Over the years I have been asked a lot about life in Slovenia. Here I share answers to the most frequently asked questions about living or moving to Slovenia.

Do they speak good English in Slovenia?

In general, yes, the level of English spoken by Slovenes is excellent. Certainly, as a tourist, almost anyone you interact with – hoteliers, tour guides, shop owners, bar and restaurant staff, campsite workers, ski school instructors and pretty much anyone who comes into contact with international visitors – will speak beautifully fluent English.

In the more remote areas, many older people don’t speak English. But generally, even in Slovenia’s hinterlands, young people speak English well. In short, as a tourist you are unlikely to have any trouble communicating in English in Slovenia.

If you’re living in Slovenia, then you’re more likely to come into contact with Slovenes who don’t speak English. I’ve had to use my rudimentary Slovene in many situations – with tradesmen, printers, mechanics – and you’ll have to interact with the dreaded Slovenian bureaucracy at the Upravna Enota – which is a whole other story…

Is Slovenia a cheap place to live?

What you perceive as cheap or expensive is based on your experience and expectations. I would say Slovenia is not as cheap as people perceive it to be. But it does offer generally good value in terms of food, drink and accommodation, and all in a safe, clean and green country.

Compared to other countries in Europe – Italy, France, and Austria for example – the cost of living is generally slightly cheaper. But Slovenia’s increasing popularity is pushing up prices, and properties in Ljubljana and around Bled are now very expensive.

In addition to this, the average salaries in Slovenia are now a little out of kilter with the cost of living. So although Slovenia is overall slightly cheaper to live in than say Austria, the prices of some things seem too high compared to the salaries. You can view some data about Austria Vs Slovenia costs here.

Are people in Slovenia friendly?

The stereotype of Slovenes is them being slightly cold and aloof. But in my personal experience, people in Slovenia have been very friendly and I have had no trouble making Slovenian friends and building a social network in Slovenia. Indeed you can read about some of them in my book: Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia.

It does of course depend on your personality and how much effort you are willing to put in, but I have found that if you’re open-minded, and take a genuine interest in Slovenes and Slovenian, then people are friendly and willing to help.

Is Slovenia a rich or poor country?

Many people have an inaccurate perception of Slovenia. For those who have never been, it tends to be regarded as either:

a). A war-torn Balkan state, still pock-marked by the wars that erupted when Yugoslavia fell apart. (Slovenia actually left Yugoslavia with minimal conflict and only minor damage to people and property). Or

b) It’s lumped in with the former Eastern Bloc and assumed to be some grey, post-communist country that was once part of the USSR.

Both of these assumptions are entirely inaccurate.

One measure of a country’s wealth is GDP. By this measure, Slovenia is mid-table within Europe. It’s a couple of positions below France and Italy, and a couple higher than Spain and Portugal. And GDP doesn’t tell the full story. Because Slovenia is also a very equal country. In fact, Slovenia tends to rank as the country with the lowest wealth inequality in the world. This means that the gap between the richest and poorest is far smaller than in say the UK or USA.

And that means that though average salaries are lower than in Germany or Sweden, the quality of life for the average person is pretty good. So, in European terms, Slovenia is a middle-income country; in global terms, Slovenia is a rich country.

Is property expensive in Slovenia?

Some of it is, some of it isn’t. Like almost every capital city, property in Ljubljana is expensive. And property in or around Slovenia’s most touristed areas – Bled, or the coast for example – is also not cheap. But search off the well-worn trails, and you can find perfectly reasonably priced property, especially if you’re willing to renovate an older building.

Want to see how much property in Slovenia costs? Check out the main property site in the country: Nepremicnine.net.

Is Slovenian hard to learn?

I have had experience learning French, Japanese and German, and compared to French and German, Slovenian (also known as Slovene) is quite difficult. If you have knowledge of any other Slavic tongue, you already have a big head start.

If you don’t then you will probably find learning Slovenian a little tricky. There’s a whole lot going on with declensions (meaning lots of word-endings change), plus you have to wrangle with the dual plural (a special case for two things or two people, as opposed to three or more.)

That’s not to say it can’t be done. Plenty of foreigners have become adept in Slovene (see: Tips for learning Slovenian from foreigners that can speak it). And if you’re going to live in Slovenia, I’d highly recommend you put in the effort to learn some Slovenian. Even if you never become fluent, being able to converse in basic Slovene will not only help you in everyday life but will be appreciated by the locals too.

