Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, VA and Amsterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria, VA: $3,249 a month against $3,465 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amsterdam outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

160

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, VA
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Alexandria, VA Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index

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Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,249

/mo nomad

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria, VA and in Amsterdam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,249 in Alexandria, VA versus $3,465 in Amsterdam.

Alexandria, VA $3,249
Amsterdam $3,465

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,722 in Alexandria, VA versus $4,929 in Amsterdam.

Alexandria, VA $4,722
Amsterdam $4,929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,195 in Alexandria, VA versus $6,393 in Amsterdam.

Alexandria, VA $6,195
Amsterdam $6,393

Living in Alexandria, VA costs roughly 6% less than in Amsterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, VA 141% above, Amsterdam 157% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$22.10 €19.66

-8.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$90.0 €80.0

14.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$15.32 €13.63

-22.78%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$4.58 €4.07

-1.31%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$3.70 €3.29

-26.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.98 €2.65

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 $6.58

$7.38 €6.56

-10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.86 $8.86

$5.73 €5.10

54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.57 €1.40

-24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.30 €2.04

68.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.51 €2.23

51.39%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$5.07 €4.51

-10.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$16.73 €14.88

-1.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$13.11 €11.66

16.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 $20.04

$22.79 €20.28

-12.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.73 €2.43

123.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.76 €2.46

-51.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$2.74 €2.44

175.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.78 €3.37

107.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.38 €2.11

-10.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.61 €1.43

62.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.46 €1.30

86.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.77 €1.58

37.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$14.52 €12.92

-35.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 $14.35

$9.10 €8.09

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.79 €1.59

-2.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.43 €2.16

50.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.69 €3.29

-16.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.5 $51.5

$112 €100

-54.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.51 €4.01

-9.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.44 €3.06

-42.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.13 $25.13

$39.71 €35.32

-36.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.63 €2.34

-61.22%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$41.3K €36.7K

-11.01%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$39.4K €35.1K

-35.00%

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

$240 $240

$295 €262

-18.45%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$22.26 €19.80

141.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$51.1 €45.46

50.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 $72.4

$59.9 €53.3

20.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 €31.52

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$16.82 €14.96

8.98%

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

$2,034 $2,034

$2,826 €2,513

-28.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.5K $65.5K

$17.1K €15.2K

282.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.10 $48.10

$92.5 €82.3

-48.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 $47.90

$41.61 €37.01

15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$97.6 €86.9

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$132 €117

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 $2,315

$2,575 €2,290

-10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 $1,737

$1,955 €1,739

-11.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 $3,390

$3,997 €3,555

-15.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,776 $2,776

$3,053 €2,716

-9.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,743 $6,743

$10.4K €9,222

-34.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 $4,049

$6,494 €5,776

-37.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,951 $5,951

$4,692 €4,174

26.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.27

103.06%

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

Last update for Alexandria, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Amsterdam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, VA

$1.7K 53.5%

Amsterdam

$2K 56.4% 12.5% $218

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, VA

$474 14.6%

Amsterdam

$383 11% 19.3% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, VA

$371 11.4%

Amsterdam

$368 10.6% 0.8% $3.1

Eating Out

Alexandria, VA

$322 9.9%

Amsterdam

$353 10.2% 9.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.9%

Amsterdam

$164 4.7% 3.4% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, VA

$109 3.4%

Amsterdam

$94 2.7% 14.2% $16

Getting Around

Alexandria, VA

$78 2.4%

Amsterdam

$149 4.3% 91.7% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,315 in Alexandria, VA and $2,575 in Amsterdam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, VA pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $103 in Alexandria, VA vs $90.0 in Amsterdam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $474 vs $383 per month, with Amsterdam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

6 h ahead of Alexandria, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

881,933 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Alexandria, VA Amsterdam 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, VA
Amsterdam

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

Alexandria, VA vs Amsterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria, VA and Amsterdam differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($3,249 vs $3,465 including rent). Alexandria, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Alexandria, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,315 in Alexandria, VA versus $2,575 in Amsterdam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,249 per month in Alexandria, VA versus $3,465 in Amsterdam – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria, VA runs roughly 119% less than in Amsterdam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Alexandria, VA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Alexandria, VA and Amsterdam 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 Alexandria, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Amsterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.