Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delft and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Delft: $2,758 a month against $3,032 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Delft
Learn more

Delft Living Index
149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
Learn more

Rotterdam Living Index

Jump to prices

Delft

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,758

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delft and in Rotterdam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,758 in Delft versus $3,032 in Rotterdam.

Delft $2,758
Rotterdam $3,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,016 in Delft versus $4,227 in Rotterdam.

Delft $4,016
Rotterdam $4,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,273 in Delft versus $5,422 in Rotterdam.

Delft $5,273
Rotterdam $5,422

Living in Delft costs roughly 9% less than in Rotterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Delft 104% above, Rotterdam 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.23 €19.77

$20.82 €18.52

6.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.1 €84.6

$84.4 €75.1

12.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.87

$13.49 €12.00

-1.11%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$4.42 €3.93

-13.12%

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

$3.90 €3.47

$3.81 €3.39

2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.46 €3.07

-13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 €5.60

$7.08 €6.29

-11.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$6.01 €5.35

-4.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.48 €1.31

-6.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.37 €2.11

-13.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.86 €2.54

0.70%

Eggs

$5.13 €4.56

$5.38 €4.78

-4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.25 €14.45

$11.78 €10.48

37.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.81 €14.06

$13.62 €12.11

16.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.53 €15.59

$18.76 €16.69

-6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.32 €2.96

-15.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.60 €2.31

-8.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.52 €2.24

-27.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 €4.04

$3.37 €3.00

34.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.70 €1.51

15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.52 €1.35

48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.48 €1.32

-14.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$1.26 €1.12

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.94 €12.40

$14.24 €12.67

-2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 €6.38

$6.55 €5.82

9.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.48 €1.32

0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.60 €2.31

1.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$4.39 €3.90

-50.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.6 €68.1

$109 €97.1

-29.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.04

$4.51 €4.01

-24.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.04

$3.37 €3.00

1.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.4 €44.79

$65.8 €58.6

-23.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.64 €2.34

-7.95%

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

$41.2K €36.7K

$40.9K €36.3K

0.94%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

-0.13%

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

$270 €240

$300 €267

-9.85%

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

$29.20 €25.97

$21.55 €19.17

35.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.62 €37.02

$53.7 €47.74

-22.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.84 €36.33

$48.47 €43.11

-15.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.90 €7.92

$28.57 €25.41

-68.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.81 €13.17

$15.60 €13.88

-5.06%

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

$1,583 €1,408

$2,658 €2,364

-40.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,743 €5,998

$12.8K €11.4K

-47.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.1 €76.6

$92.2 €82.0

-6.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 €43.54

$38.50 €34.25

27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.3

$109 €97.0

-18.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €132

$141 €125

5.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 €1,494

$1,966 €1,748

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 €1,230

$1,577 €1,402

-12.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,790 €2,482

$3,071 €2,732

-9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 €1,927

$2,238 €1,991

-3.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,509 €5,790

$5,891 €5,240

10.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,357 €3,875

$3,967 €3,528

9.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,601 €3,203

$4,107 €3,653

-12.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.49

11.46%

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

Last update for Delft: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delft

$1.4K 50.1%

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52% 14.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

Delft

$357 12.9%

Rotterdam

$345 11.4% 3.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delft

$341 12.4%

Rotterdam

$375 12.4% 9.9% $34

Eating Out

Delft

$334 12.1%

Rotterdam

$336 11.1% 0.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Delft

$168 6.1%

Rotterdam

$171 5.7% 2% $3.3

Getting Around

Delft

$106 3.8%

Rotterdam

$148 4.9% 39.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Delft

$70 2.6%

Rotterdam

$80 2.6% 13.1% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,680 in Delft and $1,966 in Rotterdam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 14% 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: $95.0 in Delft vs $84.0 in Rotterdam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $345 per month, with Rotterdam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Delft

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

Same time as Delft

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,086

572,392

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delft Rotterdam 13 km

From you

Delft
Rotterdam

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

Delft vs Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Delft and Rotterdam differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,758 vs $3,032 including rent). Delft is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Rotterdam. 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: $1,680 in Delft versus $1,966 in Rotterdam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Delft runs roughly 42% less than in Rotterdam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,583 in Delft versus $2,658 in Rotterdam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Delft 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, Delft and Rotterdam 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 Delft gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.