Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huntington Beach, CA and Utrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Utrecht: $2,916 a month against $3,561 in Huntington Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Huntington Beach, CA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

172

Cost of Living Index in Huntington Beach, CA
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Huntington Beach, CA Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index

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Huntington Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,561

/mo nomad

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Huntington Beach, CA and in Utrecht

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,561 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $2,916 in Utrecht.

Huntington Beach, CA $3,561
Utrecht $2,916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,920 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $4,182 in Utrecht.

Huntington Beach, CA $5,920
Utrecht $4,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,278 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $5,448 in Utrecht.

Huntington Beach, CA $8,278
Utrecht $5,448

Living in Huntington Beach, CA is roughly 22% more expensive than in Utrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Huntington Beach, CA 163% above, Utrecht 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.92 $15.92

$22.48 €19.99

-29.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$85.0 €75.6

-7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.83 $14.83

$13.41 €11.93

10.59%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$4.73 €4.21

23.47%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$3.78 €3.36

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.29 €2.93

-30.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 $7.27

$6.57 €5.84

10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$7.44 €6.62

10.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.54 €1.37

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.89 €2.57

76.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.46 €2.19

98.37%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$4.92 €4.38

3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$13.44 €11.95

-9.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.24 $19.24

$13.79 €12.27

39.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 $15.42

$19.19 €17.07

-19.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.83 €2.52

65.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.47 €2.20

-31.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.10 €1.87

98.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.78 €3.36

47.35%

Potato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.73 €1.54

158.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.94 €1.73

62.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.54 €1.37

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.45 €1.29

69.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$14.63 €13.01

-18.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$6.62 €5.89

128.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.35 €1.20

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.68 €2.39

21.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 €3.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 €120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.79 €3.37

15.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.74 €2.44

-32.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.49 $35.49

$44.33 €39.43

-19.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.55 €2.27

-37.25%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$42.2K €37.6K

-33.39%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$39.6K €35.2K

-33.95%

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

$211 $211

$248 €221

-14.78%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$21.90 €19.48

184.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$47.01 €41.81

67.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 $44.12

$45.64 €40.59

-3.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.35 €27.88

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$15.42 €13.71

-2.59%

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

$1,183 $1,183

$3,024 €2,690

-60.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K $43.3K

$7,950 €7,071

444.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$93.5 €83.2

-31.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.20 $41.20

$51.9 €46.19

-20.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$103 €91.7

-1.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$126 €112

-7.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,612 $2,612

$1,847 €1,643

41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,480 €1,316

48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$3,230 €2,873

52.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,279 $5,279

$2,234 €1,987

136.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,928 $7,928

$6,933 €6,167

14.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,031 $5,031

$4,859 €4,322

3.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,627 $5,627

$4,254 €3,784

32.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.23

105.57%

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

Last update for Huntington Beach, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Utrecht: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Huntington Beach, CA

$2.2K 61.6%

Utrecht

$1.5K 50.8% 32.6% $715

Groceries & Markets

Huntington Beach, CA

$464 13%

Utrecht

$355 12.2% 23.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huntington Beach, CA

$352 9.9%

Utrecht

$317 10.9% 10% $35

Eating Out

Huntington Beach, CA

$316 8.9%

Utrecht

$353 12.1% 11.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Huntington Beach, CA

$146 4.1%

Utrecht

$169 5.8% 15.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Huntington Beach, CA

$74 2.1%

Utrecht

$76 2.6% 3.1% $2.3

Getting Around

Huntington Beach, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Utrecht

$166 5.7% 1121% $153

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,612 in Huntington Beach, CA and $1,847 in Utrecht. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Huntington Beach, CA pays 32% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Huntington Beach, CA vs $85.0 in Utrecht. Groceries flip the comparison at $464 vs $355, with Utrecht cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Huntington Beach, CA

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

9 h ahead of Huntington Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,366

367,947

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Huntington Beach, CA Utrecht 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Huntington Beach, CA
Utrecht

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

Huntington Beach, CA vs Utrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Utrecht wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Huntington Beach, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Utrecht the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Huntington Beach, CA, 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: $2,612 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $1,847 in Utrecht. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,183 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $3,024 in Utrecht. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Utrecht – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $79.0 in Huntington Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Utrecht is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Utrecht delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,916 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Utrecht hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Huntington Beach, CA and Utrecht are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Utrecht gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Huntington Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.