Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Masterton, New Zealand
Zagreb, Croatia
Masterton
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$841
/mo nomad
Zagreb
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,772
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Masterton and in Zagreb

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Masterton and in Zagreb actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Masterton versus $1,772 in Zagreb.

  • Masterton $841
  • Zagreb $1,772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,446 in Masterton versus $2,619 in Zagreb.

  • Masterton $1,446
  • Zagreb $2,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,051 in Masterton versus $3,467 in Zagreb.

  • Masterton $2,051
  • Zagreb $3,467

Living in Masterton costs roughly 53% less than in Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Masterton is 38% below, Zagreb is 30% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.26 NZ$16.44
$12.33 €11.04
-24.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.0 NZ$115
$63.9 €57.3
1.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.77 NZ$15.58
$8.01 €7.18
9.49%
Cappuccino
$3.35 NZ$5.95
$2.50 €2.24
34.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 NZ$3.46
$3.09 €2.76
-36.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 NZ$1.97
$2.62 €2.35
-57.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.96 NZ$7.04
$3.42 €3.06
15.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 NZ$6.04
$4.51 €4.04
-24.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 NZ$2.59
$1.27 €1.13
14.96%
White Bread (500g)
$2.13 NZ$3.77
$1.60 €1.43
33.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 NZ$1.95
$2.68 €2.40
-58.96%
Eggs
$6.49 NZ$11.51
$3.95 €3.53
64.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.59 NZ$15.25
$14.58 €13.06
-41.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.94 NZ$17.65
$11.47 €10.27
-13.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.03 NZ$26.69
$17.35 €15.54
-13.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 NZ$3.93
$2.31 €2.07
-3.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 NZ$3.21
$1.65 €1.48
9.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.04 NZ$5.40
$2.19 €1.96
38.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.48 NZ$7.95
$2.56 €2.30
75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 NZ$2.69
$1.36 €1.22
11.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 NZ$1.94
$1.20 €1.08
-9.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 NZ$3.04
$1.19 €1.07
43.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 NZ$0.93
$1.29 €1.16
-59.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.90 NZ$35.33
$6.08 €5.45
227.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.48 NZ$20.39
$11.07 €9.91
3.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 NZ$1.56
$1.69 €1.51
-47.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 NZ$2.17
$2.46 €2.21
-50.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.23 NZ$3.97
$0.57 €0.51
291.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.2 €47.68
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 NZ$3.36
$2.18 €1.95
-13.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.80 NZ$3.20
$1.44 €1.29
25.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.98 NZ$60.3
$12.39 €11.09
174.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 NZ$3.08
$1.90 €1.70
-8.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K NZ$40.6K
$27.9K €25.0K
-18.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K NZ$42.4K
$26.0K €23.3K
-8.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.0 NZ$99.5
$215 €193
-73.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.91 NZ$53.1
$22.34 €20.01
33.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.4 NZ$94.8
$38.73 €34.69
37.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.36 NZ$75.2
$48.65 €43.57
-12.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.22 NZ$14.59
$18.95 €16.97
-56.62%
Cinema Ticket
$9.47 NZ$16.81
$10.41 €9.32
-9.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,038 NZ$1,844
$499 €447
108.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K NZ$23.6K
$9,720 €8,705
36.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 NZ$101
$109 €97.3
-47.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.47 NZ$50.6
$42.23 €37.82
-32.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 NZ$186
$102 €91.6
2.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 NZ$250
$111 €99.0
27.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$888 €796
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$683 €612
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,019 NZ$1,809
$1,468 €1,315
-30.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,066 €955
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,275 €4,724
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,670 €3,287
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Masterton
Zagreb
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,339 NZ$4,152
$1,975 €1,769
18.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
3.3
63.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Masterton
$293
Zagreb
$314 7.1% $21
Eating Out
Masterton
$179
Zagreb
$202 12.3% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Masterton
$149
Zagreb
$164 10% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Masterton
$139
Zagreb
$276 98.1% $137
Sport & Entertainment
Masterton
$61
Zagreb
$69 13.3% $8.2
Getting Around
Masterton
$20 *
Zagreb
$65 227% $45
Accommodation & Living
Masterton
- *
Zagreb
$683

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in Masterton vs $64 in Zagreb. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $314, with Masterton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Masterton
🇭🇷 Zagreb
🕒 Local time
04:57 4:57 AM
16:57 4:57 PM
12 h behind Masterton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,800
767,131 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Masterton Zagreb 18,290 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Masterton
  • Zagreb

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Masterton vs Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Masterton cheaper than Zagreb?
Masterton is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Masterton or Zagreb?
Average pay runs 18% higher in Masterton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do food prices compare in Masterton and in Zagreb?
Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Zagreb. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,038 in Masterton versus $499 in Zagreb. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Masterton or in Zagreb?
At $841 in Masterton versus $1,772 in Zagreb, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Zagreb. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Masterton or in Zagreb?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Masterton or Zagreb?
Safety-wise, Masterton and Zagreb are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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