Your first few days in a new location can be a little bit overwhelming, students in a foreign land might not easily figure their way around, that's why we have put together a few helpful tips on where and what you can shop for as a new student in this exciting European nation.
After accommodation and registration at the university have been settled, the next step is to get comfortable and shop for certain items that are important to you.
The essentials such as food, groceries, and clothes especially for winter months cannot be any more emphasized. Then there are other additional items for your room or dorm, and even specific items that just make your new environment feel like home, you can find them all in Croatia in the most convenient manner.
International students in Croatia have mentioned how very easy it is to find what you need around you and how very helpful everyone you meet on campus and the streets are even when you are yet to know the Croatian language.
Students on a budget also do not find it hard to buy the things they need and still save money afterward. This is a plus as many other students in other countries in Europe might not have this luxury.
What to shop for?
Food and Groceries – for students who wish to prepare their meals which is considerably cheaper than eating out all the time, then we suggest grocery shopping from time to time. Food, Fruits, and Groceries are some of the cheapest commodities in Croatia as there is a very strong agricultural economy in the country.
Depending on your spending or eating habits, you are not left for food items, groceries, and other ingredients to prepare a home-cooked meal to your taste in Croatia. There is a wide assortment of food products and produce everywhere in the country.
Where to shop for them?
The first stop is the supermarket or the nearest grocery store in your area, popular grocery stores or supermarket chains present at every location in Croatia include, Konzum, Plodine, Lidl, SPAR, Kaufland, CBA, and Metro.
Konzum and Lidl have some of the best deals on student shopping and they have their own branded grocery products that sell for cheap at the same quality. SPAR and Metro are also great for their discounts and value shopping at certain times in the year.
All of these supermarkets have store cards that buyers can use to earn points each time they shop, or students can use them for price slashes and student discounts.
What to shop for?
Clothes – There are four seasons in Croatia; Autumn, Spring, Summer, and Winter. Wearing appropriate clothing for each season is very crucial for many reasons.
The winter months are a lot colder so dressing in warm clothes is solidly advised for students, especially if you will be outside a lot.
The summer months are quite warm with the sun coming up very early and going down late into the evening, dressing in lighter clothing is advised.
Where to shop?
Croatia has a very significant network of shopping malls, shopping centers, clothes boutiques, and local markets for customized Croatian items.
Regardless of the city, you are in, there is bound to be shopping malls and shopping areas with several clothing options that are tailored to your needs. These malls carry on-season and off-season clothing, many of which have student discounts as well. There are high-end brand name stores and affordable clothing stores in every city in the country, these are five famous malls across different cities in Croatia.
These malls carry a variety of different international brands known globally and local Croatian brand names that equally have great quality.
- Arena Center in Zagreb
- Mall of Split in Split
- Portanova in Osijek
- Shopping Boulevard SRD in Dubrovnik
- Suncity in Dubrovnik
Local Market Culture:
In Croatia, there is the presence of very large local markets within its cities. These markets are open all day long as early as 8 AM and have different vendors selling food produce, animal meat, clothing, and keepsake items from the locals. These markets are farmer’s markets as they as brought directly from the farm and sold at very affordable prices.
Plenty of people troop in every day because they want food and dairy or meat sold fresh from the farm that they were produced. We highly recommend these markets for students who are on a strict budget and who cook their meals, although there might be no discounts, the value on what they purchase is very evident and in many cases, the prices are very affordable.
"I enjoy shopping and I found it affordable but some of the clothes are definitely not of the highest quality." - Hassan from Turkey
