Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geleen and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Geleen: $2,516 a month against $3,138 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Geleen
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Geleen Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index

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Geleen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,516

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,516 per month in Geleen vs $3,138 in Rotterdam, rent included.

Geleen $2,516
Rotterdam $3,138

A couple spends around $3,676 per month in Geleen vs $4,366 in Rotterdam, rent included.

Geleen $3,676
Rotterdam $4,366

A family of three spends $4,835 per month in Geleen vs $5,593 in Rotterdam, rent included.

Geleen $4,835
Rotterdam $5,593

Geleen is about 20% cheaper than Rotterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Geleen and Rotterdam sit above the global median – Geleen by 86%, Rotterdam by 132%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 €17.51

$23.90 €21.23

-17.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.1 €84.5

$77.0 €68.4

23.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 €10.87

$13.60 €12.08

-10.00%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.66

$4.37 €3.88

-5.72%

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

$3.59 €3.19

$3.93 €3.49

-8.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.69

$3.32 €2.95

-8.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 €5.37

$7.23 €6.42

-16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$6.19 €5.50

-11.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.49 €1.33

-16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.40 €2.13

-23.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.84 €2.52

-9.51%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.08

$5.24 €4.65

-12.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.10

$12.16 €10.80

21.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 €12.28

$13.67 €12.14

1.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 €14.38

$18.63 €16.55

-13.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$3.37 €3.00

-24.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.57 €2.28

-6.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.53 €2.25

-24.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 €4.03

$3.43 €3.05

32.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.69 €1.50

11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.49 €1.32

53.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.43 €1.27

-14.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$1.30 €1.16

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 €12.43

$14.84 €13.18

-5.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 €6.12

$6.55 €5.82

5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.47 €1.30

2.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.52 €2.23

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.57 €3.17

$6.26 €5.56

-42.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 €79.4

$112 €99.6

-20.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 €2.92

$4.77 €4.24

-31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 €2.98

$3.65 €3.24

-7.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.75 €24.65

$67.5 €59.9

-58.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.53 €2.25

-8.30%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$41.7K €37.0K

0.41%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$38.8K €34.4K

2.00%

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

$267 €237

$296 €263

-9.70%

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

$17.26 €15.33

$22.01 €19.55

-21.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.11 €37.41

$55.8 €49.56

-24.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.71 €36.16

$44.40 €39.44

-8.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.27 €21.56

$28.95 €25.71

-16.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.45 €12.84

$15.78 €14.02

-8.43%

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

$1,257 €1,117

$2,768 €2,459

-54.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,761 €6,006

$19.5K €17.4K

-65.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 €69.3

$94.1 €83.6

-17.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.54 €34.24

$38.79 €34.46

-0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$111 €99.0

-0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €113

$132 €117

-3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 €1,286

$2,088 €1,854

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 €1,061

$1,651 €1,466

-27.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,296 €2,039

$3,207 €2,849

-28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,628

$2,371 €2,107

-22.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,633 €5,004

$6,064 €5,387

-7.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,446 €3,949

$4,218 €3,747

5.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,425 €3,931

$4,162 €3,698

6.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.02

3.49

15.19%

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

Last update for Geleen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geleen

$1.2K 47.5%

Rotterdam

$1.7K 52.6% 38.2% $456

Groceries & Markets

Geleen

$330 13.1%

Rotterdam

$346 11% 4.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geleen

$327 13%

Rotterdam

$374 11.9% 14.4% $47

Eating Out

Geleen

$312 12.4%

Rotterdam

$362 11.5% 16.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Geleen

$160 6.4%

Rotterdam

$169 5.4% 5.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Geleen

$124 4.9%

Rotterdam

$160 5.1% 29.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Geleen

$70 2.8%

Rotterdam

$76 2.4% 9.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,447 in Geleen versus $2,088 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 6% higher in Geleen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Geleen versus $77 in Rotterdam. Groceries tell a different story – $330 in Geleen vs $346 in Rotterdam – so Geleen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Geleen

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

Same time as Geleen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,970

572,392

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Geleen Rotterdam 140 km

From you

Geleen
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

Geleen vs Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rotterdam is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,774 per month in Geleen and $4,707 in Rotterdam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Geleen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,447 there versus $2,088 in Rotterdam.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Geleen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,257 per month in Geleen and $2,768 in Rotterdam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,516 in Geleen and $3,138 in Rotterdam. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Geleen – 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.