Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eindhoven and Alkmaar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alkmaar: $2,394 a month against $2,767 in Eindhoven, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Eindhoven outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

135

Cost of Living Index in Eindhoven
Learn more

Eindhoven Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
Learn more

Alkmaar Living Index

Jump to prices

Eindhoven

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,767

/mo nomad

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Eindhoven and in Alkmaar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,767 in Eindhoven versus $2,394 in Alkmaar.

Eindhoven $2,767
Alkmaar $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,917 in Eindhoven versus $3,536 in Alkmaar.

Eindhoven $3,917
Alkmaar $3,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,068 in Eindhoven versus $4,677 in Alkmaar.

Eindhoven $5,068
Alkmaar $4,677

Living in Eindhoven is roughly 16% more expensive than in Alkmaar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Eindhoven 104% above, Alkmaar 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 €18.91

$29.74 €26.45

-28.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.8

$88.1 €78.3

-9.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.97 €12.43

$14.67 €13.05

-4.77%

Cappuccino

$4.54 €4.03

$3.96 €3.52

14.65%

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

$3.73 €3.32

$3.19 €2.83

16.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.23

$2.47 €2.20

46.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.34 €5.64

$5.75 €5.12

10.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$4.57 €4.06

20.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.43 €1.27

0.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.37 €2.10

2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.45 €3.07

-26.96%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.01

$4.90 €4.36

-8.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 €11.97

$14.23 €12.66

-5.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.59 €11.19

$15.08 €13.41

-16.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.11 €14.33

$16.85 €14.99

-4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.54 €2.26

25.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.47 €2.20

-2.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.84 €1.64

17.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €2.99

$4.25 €3.78

-20.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.94 €1.73

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.15 €1.91

-33.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.28 €1.13

14.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.92

$0.80 €0.71

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.67

$12.78 €11.37

11.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$6.89 €6.13

-5.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.34 €1.19

26.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.19 €1.95

13.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 €3.46

$2.20 €1.96

76.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €97.9

$57.9 €51.5

90.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 €3.20

$2.75 €2.44

30.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.63 €1.45

80.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.02 €34.71

$24.82 €22.07

57.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.24 €1.99

14.29%

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

$41.5K €36.9K

$41.3K €36.7K

0.60%

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

$39.9K €35.5K

$38.6K €34.4K

3.37%

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

$207 €184

$242 €216

-14.71%

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

$22.68 €20.17

$20.63 €18.35

9.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.65 €38.82

$46.41 €41.28

-5.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.99 €35.57

$46.05 €40.96

-13.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.87 €19.45

$6.11 €5.44

257.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.39 €13.69

$15.00 €13.34

2.60%

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

$2,866 €2,549

$726 €645

294.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,491 €7,553

$2,393 €2,128

254.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 €88.6

$116 €103

-14.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.02 €40.93

$46.67 €41.51

-1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.5

$109 €97.3

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$118 €105

13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 €1,566

$778 €692

126.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 €1,281

$1,020 €907

41.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,696 €2,398

$2,855 €2,539

-5.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,079 €1,849

$1,576 €1,401

31.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,607 €5,877

$4,974 €4,424

32.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,338

$4,169 €3,709

16.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,974 €3,535

$3,317 €2,950

19.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

-11.25%

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

Last update for Eindhoven: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alkmaar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Eindhoven

$1.4K 52%

Alkmaar

$1K 42.6% 29.2% $420

Eating Out

Eindhoven

$339 12.2%

Alkmaar

$390 16.3% 15.2% $51

Groceries & Markets

Eindhoven

$326 11.8%

Alkmaar

$346 14.5% 6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eindhoven

$273 9.9%

Alkmaar

$309 12.9% 13.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Eindhoven

$174 6.3%

Alkmaar

$176 7.3% 0.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Eindhoven

$144 5.2%

Alkmaar

$78 3.2% 46.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Eindhoven

$71 2.6%

Alkmaar

$76 3.2% 7.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,760 in Eindhoven and $778 in Alkmaar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eindhoven pays 20% 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: $80.0 in Eindhoven vs $88.0 in Alkmaar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $346 per month, with Eindhoven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Eindhoven

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

Same time as Eindhoven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

243,730

111,834

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eindhoven Alkmaar 140 km

From you

Eindhoven
Alkmaar

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

Eindhoven vs Alkmaar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alkmaar wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Eindhoven. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alkmaar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Eindhoven, 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: $1,760 in Eindhoven versus $778 in Alkmaar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alkmaar runs roughly 90% less than in Eindhoven. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,866 in Eindhoven versus $726 in Alkmaar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,394 in Alkmaar versus $2,767 in Eindhoven, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alkmaar but tight or insufficient in Eindhoven. The gap between the two cities makes Alkmaar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alkmaar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,394 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alkmaar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Eindhoven and Alkmaar 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 Alkmaar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Eindhoven. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.