Life in Croatia gets better and better
With its laidback attitude, stunning landscapes, thriving tourist industry and sensational architecture, it’s no wonder Croatians have a lot to smile about. Life in Croatia just gets better and better.
According to the country’s latest National Happiness Index, the people of Croatia are real optimists who believe that life in this beautiful country will be significantly improved during the next two years.
The survey was conducted by the insurance company Allianz, agency Hendal and the magazine Banka, and revealed that out of Croatia the regions of Primorje, Gorski Kotar and Istria remain the happiest areas, closely followed by Zagreb. For the past several years Croatia has been ranked as one of the top quality of life countries in the world.
In 2007 the International Living Magazine ranked Croatia’s quality of life as being 18th in the world, out of 193 countries officially recognised as having high quality of life assets.
So what constitutes to the ranking of high life quality? And why do Croatians optimistically believe their quality of life is going to be improved in Croatia? The factors considered when evaluating each countries quality of life include, the environment, health, economy, freedom, leisure and culture, cost of living, safety and risk, climate and infrastructure.
With a tourist industry that is booming and a high income market economy at present, Croatia’s economy is performing well. Being located on the crossroads of the Pannionian Plane and the Mediterranean Ocean, Croatia is not only geographically diverse and scenically stunning, but also boasts an enviable climate of hot and dry summers and relatively mild winters, particularly in the Mediterranean regions.
The cost of living in Croatia is typically 10% – 20% less than what you expect to pay in western European countries. The cost of food and drink, utility bills, rented accommodation and transportation is reportedly significantly cheaper than Western Europe.
Since the country suffered significant damage caused by war in the years between 1991 and 1995, its roads, railways, water supply network, electricity and air traffic control has undergone drastic improvements mostly from loans received from the World Bank and the European Bank for reconstruction and development. Consequently, compared to Eastern European standards, Croatia has a developed infrastructure.
If relocating to Croatia isn’t on your agenda, then you could try reaping all the high quality of life by going on holiday there this summer. The best Villa Croatia has on offer is likely to be one of Vintage Travel’s stunning collection, including the historically important Villa Cecilia (pictured).