Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Halden

For one person, living is cheaper in Halden: $2,552 a month against $3,158 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Haarlem outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Haarlem
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$3,158
/mo nomad
Halden
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,552
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haarlem and in Halden

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

A single person spends $3,158 per month in Haarlem vs $2,552 in Halden, rent included.

  • Haarlem $3,158
  • Halden $2,552

A couple spends around $4,385 per month in Haarlem vs $3,967 in Halden, rent included.

  • Haarlem $4,385
  • Halden $3,967

A family of three spends $5,612 per month in Haarlem vs $5,381 in Halden, rent included.

  • Haarlem $5,612
  • Halden $5,381

Haarlem costs about 24% more than Halden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Haarlem and Halden sit above the global median – Haarlem by 134%, Halden by 89%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.84 €25.65
$20.99 NOK 198
37.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$101 €89.4
$105 NOK 987
-4.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.82 €12.30
$12.74 NOK 120
8.48%
Cappuccino
$4.20 €3.74
$4.76 NOK 44.82
-11.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 €3.65
$3.71 NOK 34.92
10.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 €2.92
$3.09 NOK 29.06
6.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.90 €7.03
$10.07 NOK 94.8
-21.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 €4.93
$9.63 NOK 90.7
-42.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 €1.26
$2.43 NOK 22.92
-41.98%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 €2.48
$4.08 NOK 38.43
-31.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 €2.27
$4.06 NOK 38.20
-37.19%
Eggs
$4.74 €4.21
$4.66 NOK 43.86
1.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.62 €12.11
$14.82 NOK 139
-8.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.00 €11.56
$15.33 NOK 144
-15.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.98 €18.66
$31.09 NOK 293
-32.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 €2.66
$3.22 NOK 30.32
-7.14%
Banana (1kg)
$2.48 €2.21
$2.58 NOK 24.32
-3.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.85 €1.64
$3.55 NOK 33.43
-47.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.94 €4.39
$4.00 NOK 37.65
23.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 €1.69
$2.58 NOK 24.30
-26.36%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 €2.03
$2.78 NOK 26.20
-17.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 €1.08
$3.15 NOK 29.68
-61.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 €0.89
$2.06 NOK 19.42
-51.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.08 €12.53
$15.31 NOK 144
-8.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.67 €6.82
$16.46 NOK 155
-53.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 €1.36
$2.77 NOK 26.07
-44.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.12
$4.07 NOK 38.34
-41.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.76 €2.45
$4.73 NOK 44.56
-41.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.8 €71.9
$43.05 NOK 405
87.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.19 €5.51
$12.05 NOK 113
-48.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.49 €2.21
$1.84 NOK 17.36
35.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.09 €23.20
$69.8 NOK 657
-62.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.57 €2.29
$2.19 NOK 20.63
17.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.7K €37.1K
$47.1K NOK 443.2K
-11.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.0K €34.7K
$43.5K NOK 409.3K
-10.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$248 €221
$417 NOK 3,930
-40.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.70 €21.08
$31.39 NOK 296
-24.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.6 €53.9
$53.5 NOK 503
13.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 €50.2
$56.7 NOK 533
-0.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.69 €24.63
$31.23 NOK 294
-11.34%
Cinema Ticket
$16.27 €14.47
$15.87 NOK 149
2.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,607 €2,319
$235 NOK 2,212
1009.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,728 €5,984
$15.6K NOK 147.3K
-57.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.9 €76.4
$99.2 NOK 933
-13.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.1 €56.1
$59.6 NOK 561
5.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.4 €87.5
$135 NOK 1,273
-27.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 €129
$126 NOK 1,190
14.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,934 €1,720
$939 NOK 8,837
106.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,689 €1,502
$843 NOK 7,939
100.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,846 €2,531
$1,914 NOK 18.0K
48.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,262 €2,011
$1,677 NOK 15.8K
34.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,654 €6,807
$2,058 NOK 19.4K
271.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,670 €5,043
$1,848 NOK 17.4K
206.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Haarlem
Halden
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,135 €3,677
$3,445 NOK 32.4K
20.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
4.75
-20.00%

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

Last update for Haarlem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Halden: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Haarlem
$1.7K
Halden
$843 50.1% $846
Eating Out
Haarlem
$403
Halden
$360 10.6% $43
Groceries & Markets
Haarlem
$357
Halden
$486 36.2% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Haarlem
$333
Halden
$502 51% $170
Clothing & Footwear
Haarlem
$177
Halden
$189 7.1% $13
Getting Around
Haarlem
$110
Halden
$83 24.6% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Haarlem
$89
Halden
$88 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,934 in Haarlem versus $939 in Halden. 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 20% higher in Haarlem, 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 $101 in Haarlem versus $105 in Halden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $486 – making Haarlem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Haarlem
🇳🇴 Halden
🕒 Local time
15:41 3:41 PM
15:41 3:41 PM
Same time as Haarlem
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
165,396
31,965
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Haarlem Halden 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Haarlem
  • Halden

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
Haarlem vs Halden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Haarlem or Halden?
Haarlem costs about 24% more than Halden, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Haarlem and in Halden?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,736 per month in Haarlem and $3,829 in Halden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Haarlem or Halden?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Halden, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Haarlem and in Halden?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Haarlem and $105 in Halden. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Haarlem compared to Halden?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,158 in Haarlem and $2,552 in Halden. That's a gap of about 24%.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Haarlem or in Halden?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Halden, where all-in costs run around $2,552, than in Haarlem at $3,158. In Halden it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haarlem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Haarlem or Halden?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Halden costs $2,552 versus $3,158 in Haarlem. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Haarlem compared to Halden?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Haarlem or to Halden?
If budget matters most, go with Halden. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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