Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Masterton

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.

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

How much you'll spend in Zagreb and in Masterton

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

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

  • Zagreb $1,772
  • Masterton $841

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

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

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

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

Living in Zagreb is roughly 111% more expensive than in Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.33 €11.04
$9.26 NZ$16.44
33.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.9 €57.3
$65.0 NZ$115
-1.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.01 €7.18
$8.77 NZ$15.58
-8.67%
Cappuccino
$2.50 €2.24
$3.35 NZ$5.95
-25.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 €2.76
$1.95 NZ$3.46
58.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.35
$1.11 NZ$1.97
136.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €3.06
$3.96 NZ$7.04
-13.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.51 €4.04
$3.40 NZ$6.04
32.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 €1.13
$1.46 NZ$2.59
-13.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.60 €1.43
$2.13 NZ$3.77
-24.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.68 €2.40
$1.10 NZ$1.95
143.64%
Eggs
$3.95 €3.53
$6.49 NZ$11.51
-39.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.58 €13.06
$8.59 NZ$15.25
69.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.47 €10.27
$9.94 NZ$17.65
15.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.35 €15.54
$15.03 NZ$26.69
15.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.31 €2.07
$2.22 NZ$3.93
4.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 €1.48
$1.81 NZ$3.21
-8.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 €1.96
$3.04 NZ$5.40
-27.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.56 €2.30
$4.48 NZ$7.95
-42.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.51 NZ$2.69
-9.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 €1.08
$1.09 NZ$1.94
10.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 €1.07
$1.71 NZ$3.04
-30.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.16
$0.52 NZ$0.93
148.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.08 €5.45
$19.90 NZ$35.33
-69.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.07 €9.91
$11.48 NZ$20.39
-3.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.51
$0.88 NZ$1.56
92.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 €2.21
$1.22 NZ$2.17
101.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 €0.51
$2.23 NZ$3.97
-74.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 €47.68
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.18 €1.95
$1.89 NZ$3.36
15.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.29
$1.80 NZ$3.20
-20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.39 €11.09
$33.98 NZ$60.3
-63.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.90 €1.70
$1.73 NZ$3.08
9.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K €25.0K
$22.9K NZ$40.6K
22.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K €23.3K
$23.9K NZ$42.4K
8.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 €193
$56.0 NZ$99.5
283.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.34 €20.01
$29.91 NZ$53.1
-25.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.73 €34.69
$53.4 NZ$94.8
-27.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.65 €43.57
$42.36 NZ$75.2
14.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.95 €16.97
$8.22 NZ$14.59
130.54%
Cinema Ticket
$10.41 €9.32
$9.47 NZ$16.81
9.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$499 €447
$1,038 NZ$1,844
-51.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,720 €8,705
$13.3K NZ$23.6K
-26.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$109 €97.3
$56.7 NZ$101
91.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.23 €37.82
$28.47 NZ$50.6
48.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.6
$105 NZ$186
-2.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 €99.0
$141 NZ$250
-21.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$888 €796
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$683 €612
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,468 €1,315
$1,019 NZ$1,809
44.13%
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
Zagreb
Masterton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,975 €1,769
$2,339 NZ$4,152
-15.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.3
5.39
-38.78%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Zagreb
$683
Masterton
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Zagreb
$314
Masterton
$293 6.6% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zagreb
$276
Masterton
$139 49.5% $137
Eating Out
Zagreb
$202
Masterton
$179 11% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Zagreb
$164
Masterton
$149 9.1% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Zagreb
$69
Masterton
$61 11.7% $8.2
Getting Around
Zagreb
$65
Masterton
$20 * 69.4% $45

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

Good to know
🇭🇷 Zagreb
🇳🇿 Masterton
🕒 Local time
20:38 8:38 PM
08:38 8:38 AM
12 h ahead of Zagreb
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
767,131 Capital
26,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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

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).

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

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
Zagreb vs Masterton: 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: Zagreb or Masterton?
On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Zagreb. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do food prices compare in Zagreb and in Masterton?
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 $499 in Zagreb versus $1,038 in Masterton. 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 Zagreb or in Masterton?
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 Zagreb or in Masterton?
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, Zagreb or Masterton?
Safety-wise, Zagreb and Masterton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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