Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Irvine, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Haarlem: $3,158 a month against $3,949 in Irvine, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
193

Cost of Living Index in Irvine, CA
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Irvine, CA Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,158

/mo nomad

Irvine, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haarlem and in Irvine, CA

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 Irvine, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,158 per month in Haarlem vs $3,949 in Irvine, CA, rent included.

Haarlem $3,158
Irvine, CA $3,949

A couple spends around $4,385 per month in Haarlem vs $5,836 in Irvine, CA, rent included.

Haarlem $4,385
Irvine, CA $5,836

A family of three spends $5,612 per month in Haarlem vs $7,724 in Irvine, CA, rent included.

Haarlem $5,612
Irvine, CA $7,724

Haarlem is about 20% cheaper than Irvine, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Haarlem and Irvine, CA sit above the global median – Haarlem by 134%, Irvine, CA by 193%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.84 €25.65

$25.37 $25.37

13.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.4

$99.5 $99.5

1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 €12.30

$11.31 $11.31

22.19%

Cappuccino

$4.20 €3.74

$5.75 $5.75

-26.96%

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

$4.10 €3.65

$2.77 $2.77

48.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.94 $1.94

69.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 €7.03

$7.89 $7.89

0.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.93

$9.47 $9.47

-41.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.20 $1.20

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.48

$5.86 $5.86

-52.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$4.45 $4.45

-42.70%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.21

$5.11 $5.11

-7.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$12.36 $12.36

10.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 €11.56

$20.51 $20.51

-36.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 €18.66

$14.13 $14.13

48.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$5.43 $5.43

-44.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.72 $1.72

44.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$4.28 $4.28

-56.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 €4.39

$6.37 $6.37

-22.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$3.56 $3.56

-46.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$3.45 $3.45

-33.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$2.29 $2.29

-46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.23 $2.23

-55.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.53

$11.69 $11.69

20.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$14.74 $14.74

-47.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.70 $1.70

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.12

$3.21 $3.21

-25.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.45

$1.97 $1.97

40.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €71.9

$72.6 $72.6

11.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 €5.51

$4.61 $4.61

34.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.88 $1.88

32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 €23.20

$36.37 $36.37

-28.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.59 $1.59

61.64%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$36.4K $36.4K

14.73%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$26.1K $26.1K

49.32%

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

$248 €221

$219 $219

13.60%

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

$23.70 €21.08

$69.9 $69.9

-66.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 €53.9

$69.9 $69.9

-13.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 €50.2

$42.87 $42.87

31.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.69 €24.63

$13.37 $13.37

107.11%

Cinema Ticket

$16.27 €14.47

$11.92 $11.92

36.49%

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

$2,607 €2,319

$1,926 $1,926

35.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,728 €5,984

$42.5K $42.5K

-84.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$75.0 $75.0

14.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 €56.1

$40.05 $40.05

57.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$79.6 $79.6

23.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$169 $169

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 €1,720

$2,851 $2,851

-32.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$2,407 $2,407

-29.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,846 €2,531

$4,844 $4,844

-41.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,262 €2,011

$4,218 $4,218

-46.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,654 €6,807

$8,313 $8,313

-7.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,670 €5,043

$7,993 $7,993

-29.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 €3,677

$6,684 $6,684

-38.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

6.64

-42.77%

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

Last update for Haarlem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Irvine, CA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.5%

Irvine, CA

$2.4K 61% 42.5% $718

Eating Out

Haarlem

$403 12.8%

Irvine, CA

$383 9.7% 4.9% $20

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$357 11.3%

Irvine, CA

$475 12% 33.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$333 10.5%

Irvine, CA

$358 9.1% 7.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$177 5.6%

Irvine, CA

$164 4.2% 7.3% $13

Getting Around

Haarlem

$110 3.5%

Irvine, CA

$95 2.4% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$89 2.8%

Irvine, CA

$67 1.7% 25% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,934 in Haarlem versus $2,851 in Irvine, CA. 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 62% higher in Irvine, CA, 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 $100 in Irvine, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $357 in Haarlem vs $475 in Irvine, CA – so Haarlem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇺🇸 Irvine, CA

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

9 h behind Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

209,716

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Haarlem Irvine, CA 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Haarlem
Irvine, CA

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 Irvine, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irvine, CA costs about 25% more than Haarlem, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,736 per month in Haarlem and $5,923 in Irvine, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haarlem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Haarlem and $100 in Irvine, CA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,158 in Haarlem and $3,949 in Irvine, CA. That's a gap of about 25%.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,158 in Haarlem and $3,949 in Irvine, CA. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Haarlem costs $3,158 versus $3,949 in Irvine, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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