Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Haarlem

For one person, living is cheaper in Haarlem: $3,258 a month against $3,517 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amsterdam outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

170

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,517

/mo nomad

Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amsterdam and in Haarlem

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 Haarlem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,517 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,258 in Haarlem, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,517
Haarlem $3,258

A couple spends around $5,063 per month in Amsterdam vs $4,615 in Haarlem, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,063
Haarlem $4,615

A family of three spends $6,608 per month in Amsterdam vs $5,971 in Haarlem, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,608
Haarlem $5,971

Amsterdam costs about 8% more than Haarlem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Amsterdam and Haarlem sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 158%, Haarlem by 139%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €20.01

$29.24 €26.19

-23.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.3

$100 €89.7

-11.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.80 €13.25

$13.67 €12.24

8.27%

Cappuccino

$4.65 €4.16

$4.14 €3.71

12.32%

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

$3.69 €3.31

$4.08 €3.66

-9.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.59

$3.37 €3.02

-13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.10

$8.03 €7.19

-1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.85

$5.63 €5.04

16.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.46 €1.31

-1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.79 €2.50

-13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.64 €2.36

-5.30%

Eggs

$5.15 €4.62

$4.75 €4.26

8.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.90 €15.14

$13.92 €12.46

21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.40

$13.30 €11.91

-4.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.87 €20.49

$21.49 €19.25

6.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$2.98 €2.67

-7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.53 €2.27

8.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$1.80 €1.62

52.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 €3.46

$4.98 €4.46

-22.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.89 €1.69

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.27 €2.03

-27.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.29 €1.15

17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.00 €0.90

69.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €13.00

$13.88 €12.43

4.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 €7.70

$7.73 €6.92

11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.50 €1.34

18.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.36 €2.11

6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 €3.31

$2.84 €2.54

30.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 €104

$83.0 €74.4

40.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 €4.20

$6.19 €5.54

-24.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.07

$2.50 €2.24

36.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.00 €34.93

$26.38 €23.63

47.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.53 €2.26

1.19%

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

$40.6K €36.3K

$41.4K €37.1K

-2.08%

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

$38.9K €34.8K

$39.6K €35.4K

-1.70%

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

$306 €274

$249 €223

23.11%

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

$22.66 €20.29

$23.98 €21.48

-5.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.31

$60.9 €54.6

-13.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €49.23

$53.3 €47.76

3.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.66 €31.94

$28.02 €25.10

27.27%

Cinema Ticket

$16.48 €14.76

$16.09 €14.41

2.42%

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

$2,778 €2,488

$2,598 €2,327

6.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.2K

$6,587 €5,900

157.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 €83.0

$85.1 €76.2

8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €36.97

$63.2 €56.6

-34.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.8

$97.7 €87.5

3.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$147 €131

-8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,642 €2,366

$2,031 €1,819

30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 €1,782

$1,781 €1,595

11.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,165 €3,730

$3,215 €2,879

29.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,251 €2,911

$2,603 €2,331

24.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,452

$7,820 €7,004

34.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,734 €6,031

$5,830 €5,221

15.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,625 €4,142

$4,219 €3,779

9.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.8

-13.16%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Haarlem: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$2K 56.6%

Haarlem

$1.8K 54.7% 10.5% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$382 10.9%

Haarlem

$334 10.3% 12.6% $48

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$381 10.8%

Haarlem

$362 11.1% 4.9% $19

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$358 10.2%

Haarlem

$406 12.5% 13.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$166 4.7%

Haarlem

$177 5.4% 6.3% $10

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Haarlem

$113 3.5% 26.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$88 2.5%

Haarlem

$86 2.6% 2.8% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,642 in Amsterdam versus $2,031 in Haarlem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Amsterdam. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Amsterdam versus $100 in Haarlem. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in Amsterdam vs $362 in Haarlem – so Haarlem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

Same time as Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

165,396

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amsterdam Haarlem 17 km

From you

Amsterdam
Haarlem

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 Haarlem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,276 per month in Amsterdam and $4,887 in Haarlem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haarlem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $2,031 there versus $2,642 in Amsterdam.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Haarlem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,778 per month in Amsterdam and $2,598 in Haarlem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,517 in Amsterdam and $3,258 in Haarlem. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Haarlem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Haarlem. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.