pekara Panis, on Wolt)
-
Marenda
Usually under EUR 15The Dalmatian late-morning or midday cooked plate, such as stews, fish or pasticada, at local konobas and bistros
-
Cevapi
EUR 8 to 12Grilled minced-meat rolls in flatbread with onion and ajvar, the cheap filling dinner
-
Pizza slice
EUR 2.50 to 4.00The street-food fallback by the old town and the beaches
Days off
Worth a Saturday
-
Krka National Park
EUR 7 to 40Waterfalls and boardwalks about an hour north. EUR 7 from November to March, EUR 20 in April, May and October, EUR 40 from June to September, or EUR 30 after 15:00 in summer. Croatian citizens can buy a EUR 50 annual card, and Sibenik-Knin county residents pay EUR 13 for it; a foreigner living in Split gets neither
-
Klis Fortress
EUR 12A medieval fortress on a ridge above Split, with the best view of the city and the islands
-
Diocletian's Palace
FreeYou are living inside a Roman emperor's retirement palace, so walk it at 7am before the cruise groups arrive. The cellars, cathedral and bell tower are ticketed
-
Marjan Forest Park
FreeA pine-covered peninsula with trails, viewpoints and swimming coves on the edge of the city. It was storm-damaged in July 2025, so check which trails are open
-
Trogir old town
FreeA compact UNESCO-listed island town 30 km west, smaller and calmer than Split, by bus or boat
The rest
Things the other guides leave out
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A lease can make you tax resident
A home at your disposal for 183 days in a row makes you resident even if you are rarely in it, so a lease of 183 days or more can do it before your day count does
-
Register your address in 3 days
Your host should register you with the police within 48 hours. If they do not, file form 16a at a police station yourself
-
Most shops shut on Sundays
Since July 2023 a shop may open on only 16 Sundays a year. Stations, airports, petrol stations and online shops are exempt
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Buy bus tickets before you board
A zone 1 single is EUR 1.50 by app or machine but EUR 3.00 from the driver
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The permit cannot be chained
When it ends you wait 6 months before you can apply again
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Ignore kuna prices
The euro replaced the kuna on 1 January 2023, but many guides and some venue pages still quote kuna. Treat those prices as out of date
Work out whether you can actually afford to go
Every role on the board says which countries you can live in and still take it, so remote means remote.
Every figure on this page was checked on 8 Oct 2026. Prices move and rules change; tell us when something is wrong and we will fix it.