Staying hydrated and energetic is vital for a tourist, right? A cold drink may be just what you need. How expensive is Coca Cola in Croatia? Are there other sodas that you can try and enjoy the Croatian summer like a native?
- Coca Cola is the most expensive in cafes and restaurants. On average, a small bottle (0.25 litres, or 1 glass) costs 19 kunas (2.5 euros).
- Coca Cola is significantly cheaper in McDonald’s restaurants
- Of course, Coke is the least expensive in shops. However, keep in mind that prices of COKE may vary.
- While you’re in the region, try a local version of Coke, named COCKTA.
- If you’re more of a FANTA fan, give a chance to a Croatian version of Fanta, with a slightly quizzical name – PIPI
- For a vitamin boost, try another very popular beverage in Croatia, CEDEVITA
Cafes As The Important Element Of Croatian Lifestyle
A cafe is the most expensive place to get a Coke. Nevertheless, many still go for a Coke in a cafe or a restaurant.
Autor Robert Majetic – originally posted to Flickr as Samobor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7480377
There was an article in a local newspaper about a young Croatian woman who moved to Chile, South America. This is what she wrote about what she misses most from Croatia: the CAFES!
And no, I’m not kidding. I usually only drink water and tea, but since I moved to Santiago I miss the scent of coffee every step of the way, so that I started ordering it … Here all the cafes always serve food, so they always look at me weird when I just order coffee and sit two hours, especially when I’m alone. They don’t understand how they can sit for so long.
Andrea Anković, Croatian woman who moved to Chile
To be honest, I cannot understand how you can sit in a cafe for hours. But I assume there is a benefit in it.
Croatians like to be surrounded by other people. The more – the better. Cafes are ideal places where you can be with others, watch them, let them watch you… Talk.. or not talk (especially in Dalmatia, talking is not too popular).
Since it’s not that cheap, you prolong the moment as much as you can.
Btw, more than 70 percent of people in cafes are there for coffee. Next on the list is beer, of course. And then come sodas, including Coke. What are the prices of these and other beverages in Croatian cafes or restaurants? Here’s an excerpt from a typical price list:
- Espresso: 9 kn (1.2 euros)
- Macchiato: 12 kn (1.6 euros)
- Cappuccino: 15 kn (2 euros)
- Sodas (Coke, Fanta, Sprite): 19 kn (2.5 euros)
- Natural orange juice: 24 kn (3.2 euros)
- Draught beer, 0.3 litres: 18 kn (2.4 euros)
- Draught beer, 0.5 litres: 23 kn (3 euros)
- Bottled beer: 16 – 30 kn (2 – 4 euros)
- Red wine, 0.2 litres: 25 kn (3.33 euros)
- White wine, 0.2 litres: 24 kn (3.2 euros)
- Alcoholic spirits, 0.03 litres: 14 kn (1.9 euros)
If you’re a fan of Coca Cola, and want to have it cheaper, and yet the enjoy the benefit of company of other humans, you may consider…
Having A Coke At McDonald’s
This is what the official McDonald’s website says about why does Coke taste so good at their restaurants:
Why does the Coca-Cola® taste so good at McDonald’s?
There are many reasons the Coca-Cola® tastes so great at McDonald’s. We simply follow the guidelines set by Coca-Cola® and take steps to ensure that we serve a high-quality fountain beverage.
The water and Coca-Cola® syrup are pre-chilled before entering our fountain dispensers with the ratio of syrup set to allow for ice to melt. We also keep our fountain beverage system cold so your drink is always refreshing. In order to ensure our drinks are always meeting a gold standard, we filter all the water before it enters fountain dispensers.
There’s also our straw—it’s slightly wider than a typical straw so all that Coke® taste can hit your taste buds.
Here’s a detail of the McDonald’s Split (Poljička street) price list.
Compared to a cafe, a soda, including Coke, is considerably (more than twice) cheaper than in a cafe. The larger the serving, the more value for money.
McDonald’s restaurants are a symbol of American lifestyle and may attract some Croatians on a psychological level. Yet, they are not too easy to find in Croatia. For example, there is no McDonald’s in Dubrovnik yet.
Buying Coke In A Shop
If you’re travelling on a budget, or just don’t want to pay more than you think is normal, consider buying sodas in a shop and having in on the beach or at a seafront.
| Zagreb | Split | Dubrovnik |
| Coca Cola (2 l) – 12,49 kn (1.7 euros) | Coca Cola (2 l) – 12,49 kn | Coca Cola (2 l) – 17.99 kn (2.4 euros) |
| Coca Cola (0,5 l) – 6,49 kn (0,9 euros) | Coca Cola (0,5 l) – 6,49 kn | Coca Cola (0,5 l) – 8,99 kn (1.2 euros) |
If you’re too far away from a shop, getting a soda at a kiosk may still be significantly cheaper than getting it in a cafe.
When you buy a beverage in a Croatian shop, you are entitled to a 50 lipas (half a kuna) refund per bottle.
Occasionally you will encounter people taking these plastic bottles out of the garbage containers.
Give COCKTA A Try!
Although it’s technically a SLOVENIAN invention, COCKTA has been a beloved soft drink in all areas of former Yugoslavia, including Croatia.
Cockta was invented in 1950’s in former Yugoslavia, a Communist country, as the SUBSTITUTE for Coke.
However, it became super popular. And served in Coca Cola glasses, BTW.
Photo by JIP
Some people prefer Cockta to Coke because it contains no caffeine or orthophosphoric acid, commonly found in Coca Cola.
The main flavouring in Cockta is ROSE HIP, considered to be very healthy.
Recently, a sugar-free version of COCKTA was introduced.
Photo by Shabicht
The Quizzical PIPI
Now, PIPI is a legend in Split. As a local version of Fanta, it became popular in 1980’s, when it was advertised by one of the hottest commercial videos ever made in a Communist country, with Ana Sasso, 1982 Miss Yugoslavia, starring in the commercial.
Why the quizzical name? I don’t know (BTW, in French, faire pipi means to PEE). Interestingly, it’s not far from the Croatian meaning either. Anyway, the company has been even taking advantage of this ambiguous name.
CEDEVITA – The Healthy Beverage
Originally sold exclusively in pharmacies, Cedevita drink powder was a multivitamin product extremely popular in former Yugoslavia.
While it’s still available in its original, powdered form, in all shops, the company has developed a version to be sold in cafes (basically, a bag of Cedevita powder attached to a glass of water, and Cedevita ON THE GO, with the powder situated in the lid of the bottle. You just need to unscrew it and shake the content.
Speaking about health, there’s a whole lot of beverages that can contribute to your health. In this article, I mention rose hip tea, commonly served in Croatian cafes.