Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lee, NJ and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Rotterdam: $3,153 a month against $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lee, NJ
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Fort Lee, NJ Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index

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Fort Lee, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,894

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,153 in Rotterdam.

Fort Lee, NJ $3,894
Rotterdam $3,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,154 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $4,381 in Rotterdam.

Fort Lee, NJ $6,154
Rotterdam $4,381

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,415 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $5,609 in Rotterdam.

Fort Lee, NJ $8,415
Rotterdam $5,609

Living in Fort Lee, NJ is roughly 23% more expensive than in Rotterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Lee, NJ 186% above, Rotterdam 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$20.81 €18.70

20.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$85.2 €76.5

-4.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$13.66 €12.27

-19.84%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.31 €3.87

24.13%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$3.79 €3.40

-42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$3.44 €3.09

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$6.93 €6.22

18.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$6.05 €5.43

32.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.42 €1.28

-6.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.44 €2.19

57.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.84 €2.55

139.08%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$5.27 €4.73

-12.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$12.09 €10.86

3.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$13.32 €11.96

-10.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 $17.50

$18.92 €16.99

-7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.43 €3.08

58.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.50 €2.24

-29.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.54 €2.28

146.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.39 €3.04

59.88%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.68 €1.51

141.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.52 €1.36

157.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.51 €1.36

92.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.29 €1.16

111.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$14.39 €12.93

-18.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$6.82 €6.13

73.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.52 €1.37

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.58 €2.32

-21.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$6.27 €5.64

-56.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 $135

$111 €99.5

21.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$4.58 €4.11

-34.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$3.45 €3.10

-39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$67.3 €60.5

-64.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.56 €2.30

-66.41%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$41.3K €37.1K

-33.24%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$39.9K €35.8K

-33.63%

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

$215 $215

$305 €274

-29.34%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$21.41 €19.24

254.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$55.8 €50.1

15.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$45.35 €40.74

179.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.35 €26.37

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$15.68 €14.09

-7.21%

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

$2,027 $2,027

$2,793 €2,509

-27.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$12.5K €11.2K

89.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.93 $41.93

$92.9 €83.4

-54.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 $57.6

$39.70 €35.66

45.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 $77.6

$108 €97.0

-28.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 $84.5

$141 €127

-40.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,927 $2,927

$2,068 €1,858

41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 $2,299

$1,684 €1,513

36.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,548 $6,548

$3,183 €2,860

105.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$2,398 €2,154

105.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,299 $4,299

$6,140 €5,516

-29.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,727 $3,727

$4,198 €3,771

-11.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,606 $6,606

$3,933 €3,533

67.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

3.49

93.41%

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

Last update for Fort Lee, NJ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Lee, NJ

$2.3K 59%

Rotterdam

$1.7K 53.4% 26.7% $615

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lee, NJ

$438 11.2%

Rotterdam

$346 11% 21% $92

Eating Out

Fort Lee, NJ

$369 9.5%

Rotterdam

$335 10.6% 9.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lee, NJ

$355 9.1%

Rotterdam

$382 12.1% 7.5% $27

Getting Around

Fort Lee, NJ

$159 4.1%

Rotterdam

$158 5% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lee, NJ

$156 4%

Rotterdam

$77 2.4% 50.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lee, NJ

$118 3%

Rotterdam

$172 5.5% 45.9% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ and $2,068 in Rotterdam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Lee, NJ pays 68% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Lee, NJ vs $85 in Rotterdam. Groceries flip the comparison at $438 vs $346, with Rotterdam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lee, NJ

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

5 h ahead of Fort Lee, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,008

572,392

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Lee, NJ Rotterdam 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lee, NJ
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

Fort Lee, NJ vs Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotterdam wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Fort Lee, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rotterdam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Fort Lee, NJ, 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: $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,068 in Rotterdam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,894 per month in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,153 in Rotterdam – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rotterdam runs roughly 18% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Rotterdam 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, Fort Lee, NJ 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.

It comes down to priorities – Rotterdam wins on affordability, Fort Lee, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.