Beach houses in Croatia cost a fraction of what similar ones go for in Italy and Spain
Dubrovnik on Croatia's Adriatic coast.
Sabine Lubenow / Getty Images
Luxury
real estate in Croatia doesn’t have the caché of its more famous
Mediterranean neighbors. But this Balkan nation of 2.4 million boasts
more than 1,200 miles of beautiful coastline on the Adriatic Sea and
impressive beachfront villas, often selling for far less than ones sold
in Greece, Spain and Italy.
“It’s much cheaper and the coast is more beautiful than Italy or
Spain,” says Michael Grimm, a real estate agent based in Croatia and a
former partner at Engel and Volkers. “You can get a house on the beach
or a sea view for $2,000 per square meter. In Italy it’s more like
$10,000.”
Croatia has more than 1,000 islands, second in Europe only to Greece,
and stunning natural beauty that should make it a more popular luxury
second-home destination.
While residential property prices in Croatia have remained flat
overall since the global recession, home prices in many of the most
expensive and desirable coastal towns along the Adriatic Sea have been
increasing.