Grocery shopping in Croatia: supermarket prices, chains and opening hours for your holiday

Short answer: the big supermarket chains charge almost the same on the coast as inland. At Kaufland and Plodine, our holiday basket of ten branded products cost exactly the same in every store, and at Lidl the same holds for the nine of them it stocks. At Konzum, the coastal average was 0.9% higher than inland; at Spar it was 0.3% lower. In late September and early October, Plodine and Spar brought prices in some of their coastal stores down to the level of their other stores. The chain you pick matters far more: the same basket cost anywhere from €33.66 to €46.48 depending on the store.

All prices come from the price lists that retailers in Croatia must publish every day for every store. Prices as of 26 October 2026. For comparison, we ran the same calculation for 25 September 2026, while the season was still on. Prices and promotions change daily, and which chain comes out cheapest depends on the product and that week’s offers. The method is explained at the end of this article.

Supermarket chains on the coast#

These are the chains we compare in this article. The figures show how many stores of each chain had a price list for 26 October 2026 and how many of them are in Croatia’s seven coastal counties.

“On the coast” only counts stores whose address we could pin down exactly. Tommy is almost entirely a coastal chain, and all Ribola stores are in Dalmatia. We assigned Ribola and Studenac stores by town, because their price lists do not include postcodes.

Small shops and kiosks are missing from this list. Until 16 November 2026, only supermarkets, hypermarkets, discount stores and cash-and-carry stores have to publish their prices (Decision NN 75/2025, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). From 17 November 2026 (postponed by NN 110/2026) the obligation covers every retailer with a website (Decision NN 101/2026, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). New stores appear on Pinezi as soon as their price lists are published. Links to every chain’s website are on the supermarket chains page.

What does a holiday shop cost?#

The table lists branded products for a typical holiday shop. “Price range” means from the lowest to the highest price across all stores of eight chains (Konzum, Lidl, Kaufland, Spar, Plodine, Tommy, Studenac, Ribola), promotions included. Prices as of 26 October 2026.

“Not at Lidl” means the product does not appear in that chain’s price lists. Fruit, vegetables and bread are not in the table: they usually have no standard barcode, so they cannot be compared reliably across chains.

The same basket in every chain#

To compare chains, we put the first ten products from the table into one basket, from the water down to the ajvar. In September all eight chains we compare sold all ten, Lidl included. Lidl’s price lists currently leave out the ajvar, so the second column shows the same basket without it. The totals apply to each store that stocks all the products. Prices as of 26 October 2026.

Without the ajvar, Lidl was cheapest. Its lead over Kaufland (€3.25) comes mainly from the olive oil (€10.99 against €13.99). With the full basket, Ribola came first because its olive oil (€9.99) and ajvar (€2.89) were on promotion, and Kaufland came second thanks to a Nutella promotion (€6.29). A different basket or a different week can change the order. For a larger comparison with 17 branded products, see Which supermarket is cheapest in Croatia?; Lidl comes first there (prices as of 25 September 2026), and the other chains line up differently.

Is it more expensive by the sea?#

To answer this, we priced the same basket in every store of each chain and compared stores on the coast with stores inland. Prices as of 26 October 2026.

Tommy is not in the table because only 3 of its 68 stores are inland.

Lidl, Kaufland and Plodine charge the same for this basket in every store. The other chains have several price levels, and each store is assigned to one of them:

