Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akron, OH and Zaandam

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaandam: $1,349 a month against $2,238 in Akron, OH, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Akron, OH
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Akron, OH Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Zaandam
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Zaandam Living Index

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Akron, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,238

/mo nomad

Zaandam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Akron, OH and in Zaandam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,238 in Akron, OH versus $1,349 in Zaandam.

Akron, OH $2,238
Zaandam $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,342 in Akron, OH versus $3,435 in Zaandam.

Akron, OH $3,342
Zaandam $3,435

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,445 in Akron, OH versus $5,520 in Zaandam.

Akron, OH $4,445
Zaandam $5,520

Living in Akron, OH is roughly 66% more expensive than in Zaandam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Akron, OH 66% above, Zaandam 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 $16.82

$22.15 €19.70

-24.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$81.3 €72.3

-6.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$13.34 €11.87

-24.21%

Cappuccino

$3.83 $3.83

$4.15 €3.69

-7.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$3.71 €3.30

-43.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.28 €2.92

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$5.74 €5.10

-10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$5.22 €4.64

-2.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.29 €1.15

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.79 €2.48

-14.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$2.73 €2.43

170.33%

Eggs

$4.95 $4.95

$4.72 €4.20

4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.61 $15.61

$13.49 €12.00

15.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$12.55 €11.17

-5.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$16.72 €14.87

15.79%

Apples (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$2.69 €2.39

160.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.35 €2.09

-31.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.75 $7.75

$1.81 €1.61

328.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$4.22 €3.76

55.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.88 €1.67

106.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.27 €2.02

66.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.23 €1.09

97.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.04 €0.93

98.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$13.75 €12.23

-29.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 $14.25

$6.97 €6.20

104.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.50 €1.34

17.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.45 €2.18

111.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$3.53 €3.14

-65.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.06 $49.06

$85.1 €75.7

-42.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 $4.88

$6.48 €5.76

-24.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.29 €2.04

-21.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.63 €22.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.42 €2.15

-56.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.2K $36.2K

$40.6K €36.1K

-10.82%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.3K $27.3K

$37.9K €33.7K

-28.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$247 $247

$260 €231

-5.11%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$40.60 $40.60

$24.17 €21.50

67.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 $79.4

$55.6 €49.42

42.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 $43.69

$45.37 €40.36

-3.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 $17.18

$27.91 €24.83

-38.45%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 $12.72

$15.92 €14.16

-20.10%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,339 $1,339

$2,490 €2,215

-46.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$6,701 €5,960

91.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$84.8 €75.4

-36.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 $64.1

$40.40 €35.94

58.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$98.5 €87.6

7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$103 €91.2

24.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$1,356 €1,206

-31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 $859

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 $1,403

$1,659 €1,475

-15.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 $1,428

$2,536 €2,256

-43.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$5,319 €4,731

-70.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$4,264 €3,793

-65.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,354 $3,354

$4,657 €4,143

-27.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.08

3.8

60.00%

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

Last update for Akron, OH: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zaandam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Akron, OH

$859 38.4%

Zaandam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Akron, OH

$456 20.4%

Zaandam

$334 24.8% 26.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akron, OH

$367 16.4%

Zaandam

$340 25.2% 7.4% $27

Eating Out

Akron, OH

$261 11.7%

Zaandam

$334 24.8% 27.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Akron, OH

$158 7.1%

Zaandam

$147 10.9% 7.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Akron, OH

$69 3.1%

Zaandam

$77 5.7% 11.7% $8.1

Getting Around

Akron, OH

$68 3%

Zaandam

$117 8.7% 72.7% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $933 in Akron, OH and $1,356 in Zaandam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaandam pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76.0 in Akron, OH vs $81.0 in Zaandam. Groceries flip the comparison at $456 vs $334, with Zaandam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Akron, OH

🇳🇱 Zaandam

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

6 h ahead of Akron, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,542

76,804

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Akron, OH Zaandam 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Akron, OH
Zaandam

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

Akron, OH vs Zaandam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Akron, OH and Zaandam differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,238 vs $1,349 including rent). Zaandam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Zaandam. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $933 in Akron, OH versus $1,356 in Zaandam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,238 per month in Akron, OH versus $1,349 in Zaandam – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zaandam runs roughly 73% less than in Akron, OH. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,349 in Zaandam versus $2,238 in Akron, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zaandam but tight or insufficient in Akron, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Zaandam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Akron, OH and Zaandam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zaandam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Akron, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.