A decent salary in Croatia should be between €1,500 and €1,999 per month. A salary below €1,500 is not enough to cover basic needs at current prices, according to a survey.

The survey was conducted by the job search website MojPosao on a sample of 3,800 respondents.

Like prices, salaries should be as high as in the European Union, the website said in a press release. It added that a decent salary is one that covers basic needs such as food and accommodation and ensures a decent life, including clothing, transport, culture and annual holidays.

A salary below €1,500 is not enough to cover basic needs

Considering the high cost of living, which includes rent, utilities, transport and clothing, respondents stated that a salary of less than €1,500 is not enough to cover basic needs. When you add in cultural activities and annual holidays, many felt that the monthly salary should not be less than €1,700.

A third of respondents (33%) believe that an adequate salary should be even higher – between €2,000 and €2,499 when inflation and property prices are taken into account.

“If you can not save for trips with your children or a 10 to 14-day annual holiday by the sea, then you are a slave and not a worker,” said respondents.

The average monthly net salary in Croatia was €1,315 in July, median €1,130

One in ten respondents said that only a monthly salary of more than €2,500 can guarantee a decent life in Croatia. The same number (10%) consider a monthly salary of between €1,000 and €1,499 to be adequate, noting that in this case both partners should earn around this amount, as otherwise their lives are reduced to bare survival.

Regardless of the amount, all respondents are of the opinion that the salary can only be appropriate if the relationship between employer and employee is appropriate.

According to the latest data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, the average monthly net salary in July was €1,315 and the median was €1,130. A further analysis shows that almost 40% of employees earn up to €1,000, 30% up to €905, 20% up to €815 and 10% up to €741.

Around two thirds of employees earn less than the national average.