Cost of Living Comparison Between Alkmaar and Cambridge Cost of Living Comparison Between Alkmaar and Cambridge

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,432 in Alkmaar versus $3,165 in Cambridge.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,858 in Alkmaar versus $4,481 in Cambridge.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,284 in Alkmaar versus $5,797 in Cambridge.

Living in Alkmaar costs roughly 23% less than in Cambridge, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alkmaar 82% above, Cambridge 137% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.33 €25.62

$27.66 £20.56

6.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 €77.6

$95.6 £71.1

-7.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.41 €13.46

$10.72 £7.97

43.75%

Cappuccino

$4.04 €3.53

$4.93 £3.66

-18.05%

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

$3.39 €2.96

$2.80 £2.08

21.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.29

$2.06 £1.53

27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.89 €5.15

$8.30 £6.17

-29.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.02

$8.24 £6.13

-44.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.25

$1.89 £1.40

-24.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €1.99

$2.25 £1.68

1.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 €3.08

$2.94 £2.18

20.07%

Eggs

$5.05 €4.41

$4.61 £3.43

9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.28 €12.48

$12.39 £9.21

15.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.17 €14.13

$10.33 £7.68

56.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.49 €17.90

$18.22 £13.55

12.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.26

$3.33 £2.47

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.19

$1.96 £1.46

28.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.65

$3.60 £2.67

-47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.74

$3.67 £2.73

16.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.83

$1.88 £1.40

11.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.89

$2.06 £1.53

5.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.10

$1.32 £0.98

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.96

$1.54 £1.15

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.20 €11.53

$20.01 £14.88

-34.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.29

$10.96 £8.14

-34.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.06

$3.49 £2.60

-65.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.02

$4.23 £3.14

-45.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.48

$2.66 £1.98

6.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 €59.2

$81.0 £60.2

-16.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.85

$6.62 £4.92

-33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 €1.17

$2.45 £1.82

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 €30.84

$55.2 £41.06

-36.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €1.98

$1.92 £1.43

18.23%

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

$36.6K €32.0K

$38.9K £28.9K

-5.91%

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

$35.3K €30.8K

$43.9K £32.7K

-19.73%

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

$267 €233

$338 £251

-21.02%

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

$21.63 €18.90

$15.78 £11.73

37.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.42 €38.81

$39.86 £29.63

11.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.77 €38.24

$74.1 £55.1

-40.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.30 €5.51

$14.91 £11.08

-57.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 €15.44

$16.20 £12.04

9.07%

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

$747 €652

$2,277 £1,692

-67.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,449 €2,139

$23.4K £17.4K

-89.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 €104

$87.5 £65.0

35.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 €41.39

$55.5 £41.28

-14.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €95.5

$85.6 £63.6

27.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €114

$124 £92.1

5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 €720

$1,899 £1,412

-56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 €899

$1,620 £1,204

-36.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 €2,514

$3,522 £2,618

-18.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 €1,820

$2,557 £1,901

-18.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,215 €4,556

$9,013 £6,701

-42.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,219 €3,686

$6,024 £4,478

-29.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,300 €2,884

$4,419 £3,285

-25.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

-27.80%

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

Last update for Alkmaar: July 12, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $824 in Alkmaar and $1,899 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Alkmaar vs $96.0 in Cambridge. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $358, with Cambridge cheaper for home cooking.

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

Alkmaar vs Cambridge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alkmaar wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Cambridge. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alkmaar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Cambridge. 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: $824 in Alkmaar versus $1,899 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alkmaar runs roughly 20% less than in Cambridge. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $747 in Alkmaar versus $2,277 in Cambridge. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,432 in Alkmaar versus $3,165 in Cambridge, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alkmaar but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. The gap between the two cities makes Alkmaar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alkmaar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,432 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alkmaar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alkmaar and Cambridge 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 Alkmaar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.