Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and Hilversum

For one person, living is cheaper in Hilversum: $2,920 a month against $4,506 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

216

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index

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Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,506

/mo nomad

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge, MA and in Hilversum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,506 in Cambridge, MA versus $2,920 in Hilversum.

Cambridge, MA $4,506
Hilversum $2,920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,767 in Cambridge, MA versus $4,236 in Hilversum.

Cambridge, MA $5,767
Hilversum $4,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,029 in Cambridge, MA versus $5,553 in Hilversum.

Cambridge, MA $7,029
Hilversum $5,553

Living in Cambridge, MA is roughly 54% more expensive than in Hilversum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge, MA 234% above, Hilversum 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$27.73 €24.67

-28.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 $99.2

$79.5 €70.7

24.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$16.70 €14.85

-27.01%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.30 €3.82

20.93%

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

$3.17 $3.17

$3.92 €3.49

-19.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.98 €2.65

-21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$5.53 €4.92

47.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$5.53 €4.92

44.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.81 €1.61

-35.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.37 €2.11

91.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.47 €3.09

100.86%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$5.27 €4.69

-6.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$14.30 €12.72

7.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.89 €12.35

8.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$16.46 €14.64

16.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$2.53 €2.25

155.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.68 €2.38

-35.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$2.71 €2.41

118.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$5.21 €4.63

40.69%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.89 €1.68

131.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.23 €1.98

70.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.48 €1.32

102.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.14 €1.02

125.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.66 $12.66

$12.60 €11.21

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$6.83 €6.07

130.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.48 €1.31

32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.72 €2.42

98.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.62 €3.22

-30.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.0 $91.0

$66.0 €58.7

37.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$5.50 €4.89

-62.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.44 €3.06

-56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 $10.82

$22.12 €19.67

-51.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.39 €2.13

-55.23%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$41.8K €37.2K

-12.17%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$42.6K €37.9K

-40.10%

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

$227 $227

$265 €236

-14.13%

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

$54.4 $54.4

$28.28 €25.15

92.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$63.2 €56.2

24.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 $74.3

$68.0 €60.5

9.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.56 $30.56

$33.61 €29.89

-9.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 $14.78

$16.73 €14.88

-11.66%

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

$2,847 $2,847

$678 €603

319.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$15.6K €13.9K

129.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 $76.4

$113 €100

-32.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 $51.3

$47.90 €42.60

7.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$90.3 €80.4

14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$141 €126

-2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,392 $3,392

$1,683 €1,497

101.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,926 $2,926

$1,432 €1,274

104.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,218 $5,218

$2,924 €2,601

78.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,459 $3,459

$2,281 €2,029

51.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,990 $4,990

$6,800 €6,049

-26.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,067 $5,067

$5,225 €4,648

-3.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,239 $6,239

$3,910 €3,478

59.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.3

51.16%

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

Last update for Cambridge, MA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hilversum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge, MA

$2.9K 64.9%

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1% 51.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge, MA

$502 11.2%

Hilversum

$360 12.3% 28.3% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge, MA

$360 8%

Hilversum

$356 12.2% 1.1% $3.9

Eating Out

Cambridge, MA

$337 7.5%

Hilversum

$390 13.4% 15.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.7%

Hilversum

$177 6.1% 6.6% $11

Getting Around

Cambridge, MA

$111 2.5%

Hilversum

$103 3.5% 6.7% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge, MA

$104 2.3%

Hilversum

$101 3.5% 2.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,392 in Cambridge, MA and $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays 60% 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: $99.0 in Cambridge, MA vs $80.0 in Hilversum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $502 vs $360 per month, with Hilversum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

6 h ahead of Cambridge, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,162

93,345

💱 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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Cambridge, MA Hilversum 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge, MA
Hilversum

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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

Cambridge, MA vs Hilversum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilversum wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Cambridge, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hilversum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Cambridge, MA, 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: $3,392 in Cambridge, MA versus $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Cambridge, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hilversum – a meal for two runs $80.0 versus $99.0 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Hilversum delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,920 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hilversum hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cambridge, MA and Hilversum 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 Hilversum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.