Before any of us start our search for an apartment in a new city, we like to know more about the town and neighborhoods to narrow down our search or at least to know what to expect in the local area we decide to move to. Luckily, everyday life in Split doesn't much differ based on which neighborhood in Split you live in, and the crime rate is very low in general, so this shouldn't be a topic of your worry. Furthermore, almost each of them has basic public institutions. But there are some differences that might play a decision for you when picking the ideal one or an area of Split you would like to live in. Let's have a look!
As you might have guessed, the top neighborhoods in Split are close to the city center and/or close to the sea, and they are the most expensive parts of the town. Meje, Varoš (with Marjan), Grad (Center), and Bačvice (including Firule and Zenta) are the ones that are mostly gathered of private houses and urban villas. Expect here not only to pay the most, but during summer these parts of town are full of tourists. If you are more interested in investing in real estate for tourism, these would be the parts of the town that will pay out the most. Also "Žnjan", which I will mention in a bit.
Other neighborhoods that have access to the sea are Spinut (with Poljud), Lovret (but only the local Shipyard has sea access), Trstenik, Mertojak, and Žnjan. The last one, Žnjan is an area that has had the most construction work activities in the last two decades. Because of this a lot of urban villas and smaller buildings with 3 to 4 floors are built in the area closer to the sea. If you are interested in renting or buying a property expect the prices to be the highest as the buildings are newly constructed. On the other hand, it is necessary to mention that public infrastructure is not following fast enough the development of this part of the town, so be ready for those activities in nearby neighborhoods such as Trstenik or Mertojak.
In the third category, I have selected neighborhoods that are still perceived among the best ones in Split, due to their urbanistic planning and closeness to the most important points of interest. Here I would put Lučac, Manuš, Gripe, Bol, Plokite, Lokve, Blatine, Škrape and Split 3. Apart from Škrape which mostly consists of private houses, all other neighborhoods have 5-floor buildings with 4 apartments on each floor. These parts of town have been constructed during 60s and 80s (Split 3) and they were oriented to please a family life. This part is very popular among students and University Campus nearby (Split 3). Unfortunately due to a rise in car usage in town, parking is the biggest issue in these neighborhoods. On the other hand, it brings a lot of advantages too, such as the closeness to kindergartens, primary schools, food markets, and pharmacies for example. Another positive thing about these areas is that more popular locations in Split (apart from shopping centers in the east part of the town) are walkable. In 15-30 minutes of walking, you can reach the city center, the coastline and beaches, or even a shopping center Joker which has a multiplex cinema. Lastly, although Split isn't a particularly green city, here you will still find some nice parts and playgrounds.
Find out more about the rental prices in Longterm Rental in Split.
The last category gathers neighborhoods in which a lot of young families decide to move due to a bit lower prices, and more supply. Here we have Kman, Sućidar, Kocunar, Ravne Njive, Pujanke, Brda, Neslanovac, Visoka, Mejaši (with Kamen). With an expectation of Ravne Njive, all other areas are known for urbanistic crowdedness. In some, like Sućidar or Kman and Kocunar, there are a lot of buildings surrounded by private houses. In Pujanke you have a lot of 8-floor high buildings with 6 apartments on each floor. And lastly, in Brda, Visoka, and Mejaši, you have private houses that have been built without proper urbanistic planning. These neighborhoods are also no expectation when it comes to limited parking space, but on top of that, you might also experience a lack of local food markets or pharmacies. Some of these areas are very steep due to the hill structure of the ground. This is particularly noticeable in Visoka and Sućidar, but other parts do suffer from being surrounded by these neighborhoods like Brda or Kman and Kocunar.
Regardless of where you choose to live, I can only repeat that you will experience a very family-oriented, relaxed, and safe lifestyle. Split is a great city to live in because of it's size, great weather, and friendly people. I hope you will join us soon!