Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and the Netherlands

Name: Netherlands
Address: NL

For one person, living is cheaper in Canada: $2,317 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,317

/mo nomad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in the Netherlands

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

A single person spends $2,317 per month in Canada vs $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent included.

Canada $2,317
Netherlands $2,694

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Canada vs $3,888 in the Netherlands, rent included.

Canada $3,358
Netherlands $3,888

A family of three spends $4,399 per month in Canada vs $5,081 in the Netherlands, rent included.

Canada $4,399
Netherlands $5,081

Cost ranges are similar: Canada spans $884–$3,722, the Netherlands $1,207–$3,496. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Canada is roughly 14% lower than in the Netherlands on average.

Both Canada and the Netherlands are pricier than the global median – Canada by 71%, the Netherlands by 99%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.00 CA$25.44

$22.27 €19.81

-19.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$99.8

$89.0 €79.2

-20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 CA$15.24

$13.79 €12.26

-21.83%

Cappuccino

$3.74 CA$5.29

$4.16 €3.70

-10.10%

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

$2.03 CA$2.86

$3.60 €3.20

-43.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$3.05 €2.72

-43.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 CA$7.87

$6.61 €5.88

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.98

$5.72 €5.09

-1.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$1.32 €1.17

71.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.25 €2.01

18.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.94

$2.69 €2.39

30.11%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.14

$4.71 €4.19

-22.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 CA$15.29

$13.73 €12.21

-21.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 CA$16.71

$14.11 €12.55

-16.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$17.27 €15.36

-10.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.85

$2.66 €2.36

55.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.49 €2.21

-42.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.08 €1.85

84.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 CA$5.81

$4.08 €3.63

0.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$1.80 €1.60

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.87 €1.67

30.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 CA$3.60

$1.28 €1.14

98.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$0.88 €0.78

94.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.03 CA$19.83

$14.16 €12.59

-0.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 CA$18.85

$6.66 €5.92

100.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$1.50 €1.33

94.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.55 €2.27

24.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$3.75 €3.34

-35.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.1 CA$103

$95.2 €84.7

-23.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.49

$4.73 €4.21

-32.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$3.00 €2.67

-51.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.76 CA$37.83

$34.06 €30.30

-21.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$2.43 €2.16

-49.38%

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

$27.5K CA$38.9K

$41.6K €37.0K

-33.92%

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

$21.2K CA$29.9K

$38.8K €34.5K

-45.41%

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

$146 CA$207

$259 €230

-43.51%

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

$42.95 CA$60.7

$22.93 €20.39

87.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$50.3 €44.74

15.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.50 CA$57.3

$42.07 €37.42

-3.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 CA$27.40

$26.22 €23.33

-26.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 CA$15.79

$15.68 €13.94

-28.76%

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

$771 CA$1,090

$2,185 €1,944

-64.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K CA$20.5K

$8,876 €7,896

63.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$76.2

$94.7 €84.3

-43.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.89 CA$55.0

$42.95 €38.20

-9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 CA$125

$102 €90.8

-13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$143

$132 €117

-23.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 CA$1,784

$1,648 €1,465

-23.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 CA$1,610

$1,314 €1,169

-13.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 CA$2,913

$2,547 €2,266

-19.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 CA$2,445

$1,985 €1,766

-12.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,554 CA$6,438

$6,600 €5,871

-31.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,933 CA$5,560

$4,779 €4,251

-17.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,050 CA$4,312

$3,787 €3,369

-19.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

3.87

25.84%

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

Last update for Canada: October 20, 2026

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 49.2%

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8% 15.3% $175

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$372 16.1%

Netherlands

$337 12.5% 9.5% $35

Eating Out

Canada

$275 11.9%

Netherlands

$341 12.6% 23.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$248 10.7%

Netherlands

$332 12.3% 34.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Netherlands

$167 6.2% 31.6% $40

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Netherlands

$130 4.8% 39.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$63 2.7%

Netherlands

$73 2.7% 16.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,207 in Canada vs $1,410 in the Netherlands. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,437 in Ottawa and $2,654 in Amsterdam.

Average salary: $2,936 in Canada vs $3,603 in the Netherlands. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 17% higher in the Netherlands.

Dining out costs 33% more in the Netherlands.

Public transport is 46% more expensive in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 23% higher in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

13:54 1:54 PM

6 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

17,100,715

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canada Netherlands 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
Netherlands

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

Canada vs Netherlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canada is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 16% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Netherlands: a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 versus $1,207 in Canada.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Canada, but in the Netherlands it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Canada is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.