Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Alexandria, VA

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.

168

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
160

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

Jump to prices

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,465

/mo nomad

Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,249

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Amsterdam is roughly 7% more expensive than in Alexandria, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.66

$20.18 $20.18

9.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 €80.0

$103 $103

-12.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.32 €13.63

$11.83 $11.83

29.50%

Cappuccino

$4.58 €4.07

$4.52 $4.52

1.33%

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

$3.70 €3.29

$2.73 $2.73

35.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.25 $2.25

32.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 €6.56

$6.58 $6.58

12.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$8.86 $8.86

-35.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.18 $1.18

33.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.04

$3.88 $3.88

-40.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$3.80 $3.80

-33.95%

Eggs

$5.07 €4.51

$4.53 $4.53

11.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.73 €14.88

$16.40 $16.40

2.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.66

$15.22 $15.22

-13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.28

$20.04 $20.04

13.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$6.10 $6.10

-55.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.34 $1.34

105.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$7.55 $7.55

-63.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.37

$7.84 $7.84

-51.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.14 $2.14

11.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.61 $2.61

-38.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.73 $2.73

-46.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.44 $2.44

-27.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.92

$9.34 $9.34

55.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 €8.09

$14.35 $14.35

-36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.75 $1.75

2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$3.66 $3.66

-33.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 €3.29

$3.07 $3.07

20.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 €100

$51.5 $51.5

118.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.08 $4.08

10.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.98 $1.98

73.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 €35.32

$25.13 $25.13

58.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.02 $1.02

157.84%

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

$41.3K €36.7K

$36.8K $36.8K

12.38%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$25.6K $25.6K

53.84%

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

$295 €262

$240 $240

22.62%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$53.7 $53.7

-58.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 €45.46

$77.2 $77.2

-33.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$72.4 $72.4

-17.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 €31.52

Cinema Ticket

$16.82 €14.96

$18.33 $18.33

-8.24%

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

$2,826 €2,513

$2,034 $2,034

38.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.2K

$65.5K $65.5K

-73.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 €82.3

$48.10 $48.10

92.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 €37.01

$47.90 $47.90

-13.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.6 €86.9

$122 $122

-19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$134 $134

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 €2,290

$2,315 $2,315

11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 €1,739

$1,737 $1,737

12.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,997 €3,555

$3,390 $3,390

17.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,053 €2,716

$2,776 $2,776

9.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K €9,222

$6,743 $6,743

53.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,494 €5,776

$4,049 $4,049

60.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,692 €4,174

$5,951 $5,951

-21.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

6.64

-50.75%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alexandria, VA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$2K 56.4%

Alexandria, VA

$1.7K 53.5% 11.1% $218

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$383 11%

Alexandria, VA

$474 14.6% 23.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$368 10.6%

Alexandria, VA

$371 11.4% 0.8% $3.1

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$353 10.2%

Alexandria, VA

$322 9.9% 8.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$164 4.7%

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.9% 3.3% $5.4

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$149 4.3%

Alexandria, VA

$78 2.4% 47.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Alexandria, VA

$109 3.4% 16.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,575 in Amsterdam and $2,315 in Alexandria, VA. 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: $90.0 in Amsterdam vs $103 in Alexandria, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $474 per month, with Amsterdam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

6 h behind Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

160,035

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Amsterdam
Alexandria, VA

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

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

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

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Alexandria, VA. 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: $2,575 in Amsterdam versus $2,315 in Alexandria, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,465 per month in Amsterdam versus $3,249 in Alexandria, VA – 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, Amsterdam and Alexandria, VA 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.