Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Emmen and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Emmen: $1,892 a month against $3,153 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Emmen
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Emmen Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index

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Emmen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,892

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Emmen 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 Emmen and in Rotterdam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,892 per month in Emmen vs $3,153 in Rotterdam, rent included.

Emmen $1,892
Rotterdam $3,153

A couple spends around $2,917 per month in Emmen vs $4,381 in Rotterdam, rent included.

Emmen $2,917
Rotterdam $4,381

A family of three spends $3,942 per month in Emmen vs $5,609 in Rotterdam, rent included.

Emmen $3,942
Rotterdam $5,609

Emmen is about 40% cheaper than Rotterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Emmen and Rotterdam sit above the global median – Emmen by 39%, Rotterdam by 132%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.85

$20.81 €18.59

6.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 €73.3

$85.2 €76.1

-3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.56 €12.11

$13.66 €12.20

-0.73%

Cappuccino

$3.41 €3.04

$4.31 €3.85

-20.88%

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

$3.37 €3.01

$3.79 €3.38

-11.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.02

$3.44 €3.08

-1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.11

$6.93 €6.19

-17.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$6.05 €5.40

-27.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.42 €1.27

-27.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.44 €2.18

-9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.84 €2.54

-3.17%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.89

$5.27 €4.70

-17.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.94 €10.66

$12.09 €10.80

-1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.37

$13.32 €11.89

-4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 €14.67

$18.92 €16.90

-13.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$3.43 €3.06

-23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.50 €2.23

-2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.54 €2.27

-29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.86

$3.39 €3.02

-5.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.68 €1.50

7.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.52 €1.36

21.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.51 €1.35

-21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$1.29 €1.15

-45.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.34 €11.02

$14.39 €12.86

-14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.82

$6.82 €6.09

-4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.52 €1.36

-16.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.58 €2.31

1.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$6.27 €5.60

-65.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.33 €7.44

$4.58 €4.09

81.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 €1.78

$3.45 €3.08

-42.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.02 €19.67

$67.3 €60.1

-67.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.56 €2.28

-7.81%

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

$42.0K €37.5K

$41.3K €36.9K

1.57%

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

$39.8K €35.5K

$39.9K €35.6K

-0.27%

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

$166 €148

$305 €272

-45.52%

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

$18.60 €16.62

$21.41 €19.13

-13.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 €48.99

$55.8 €49.79

-1.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.08 €36.69

$45.35 €40.51

-9.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.11 €19.75

$29.35 €26.22

-24.67%

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 €11.80

$15.68 €14.01

-15.75%

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

$2,653 €2,369

$2,793 €2,495

-5.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,951 €7,102

$12.5K €11.2K

-36.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 €69.0

$92.9 €83.0

-16.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.60 €36.26

$39.70 €35.46

2.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 €78.8

$108 €96.5

-18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.2

$141 €126

-27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 €784

$2,068 €1,847

-57.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 €705

$1,684 €1,504

-53.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 €1,495

$3,183 €2,843

-47.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,221

$2,398 €2,142

-43.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,140 €5,485

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,198 €3,750

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,753 €2,459

$3,933 €3,513

-30.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.49

4.58%

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

Last update for Emmen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Emmen

$789 41.7%

Rotterdam

$1.7K 53.4% 114% $895

Eating Out

Emmen

$324 17.1%

Rotterdam

$335 10.6% 3.4% $11

Groceries & Markets

Emmen

$307 16.2%

Rotterdam

$346 11% 12.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Emmen

$239 12.7%

Rotterdam

$382 12.1% 59.5% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Emmen

$139 7.3%

Rotterdam

$172 5.5% 23.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Emmen

$68 3.6%

Rotterdam

$77 2.4% 13.7% $9.2

Getting Around

Emmen

$27 * 1.4%

Rotterdam

$158 5% 483% $131

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $878 in Emmen versus $2,068 in Rotterdam. 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 43% higher in Rotterdam, 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 $82 in Emmen versus $85 in Rotterdam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $346 – making Emmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Emmen

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

Same time as Emmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,765

572,392

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Emmen Rotterdam 190 km

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Emmen
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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

Emmen vs Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,892 in Emmen, $3,153 in Rotterdam – Emmen comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,839 per month in Emmen and $4,729 in Rotterdam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Emmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $878 there versus $2,068 in Rotterdam.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Emmen and $85 in Rotterdam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Rotterdam, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Emmen, where all-in costs run around $1,892, than in Rotterdam at $3,153. In Emmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rotterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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