The average net salary of employees of legal entities in Slovenia for June 2026 amounted to 1,723 euros.

A month earlier it amounted to 1,681 euros. According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), the June average increased nominally by 2.5 percent and really by 1.7 percent. Simply put, nominal growth shows an increase in the amount on the payslip, while real growth also takes into account changes in consumer prices.

The total average gross salary in the neighboring country reached 2,751 euros in June. Compared with May, it increased nominally by 2.6 percent and really by 1.8 percent.

Public sector pushed up the average

SURS separately tracks gross salary trends in the private and public sectors. Compared with May, the average among private employers increased by 1.3 percent, and in public services by a significantly higher 4.8 percent.

The stronger jump in the public sector is partly the result of the third phase of the increase agreed as part of the wage reform. This does not mean that all public servants suddenly received salaries 4.8 percent higher.

The Slovenian government and unions agreed on new pay grades, but the difference between the old and new base salary is not paid out all at once. The increase is spread over several steps until the beginning of 2028. From June 1, 2026, the third installment arrived, 12 percent of the agreed difference, or at least 70 euros for employees who still had that much left to be paid. The Slovenian government states that the goal of the reform is to eliminate inconsistencies in the old system, raise the lowest base salaries, and make it easier to retain workers in healthcare, education, social services, and other public services.

Comparison with Croatia

According to the latest data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, the average Croatian net salary for June amounted to 1,555 euros. The Slovenian average was thus higher by 168 euros.

The domestic average increased on a monthly basis by only 0.2 percent nominally, or by 0.6 percent when price movements are taken into account.

Croatia reduced the gap in ten years

An interesting picture is provided by a comparison with June 2016. At that time, the average net salary in Slovenia amounted to 1,019 euros, while the Croatian average was 5,686 kuna, or approximately 755 euros according to the fixed conversion rate.

The difference ten years ago amounted to 264 euros, while today it amounts to 168 euros. In other words, the domestic average reduced the gap by 96 euros over that period.

In ten years, the net amount in the neighboring country increased by 704 euros, and in Croatia by 800 euros. That is nominal growth of about 69 percent on one side and 106 percent on the other side of the border. Croatia, at least according to the amounts on payslips alone, grew noticeably faster.

Gross difference

With gross salaries, the picture is somewhat different. The Croatian average in June 2016 amounted to 7,759 kuna or about 1,030 euros, while the Slovenian one reached 1,564 euros. The difference at the time amounted to 534 euros.

Today the average gross salary in Croatia amounts to 2,184 euros, and on the other side of the border 2,751 euros. The gross difference increased to 567 euros, or by 33 euros compared with the situation ten years ago.

This is not contrary to the narrowing of the difference in net salaries. The final amount a worker receives in their account is affected by taxes, contributions, and tax reliefs, and these systems differ and change in every country.

The difference is no longer the same

Slovenian employees still receive a higher net salary on average, but the Croatian average has made up part of the gap over the past ten years. Still, growth in the amount received in the account does not automatically mean equal growth in living standards. For a complete comparison, inflation, housing prices and other living costs, tax systems, and median salaries should be taken into account. The average salary can be raised by the earnings of the highest-paid workers, so it does not mean that most employees actually receive precisely the stated amount.

*Note: all salary amounts have been rounded to the nearest euro. Kuna amounts from 2016 were converted according to the fixed exchange rate of 7.53450 kuna for one euro. The comparison of ten-year growth is nominal and is not adjusted for inflation or differences in the cost of living. The data refer to employees of legal entities.