• Konzum: the highest level (€40.78 instead of €38.36, +6.3%) applies in Dubrovnik, Hvar, Korčula and Makarska, but just as much in inland towns such as Varaždin, Čakovec and Bjelovar. In Rovinj, three Konzum stores charged €38.36, €39.82 and €40.78 for the basket.
• Tommy: €37.92 to €39.62 (+4.5%). The highest level applies in Vir, Sali, Starigrad Paklenica, Okrug Gornji, Privlaka and two stores in Rijeka. The levels are the same as in September. The gap is wider (+2.0% in September) because the olive oil was then on promotion everywhere at €9.99, while its regular price now depends on the level, from €13.99 to €14.99.
• Ribola: €33.66 in parts of Split and Kaštela, €34.79 in Makarska, Dubrovnik, Trogir and Zadar among others, and €35.68 in Ražanj (+6.0% on its cheapest level). In September the gap was 14.3%. It is smaller now because olive oil and ajvar are on promotion at the same price in every store; regular prices still vary from store to store.
• Spar: two levels, €37.57 and €38.07 (+1.3%). The higher one applies in Zagreb, Zaprešić and Kastav.

Kiosks and mini-markets right on the beach are not in our data, so we cannot say anything about their prices.

What changed after the season#

We ran the same calculation for 25 September 2026, while the season was still on. The gap between the coastal and inland averages:

• Plodine had a higher price level in September in 32 stores, all on the coast. Six of the ten products (Jana water, Coca-Cola, Dukatos yoghurt, olive oil, crisps and coffee) cost more there, and the basket came to €39.76 instead of €37.26 (+6.7%). These stores included islands and smaller resorts such as Cres, Rab, Pag, Novalja, Korčula, Orebić, Ston, Medulin, Fažana, Funtana and Vrsar. Plodine narrowed the gap on 29 September, and since 3 October the basket has cost the same in every store.
• Spar moved 20 coastal stores to its lower price level on 1 October, among them stores in Split, Zadar, Pula, Poreč and Šibenik. The higher level (+1.3%) remains in 18 stores in Zagreb and in Zaprešić and Kastav.
• Konzum and Tommy kept the same levels in the same stores.

Studenac or Konzum?#

This question comes up on travel forums. On 26 October 2026 we had prices from 20 Studenac stores, 17 of them with an exact address. Until 16 November 2026, smaller shops do not have to publish price lists.

• Our basket cost €41.19 to €46.48 at Studenac and €38.36 to €40.78 at Konzum.
• Studenac’s lowest level was in Buzet, Cista Provo, Imotski, Kutina, Popovača, Pregrada and Slunj, its highest in Komiža and Močići.
• The size of the gap depends on the basket. With our ten products, the median Studenac store was 6.7% above the median Konzum store; with the 17 products from Which supermarket is cheapest in Croatia? it was 9.1%.
• In two Studenac stores, in Buzet and Sisak, some products were cheaper on promotion than at Konzum: Kraš Domaćica biscuits (300 g) for €2.49 (Konzum €3.49–4.39) and Sara mineral water (1.5 l) for €0.59 (Konzum €0.79–0.85).

From mid-November 2026 we expect price lists from more Studenac shops, and we will redo this comparison then.

Six holiday towns#

The same basket in every store within 10 km of the town centre that stocks all ten products, and the cheapest split between two stores (as of 26 October 2026):

Lidl only appears in the last column, because it currently has no Podravka ajvar in its price lists. Splitting the basket was €2.50 to €4.25 cheaper than the cheapest single store: you buy most products at Lidl and the ajvar at the second store, at Ribola together with the olive oil on promotion there. In September, when Lidl still stocked the ajvar, the split saved €1.00.

Opening hours#

From Monday to Saturday, each retailer sets its own opening hours, up to 90 hours a week in total. Since 1 July 2023, shops have been closed on Sundays and public holidays, but each retailer may pick 16 Sundays a year on which it opens. Shops in campsites, marinas and hotels, at petrol stations, ports, airports and train or bus stations are exempt (Article 57 of the Trade Act, NN 33/2023, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)).

Two public holidays fall in the middle of the season: 5 August (Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders) and 15 August (Assumption Day), set by the Public Holidays Act, NN 110/2019 (in Croatian) (opens in a new tab). In 2027, 5 August is a Thursday and 15 August a Sunday. Do your shopping the day before.

All exceptions, the full list of 2026 and 2027 holidays and Sunday tips are in our article Are shops open on Sundays in Croatia?

