Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Sandefjord

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandefjord: $2,549 a month against $3,465 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Sandefjord
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Sandefjord Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,465

/mo nomad

Sandefjord

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amsterdam and in Sandefjord

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

A single person spends $3,465 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,549 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,465
Sandefjord $2,549

A couple spends around $4,929 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,748 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Amsterdam $4,929
Sandefjord $3,748

A family of three spends $6,393 per month in Amsterdam vs $4,948 in Sandefjord, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,393
Sandefjord $4,948

Amsterdam costs about 36% more than Sandefjord, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Amsterdam and Sandefjord sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 157%, Sandefjord by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.66

$20.53 NOK 193

7.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 €80.0

$125 NOK 1,179

-28.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.32 €13.63

$15.78 NOK 149

-2.92%

Cappuccino

$4.58 €4.07

$5.68 NOK 53.4

-19.37%

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

$3.70 €3.29

$4.17 NOK 39.30

-11.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.15 NOK 20.19

38.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 €6.56

$10.05 NOK 94.6

-26.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$10.31 NOK 97.1

-44.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.12 NOK 19.97

-25.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.57 NOK 24.18

-10.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$4.14 NOK 38.93

-39.37%

Eggs

$5.07 €4.51

$4.08 NOK 38.44

24.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.73 €14.88

$14.78 NOK 139

13.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.66

$15.66 NOK 147

-16.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 €20.28

$30.89 NOK 291

-26.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.15 NOK 20.27

26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.68 NOK 25.27

2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.18 NOK 20.56

25.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.37

$2.85 NOK 26.80

32.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.12 NOK 10.50

112.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.68 NOK 25.26

-39.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.09 NOK 29.09

-52.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.38 NOK 22.36

-25.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.92

$15.81 NOK 149

-8.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 €8.09

$13.05 NOK 123

-30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$3.53 NOK 33.21

-49.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$4.14 NOK 39.00

-41.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 €3.29

$5.10 NOK 47.96

-27.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 €100

$66.5 NOK 626

69.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$11.71 NOK 110

-61.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.78 NOK 16.76

93.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 €35.32

$48.90 NOK 460

-18.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.25 NOK 21.22

16.89%

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

$41.3K €36.7K

$47.4K NOK 446.0K

-12.81%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$41.6K NOK 391.8K

-5.31%

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

$295 €262

$264 NOK 2,487

11.60%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$33.62 NOK 317

-33.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 €45.46

$54.0 NOK 508

-5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$50.5 NOK 475

18.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 €31.52

$56.9 NOK 535

-37.69%

Cinema Ticket

$16.82 €14.96

$15.54 NOK 146

8.24%

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

$2,826 €2,513

$232 NOK 2,186

1116.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.2K

$4,887 NOK 46.0K

250.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 €82.3

$101 NOK 949

-8.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 €37.01

$44.41 NOK 418

-6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.6 €86.9

$80.0 NOK 753

22.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$153 NOK 1,443

-13.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 €2,290

$1,213 NOK 11.4K

112.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 €1,739

$1,015 NOK 9,556

92.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,997 €3,555

$1,539 NOK 14.5K

159.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,053 €2,716

$1,339 NOK 12.6K

128.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.4K €9,222

$6,273 NOK 59.1K

65.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,494 €5,776

$3,696 NOK 34.8K

75.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,692 €4,174

$3,976 NOK 37.4K

18.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

4.38

-25.34%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sandefjord: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$2K 56.4%

Sandefjord

$1K 39.8% 48.1% $940

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$383 11%

Sandefjord

$447 17.5% 16.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$368 10.6%

Sandefjord

$352 13.8% 4.4% $16

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$353 10.2%

Sandefjord

$376 14.8% 6.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$164 4.7%

Sandefjord

$170 6.7% 4.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$149 4.3%

Sandefjord

$107 4.2% 27.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Sandefjord

$82 3.2% 12.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,575 in Amsterdam versus $1,213 in Sandefjord. 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 18% higher in Amsterdam, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Amsterdam versus $125 in Sandefjord. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $447 – making Amsterdam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇳🇴 Sandefjord

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

Same time as Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

66,366

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Amsterdam Sandefjord 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
Sandefjord

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 Sandefjord: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Amsterdam and $3,823 in Sandefjord. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandefjord, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Sandefjord. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,826 per month in Amsterdam and $232 in Sandefjord. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sandefjord, where all-in costs run around $2,549, than in Amsterdam at $3,465. In Sandefjord it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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