Zadar County Leads Rise in Basic Basket Prices in July
Despite seasonal fruits and vegetables, the basic and standard baskets rose on a monthly basis, with the highest price increases recorded in Zadar, Dubrovnik-Neretva, and Istria counties.
Despite seasonal fruits and vegetables, the basic and standard baskets rose on a monthly basis, with the highest price increases recorded in Zadar, Dubrovnik-Neretva, and Istria counties.
The regular monthly survey by the portal Koliko.HR and the Croatian Association for Consumer Protection (HUZP), as reported by Večernji list, shows that the basic food and hygiene basket for a family of four reached an average of 480.99 euros at the national level in July, which is 88 cents more than in June.
This is the so-called survival basket, containing 51 essential products in quantities that ensure only modest nutrition and basic personal and household hygiene.
The highest price for the basic basket was in Zadar County, where the average was 498.08 euros, or 8.06 euros more than in June. In second place is Karlovac County with 496.48 euros (an increase of 6.59 euros), and third is the City of Zagreb with 496.13 euros (an increase of 4.38 euros).
The most affordable were Sisak-Moslavina County with 462.96 euros (a decrease of 1.53 euros), Lika-Senj with 464.86 euros (a decrease of 3.22 euros), and Vukovar-Srijem with 466.43 euros (a decrease of 0.58 euros). The difference between the most expensive and cheapest county basic basket for a family of four reached 35.12 euros, which is 8 cents more than in June.
The standard food and hygiene basket, which includes 77 products and more accurately reflects the actual consumption habits of Croatian families, also recorded an increase. The national average for a family of four was 726.58 euros, which is 1.05 euros more than a month earlier.
The most expensive standard basket was in Zadar County, where it reached 749.87 euros, with a monthly increase of 9.19 euros. It was followed by Dubrovnik-Neretva with 749.09 euros (an increase of 8.53 euros) and Istria County with 743.18 euros (an increase of 7.80 euros). Sisak-Moslavina County was again the most affordable with 701.29 euros, with a decrease of 3.13 euros.
The difference between the most expensive and cheapest county standard basket for a family of four increased by 7.58 euros and now stands at 48.57 euros.
The basic basket for a three-member family cost 382.23 euros in July, which is 71 cents more than in June, while the single-person basket rose by 51 cents to 247.43 euros. The standard basket for a three-member family was 579.78 euros, about 83 cents more than the previous month, and for a single person it increased by 50 cents to 328.15 euros.
Ana Knežević, president of HUZP, told Večernji list that it would be realistic to expect a drop in prices for both baskets, but the opposite happened.
"It would be realistic to expect both baskets to have become cheaper, but the opposite happened. July is the month with the most domestic seasonal fruits and vegetables, and at least for those products, prices should have been lower. Unfortunately, that did not happen, so we are still paying relatively high prices. Since temperatures continue to rise, we will be sweating both from the sun and from the high basket prices. When temperatures drop, perhaps prices will also fall," said Knežević.
Siniša Bogdanić from Koliko.HR commented on annual comparisons.
"On an annual basis, the basic basket for a family of four, which contains a large share of products with price caps, has actually become cheaper. In July 2025, it cost 484.08 euros, so it is now cheaper by 3.09 euros or 0.64%. On the other hand, the standard basket has risen annually from 718.10 to 726.58 euros, an increase of 8.48 euros or 1.18%. However, regarding the correlation between temperatures and prices, it should be noted that it peaked in March, when it cost as much as 736.88 euros," said Bogdanić.