Money-saving tips#

All prices as of 26 October 2026.

1. Compare branded products. The same 750 g jar of Nutella cost €6.29 at Lidl and, on promotion, at Kaufland, and from €8.39 at the other chains. Barcaffè Classic (500 g) cost €7.69 at Lidl and, on promotion, at Plodine and Spar, and from €10.99 elsewhere. Search shows every product’s price in every chain.
2. Buy water in multipacks or try another brand. A four-pack of Jana (4 × 1.5 l) cost €3.39 at Kaufland and €3.49 at Konzum, Plodine and Spar, which works out at €0.85 to €0.87 a bottle instead of €0.99. Sara mineral water (1.5 l) was available from €0.69 at Plodine and from €0.79 at Konzum.
3. Read promotions correctly. Next to a promotional price, the shop must show the lowest price of the 30 days before the promotion. An example from Kaufland: Nutella 750 g was on promotion for €6.29, and the lowest price of the previous 30 days was €8.39 according to its price list. Measured against that, you save 25%. On Deals, Pinezi shows the 30-day low for every offer.
4. Look for the price-cap label. Since 1 December 2025, government price caps have applied to 29 products and 71 product categories (for the categories, to at least one product in each), for example €1.03 per litre of UHT milk with 2.8% fat and €1.09 for 500 g of spaghetti (Decision NN 142/2025, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). Shops must mark these products with a special label next to the price and put up a list at the entrance or another visible spot. The full list is on Price caps.
5. In summer, do the big shop before the ferry. In September, our basket cost €39.76 at Plodine on Cres, Rab, Pag and Korčula, but €37.26 in 107 of its 139 stores. Since 3 October, Plodine has charged the same everywhere. In late October, Tommy still charged its highest level on Vir and in Sali, among other places (€39.62 instead of €37.92), and Studenac in Komiža (€46.48 instead of €41.19).
6. Shop before Sundays and public holidays, especially before 5 and 15 August.

Reading Croatian price labels#

On the shelf you will usually see several prices side by side:

• Retail price (maloprodajna cijena, often shortened to MPC): what you pay at the till.
• Unit price (cijena za jedinicu mjere): the price per kilogram, litre or piece. Shops must show it (Article 7 of the Consumer Protection Act, NN 19/2022, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)).
• Anchor price (sidrena cijena, called dodatna cijena in the decisions): an extra reference price. For food, drinks, cosmetics, cleaning products, toiletries and household goods it is the price on 2 May 2025 (Decision NN 75/2025, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). From 17 November 2026, all retailers show an anchor price for other goods too: the price on 10 September 2026 (Decision NN 101/2026, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)).
• During a promotion, also: the lowest price of the 30 days before the promotion (Article 19 of the Consumer Protection Act, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)). Since the amendment of June 2026 this is the reference price: only a price below it counts as a promotion. The rule on showing it does not apply to perishable goods or goods close to their use-by date (NN 59/2026, in Croatian (opens in a new tab)).

From 17 November 2026, the Consumer Protection Act itself requires a reference price of this kind, the “base price” (bazna cijena): the price on a specific earlier date. The ministry will set the date and the products by regulation. More detail and examples: Anchor price and 30-day lowest price.

Supermarket vocabulary#

For holiday hosts and campsites#

Where is the nearest supermarket, is it open on Sunday, and how much is water there? If your guests ask questions like these, you can send them this article. It is available in English, German and Croatian, so it also fits into a welcome pack or house guide.

We are also preparing material for hosts and campsites, such as a notice with a QR code that leads to nearby stores and prices. We will present it here on the blog once it is ready.