Is Slovenian bureaucracy bad?

Yes. Although it does depend on your previous experience of bureaucracy. I’ve heard expats from Mexico or Italy praise the Slovenian system; expats from the UK, Netherlands or the US, tend to get very frustrated with it.

It’s fair to say that Slovenian bureaucracy is behind the times in terms of modernisation, because for most tasks, rather than being able to complete them online, you must go and visit the Upravna Enota – town hall – in person. And whether or not you get your task done often depends on which Upravna Enota you go to, and which individual you speak to on any given day.

Most foreigners find dealing with Slovenian bureaucracy one of the most frustrating elements of life in Slovenia. And I agree. In an otherwise excellent country, the bureaucracy does lose Slovenia a few points.

But if having to fill out lots of forms, get lots of stamps, and spend lots of time waiting is the only downside of life in Slovenia – in my opinion it’s a price worth paying. #FirstWorldProblems.

Is Slovenia in Russia?

Incredibly, such is the general ignorance about Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia, that even today, one of the most common queries about Slovenia on Google is:

“Is Slovenia in Russia?”

To settle this once and for all, repeat after me:

Slovenia is not, and never was, part of Russia or the Soviet Union (the USSR).

This excellent article highlights many examples of this persistent misconception.

Can I open a Slovenian bank account?

By law, if you are a legal resident of Slovenia, then any Slovenian bank must let you open one. This is laid out in EU directives. In practice, foreigners sometimes have problems opening bank accounts in Slovenia. Expats who are from countries that are perceived to be difficult to deal with by Slovenian banks (USA or Iran for example) or who don’t have a regular salary, may be (illegally) refused.

I personally didn’t have problems but I would not recommend opening a bank in Slovenia unless you absolutely have to. They tend to charge for things that other banks do for free, and in terms of service and technology, they are a little antiquated.

Instead of a Slovenian bank, I recommend using N26 or Wise, which are pan-European online banks you can open free of charge, and which you can use for everyday life in Slovenia (paying bills, receiving salaries etc). These are much easier, much better, and free to use.

Does Slovenia have a good healthcare system?

Yes. Better than many might assume in fact. Looking at the latest data that ranks global healthcare systems, Slovenia’s ‘ZZZS’ ranks 24th in the world; better than the UK, Spain, Canada, and the US (which comes in at #69, just one place above Algeria). In practice, it can be hard to find a GP in Ljubljana to register with at first, but once you’re in the system, the healthcare is generally considered to be of fairly good quality.

Does Slovenia have good public transport?

In Ljubljana, the bus network is quite good, with wide coverage across the city and frequent services. My only complaint is that the buses stop a little too early at night (most routes cease running by midnight).

Outside of the capital, trains and buses are less prolific; the trains especially could do with an upgrade to faster and more frequent options. Overall, however, public transport is inexpensive. And Ljubljana’s cycle network is very good so you may rarely need to take a bus at all.

Is it easy to find a job in Slovenia?

It depends on your skill set, experience, and whether you can speak Slovene, but generally, as a small country, there are fewer employment opportunities in Slovenia than in larger countries. And most expats don’t speak Slovene to a level that would enable them to work amongst the ‘normal’ Slovene workforce.

If your job is tied to some form of profession or institution, for example: doctor, lawyer, dentist, accountant – I suspect it would be difficult to find a job without speaking fluent Slovene. Qualifications for such roles earned abroad may not be valid in Slovenia, which throws another spanner in the works.

On the flip side, if you’re involved in programming, business or startups, then you will have an easier time. Such companies tend to be more open to hiring English speakers, and less concerned about paper qualifications, as opposed to actual experience.

I also know expats who have worked in cafes, kitchens, and bars, without speaking Slovene to a high level. And there always seem to be people (normally expats) looking for English-speaking babysitters and nannies.

Is starting a business easy in Slovenia?

Starting a simple sole proprietor business entity (known in Slovenia as an ‘S.P’) is fairly straightforward. Many expats make their living in Slovenia by running some form of small business, for example freelancing, designing, marketing etc – and many people also work for foreign clients remotely. Here’s my experience of starting a Slovenian t-shirt brand.

Want to know more about living in Slovenia?

If you want to know more about what life in Slovenia is like, my book: Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia, released in spring 2024, is a travel memoir that goes under the skin to reveal the character and culture of Slovenia and what living there as a foreigner is like.