What do Croatian employers offer foreign workers? From €1,055 gross on farms to €1,356 for cooks
New HZZ figures show the pay employers wrote down when asking to hire foreigners in January–September 2026. Some jobs sit just above the minimum wage. What the numbers mean, what is left after tax, and the rule that protects you.
Published 2026-10-29 · Source checked 2026-10-27
Is the pay in your contract normal? The Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) has published what employers stated as pay when they asked to hire foreign workers between January and September 2026. For some jobs it is only a few euros above the minimum wage. These are offers on paper, not proof of what everyone is paid, but they are a useful ruler for your own contract.[1][2]
1. What the numbers are. They are average gross monthly pay (bruto, before tax and pension contributions) that employers gave in applications for 18 of the most requested occupations. The minimum wage in 2026 is €1,050 gross. HZZ counts the pay on the application, so real payslips can be higher or lower.[1][2]
Work & SalaryTax refund in Croatia: do you get money back? What to do before the end of February2. The ladder, from bottom to top. Farm workers €1,055.18 (HZZ gave 848 positive opinions for farm jobs in this period), delivery workers €1,064.94, production-line workers €1,079.59, warehouse workers €1,083.76, cleaners €1,098.42, shop assistants €1,100.24, kitchen assistants €1,172.03, building construction workers €1,202.78, waiters €1,249.96 and cooks €1,356.05. Farm work is only €5.18 above the minimum.[1][2]
3. What is left in your hand. raditi.eu calculated two examples for a single worker living in Zagreb, with no children, one employer, both pension pillars and only the basic tax allowance. €1,055.18 gross leaves about €802.12 net. €1,356.05 gross leaves about €973.33. Your own net can differ with the city you live in and your allowances.[2]
4. The rule that protects you. Under Article 97 of the Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima), the pay of a third-country worker must not be lower than the pay of employees in Croatia in the same, similar or related occupations, under the laws and collective agreements. HZZ averages alone do not prove that anyone is underpaid, but if a colleague with the same job as you earns more, you have the right to ask why. A survey of 572 employers by the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) (February–March 2026) found that 23% see lower pay for foreigners as an advantage.[3][1]
What to do: put your contract and your latest payslip side by side and check that the gross pay matches, and that extra hours and Sundays have their own lines (see our guide to overtime, night and Sunday pay). The government was due to adopt the 2027 minimum wage decree on Thursday 29 October; employers proposed €1,086.75 gross and unions €1,250, and we will report the result.[4] Compare your pay with the median pay in Croatia and read the minimum wage talks. What job do you do, and how does your gross compare with the list? Tell us on our Facebook page, no names needed.
Read next
Work & SalaryCroatia sets the 2027 minimum wage: €1,130 gross. 5 things that change for you on 1 January
Life in CroatiaDalmatian dogs: named after a Croatian region, born without spotsSources
- Lider – Koliko zapravo zarađuju strani radnici? HZZ objavio iznose (22 Oct 2026) · Newspaper
- Raditi.eu – Objavljeni su prosjeci plaća stranih radnika: Dio jedva prelazi minimalac (27 Oct 2026) · Specialist publication
- Zakon o strancima, članak 97. – zakon.hr · Official source
- HRT – Kako se danas živi u Hrvatskoj s minimalnom plaćom? (28 Oct 2026) · Newspaper
This explanation is based on linked sources and does not claim independent on-the-ground reporting.
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