How we calculated#

• Source: the price lists that retailers publish every day for every store under Decision NN 75/2025 (opens in a new tab), as of 26 October 2026. We used the price you would have paid that day: the promotional price if there was one, otherwise the regular price. More on the data under Data sources.
• Comparison with September: the same calculation for 25 September 2026.
• Basket: ten branded products with a barcode that all eight chains we compare stocked in September, Lidl included: Jana mineral water 1.5 l, Coca-Cola 0.5 l, Ožujsko 0.5 l can, Dukatos Greek yoghurt 150 g, Barilla spaghetti no. 5 500 g, Nutella 750 g, Zvijezda extra virgin olive oil 1 l, Čipi čips salted 130 g, Franck Jubilarna 175 g, Podravka mild ajvar 690 g. One of each. Lidl lists the Dukatos yoghurt without a barcode, so we matched it by name. Lidl’s price lists last included the Podravka ajvar on 20 October 2026, so for Lidl we count nine products.
• Stores: every store with a price list for 26 October 2026 whose address we could locate exactly, 711 of the 818 stores of the eight chains. Totals only count stores that stock all ten products (at Lidl, all nine). We have no prices for that day for six Plodine stores (five hypermarkets, two of them in Zagreb and one each in Rijeka, Zadar and Kukuljanovo, plus one store in Rijeka), so they are left out.
• Coast: stores in the seven coastal counties (Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Lika-Senj, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia, Dubrovnik-Neretva), assigned by postcode. Some of these counties reach far inland, to Knin or Gospić for example. All other stores count as inland. Ribola and Studenac do not list postcodes, so we assigned them by town and left them out of the averages.
• Not included: fruit, vegetables and bread; kiosks, small shops and other, mostly regional chains; the Metro cash-and-carry; and Trgovina Krk, whose store data we are still checking after a change. Eurospin does not stock any of the ten products, so it is not in the comparison.
• Towns: a 10 km radius around the town centre. When the basket is split between two stores, each product is bought where it is cheaper.
• Store locations: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
• No chain paid for this article or had any say in it.

Compare prices on the spot#

• Search: any product with its price in every chain, even if you type it without Croatian letters.
• Deals: current promotions with the lowest price of the last 30 days.
• Price caps: all products with a government maximum price.
• Pinezi app: the free app for Android and iPhone with nearby stores and their opening hours, a barcode scanner for the shelf and a shopping list that finds the cheapest store, or the cheapest split between two stores.

FAQ#

Are supermarkets more expensive on the Croatian coast?#

Hardly, at the big chains. Kaufland and Plodine charged the same for our basket everywhere, and so did Lidl for the nine products it stocks. At Konzum the coastal average was 0.9% higher, at Spar 0.3% lower (as of 26 October 2026). Stores within one chain differ more: by up to 6.3% at Konzum and up to 12.8% at Studenac. In September, Plodine charged 6.7% more on islands and in resorts; since 3 October its prices there have matched those elsewhere.

What is the cheapest supermarket in Croatia?#

It depends on what you buy. On 26 October 2026, Lidl was cheapest for nine of the ten branded products in our basket (€29.27); its price lists currently leave out the ajvar. For the full basket, Ribola was cheapest (from €33.66) thanks to promotions on olive oil and ajvar, followed by Kaufland (€36.21). For products Lidl does not stock, other chains come out ahead. Check your own list in Search or in the app.

Are supermarkets open on Sundays in Croatia?#

Usually not. Since 1 July 2023, shops have been closed on Sundays, but each retailer may open on 16 Sundays a year. Shops in campsites, marinas, hotels and at petrol stations are exempt. More in our article on Sunday opening.

Is Studenac more expensive than Konzum?#

For our basket, yes: €41.19 to €46.48 at Studenac and €38.36 to €40.78 at Konzum (as of 26 October 2026, 17 Studenac stores). In two Studenac stores, Kraš Domaćica biscuits and Sara mineral water were cheaper on promotion.

What does “sidrena cijena” mean on a price label?#

It is the anchor price: for food, drinks and toiletries, the price the shop charged on 2 May 2025. It shows you how the price has moved since then. From 17 November 2026, other goods get an anchor price too: the price on 10 September 2026.