Croatia is one of the member countries of the European Union. As you would expect, the chances of securing a well-paying job in the country are high. The minimum wage for an employed worker is equivalent to $265.22, which is higher than in most states. Putting the incredibly low cost of living in Croatia into consideration, I find this extremely high. For instance, the average annual mortgage for a house translates to $1000, which means around $93 per month. Deducting the average mortgage amount from the minimum monthly salary, I believe that a common man can live comfortably by the Croatian salary.
So what is the average Salary in Croatia? Having a minimum salary amount of $265.22, you can earn a maximum of an amount equivalent to $8,668 per month. The average salary amount would then be the equivalent of $2,038.50. I believe that this is one of the countries in the world with the highest salaried jobs.
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Education plays a vital role in the remuneration of workers. The people earning the minimum wages are the school dropouts and those who lack formal education or some form of training like the cleaners, ranch workers, and janitors. However, elite professionals with university degrees earn a lot more on employment. A recent study found that Croatian nationals with secondary education or lower make up to 18% lesser than the average salary while those who go through higher education, to Masters and PhDs, pocket 66% more than the average wage.
The Average Salary in Croatia
Of you are looking to earn a great scary in Croatia, you should start working in the following professions;
- Medicine
Medicine is a broad profession with several divisions. In Croatia, all practising medicine earn very highly. For instance, a surgeon earns a monthly salary of about $6,168.94. A physician specializing in endocrine medicine earns around $5,440, one specializing in maternal and fetal care earns at least $4,413 while an occupational health physician gets $4,062 per month. These are a few branches of medicine, where one thing is sure. The medical practitioners make a fortune out of their jobs.
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- Information and Technology
The I.T. specialists in Croatia can earn a salary of up to $3,010 per month, with an average making of $1,895 per month. Some of these highly pay I.T. specialists include software engineers, android developers, data security managers, and programmers.
- Business Management
The managers and directors fall under this category. The C.O.O. of an average corporate entity in Croatia earns up to $3,349, while an administrative director takes $3243. Other executive officials take not less than $3,000 per month.
- Business Planning
Professionals in the business planning profession include strategists and operationists. The head of the strategy, in this case, earns up to $3,180, while an operations executive pockets $3,079 per month.
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- Sales and Marketing
The average monthly salary of a Croatian sales manager is 3262. The sales manager can earn a minimum of $1286 and a maximum of $4830 per month depending on skills and experience.
- Finance and Insurance
The finance and insurance sector incorporates bankers, credit financiers, accountants, brokers, and agents. A bank branch manager earns a minimum salary of $2,749, while any other financial specialists working in the bank, and credit institutions make an estimated amount of $2,215. On the other hand, the insurance brokers make around $2,256.
- Real Estate
Real estate officers are some of the most paid employees in the world. In Croatia, a residential property manager earns a sum of $2,372 while real estate project manager pockets $2,334 in monthly salary.
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- Education
This applies to all professionals in the teaching career; teachers and professors. An experienced teacher in Croatia can earn up to $1004 a month while a university professor takes the lions to share earning up to $3000 a month.
- Environmental Science
A scientist specializing in environmental science in Croatia gets a higher salary than most science departments. The average wage for an environmental scientist is $1,902, with the highest-earning an estimated value of $2,505.
- Media and Journalism
The average journalist in Croatia earns a salary of about $1200. Therefore the more experienced journalists could be making more from this.
The Average Household Income in Croatia
On average, the Croatian household has a disposable income of $97,870 per year. This constitutes the average income of all household members in a year. The income is general and may include salary, property income, pension, and income from self-employment for all members within a household in the year of study.
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Recent research revealed that the annual household income per capita for Croatia is $4978. This is a rise from the numbers from previous years. The annual household income per capita depends on the annual household income and the yearly household size.
The Minimum Wage in Croatia
In Croatia, there is a Minimum Wage Act to regulate the wage amount for employed individuals. The review of the minimum wage in Croatia is an annual event, and the limit set runs throughout the year. The current minimum wage in Croatia is equivalent to a net of $443.01 per month.
This rate applies to all employees working in the country as there is no minimum wage for the various occupation. The Minimum Wage Act controls the minimum payments at a national level. According to the Act, a minimum wage cannot be lower than the previous year’s pay. At the same time, wage cuts are illegal.
The Act sets the minimum at which persons working 40 hours a week can receive as wages. However, for those who do not work full time, the 40 hours weekly, the minimum wage is lower and is following their working hours. Minimum wage does not consist of working during overtime, weekends, and holidays. The payments on these are on the agreement between the employer and employees.
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When revising the minimum wage, there are several factors considered, such as a household’s poverty threshold, population, the active population, and the changes in consumer prices index. Other aspects looked into are such as the possible impacts on development and stability as a result of changes in salaries and commodity prices.
The labour inspectorate and law enforcement agencies ensure full compliance of employers to the Act, failure to which they risk a fine of between $8862- $14771.
Average Salary in Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia. The main factor used to determine the salary amount in Croatia is education. The lower the level of knowledge of an individual, the lower the amount of salary and vice versa.
The other primary determinant is enterprise ownership. For instance, the private sector pays much more than the public sector.
When comparing the salaries of each, the private sector companies offer wages up to 13% higher than the average wage .on the other hand, the companies owned by the state pay at the average salary and corporate companies being 5% lower than the average salary. The salary amount is thus different depending on the type of ownership of a company.
Based on the above factors, it is only logical that the highest average salary paid is in Zagreb. The city has numerous private sector enterprises and educated people, as well.
The salaries amounts in Zagreb are higher than in other cities and towns in Croatia by 13% above average. The nearest town following Zagreb has an average salary at 2% below average. The minimum wage in Zagreb at around $460.
Although the numbers may be tempting, the salaries are low. Zagreb is a massive city with a high cost of living. This salary alone may not be sufficient for the people living in Zagreb. The average net salary for Zagreb is around $935.
Cost of Living in Croatia
Despite being one of the cheapest places to live in amongst countries in the European Union, Croatia still has its expenses. Before you decide to live and work in Croatia, you must get to understand the cost of living in Croatia.
The currency used in Croatia is called the Kuna (H.R.K.). One U.S. Dollar is equivalent to 6.77kn. You can opt to use an online currency converter for the latest rates.
To develop a clear understanding of the cost of living, I will use examples to demonstrate the prices of various essential commodities in different cities of the world.
In Zagreb, a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs $509 while the monthly transport pass costs $53. In London, a one-bedroom apartment costs you $2077 while the monthly pass costs $183. On the other hand, New York, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs $3074 while the monthly ticket pass costs $125.
The above is a simple demonstration of the cost of living in Croatia. It appears to be cheaper to live in Zagreb, Croatia, than other developed cities. However, the Croatian nationals and expats living in Croatia are complaining that the cost of living is experiencing rapid raising.
There are claims that it goes higher by the day, and soon, it will be unaffordable for the low income and average earners to live in the country.
Conclusion
Croatia is one of the countries in the world that pays the employees very highly. A lot of emphases, however, is put on education as the salary amount is dependent on the level of knowledge of an individual. Employers may also consider other factors such as experience and skills when determining the salary of the employees.
Despite tourism booming in Croatia, workers under the Tourism and Hospitality industry are some of the lowliest paid individuals. The possible cause of this is the flooded job market foot the career.
Croatia has a Minimum Wage Act, which undergoes annual revision to regulate the minimum amount of wages that employees should receive for work. The Act applies to all citizens as well as expats living and working in Croatia, and there are no occupational minimum wages.