I think the main difference is that (in my opinion) Croatia used to be unbeatable for the price/quality of life ratio, nowadays it's probably slightly overpriced, but depends on what you value.
It was also that way for the Germans who are accused of having benefited at the expense of others, when that was really more an effect of national scale, not all Germans individually. The Euro has had an odd distorting and perverting effect all across Europe; but it has always generally been excellent for the ruling and upper class that have gained access to an overflowing trough of other people’s money at the EU.
The Euro has been a kind of wealth transfer mechanism to the ruling, upper, and even foreign classes, just as it has been a tool to restore the aristocracy just as it had in the USA; the aristocracy gets the money, the people get the inflation and debt that fuels the fraud.
We shall see if it all goes off the rails and the people establish legitimate democratic rule, or if the authoritarian aristocracy can fully entrench itself again.
For example living in Split is cca 26% cheaper than Vienna.
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...
While say The Netherlands taxes your investments such as Stocks/ETFs (not their earnings/capital-gain/etc but literally just owning stocks/ETFs/etc) - in Croatia those are not taxed after you've held them for 1 or 2 years (don't recall if 1 or 2).
Similar (owning stocks/ETFs not taxed) in Serbia, Malta, Cyprus ...etc.
Again depends on what you value, some might find it worth, just saying the equation was much more in Croatia favor 5 years ago.
Split has great weather for much longer than Vienna, and people are almost certainly spending time there to be next to the sea, islands, etc. – of which Vienna has none.
But you can compare to cities in Italy, Spain, Greece, etc. the choice is nuanced and based on what you value. It used to be a clear win for Croatia a while back.
Not everyone cares about having access to the urban amenities that Vienna has. Split is also a pretty nice place, even off-season (I once lived there for 3 months February-April.)
That is why the costs of living between the two are not as disparate as you might expect.
For example 1 euro = 200.482 escudos, and when euro came we had stuff happening like 50 cents escudos becoming 50 cents in euro, I bet something similar has happened in Croatia.
Those 50 cents across coins are naturally not the same value, especially when the income wasn't suffered the same valuation across monetary systems.
As Serbian/Dutch with wife from Croatia - I can definitely say that prices didn't rise only in Croatia.
Basically same % rise in (non-EU) Serbia, and The Netherlands.
Possibly elsewhere too - but NL/CRO/SRB is where were have family and spend enough time to really know.
For example - personal opinion disclaimer - if Spain had better tax scheme for small business (not really sure on the nomad status there, but I am more interested in long term) I would probably move because the coastal cities in Spain are much better for similar prices, I would rather live in Valencia than Split/Rijeka/Zadar/Dubrovnik/Pula.
We got lucky to move to NL and then buy house just around the time when post 2008 crisis was at the lowest point. Some houses are only 2x more expensive than back then.
Meanwhile apartments in Belgrade Serbia are now similar to price of apartments in Amsterdam/Amstelveen/etc from 10-15 years ago.
From what I've heard from friends and family - more of the same across France, Germany ...etc.