Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and the Netherlands

Name: Netherlands
Address: NL

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $395 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
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India Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in the Netherlands

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $395 in India versus $2,694 in the Netherlands.

India $395
Netherlands $2,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $628 in India versus $3,888 in the Netherlands.

India $628
Netherlands $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $861 in India versus $5,081 in the Netherlands.

India $861
Netherlands $5,081

Internal cost variation is higher in the Netherlands: monthly costs span $1,207 to $3,496, compared to $229–$828 in India. City choice carries more weight in the Netherlands.

Living in India costs about 85% less than in the Netherlands on average.

India (71% below) and the Netherlands (99% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$22.27 €19.81

-90.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.57 ₹1,004

$89.0 €79.2

-88.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.77 ₹358

$13.79 €12.26

-72.66%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₹167

$4.16 €3.70

-57.69%

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

$0.42 ₹39.67

$3.60 €3.20

-88.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.45

$3.05 €2.72

-95.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 ₹186

$6.61 €5.88

-70.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₹295

$5.72 €5.09

-45.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$1.32 €1.17

-52.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.45

$2.25 €2.01

-79.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.3

$2.69 €2.39

-74.72%

Eggs

$0.93 ₹88.4

$4.71 €4.19

-80.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.83 ₹458

$13.73 €12.21

-64.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 ₹276

$14.11 €12.55

-79.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.36

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.66 €2.36

-24.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$2.49 €2.21

-74.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₹92.8

$2.08 €1.85

-52.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 ₹48.04

$4.08 €3.63

-87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.28

$1.80 €1.60

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.72

$1.87 €1.67

-79.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.31

$1.28 €1.14

-66.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.53

$0.88 €0.78

-67.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 ₹488

$14.16 €12.59

-63.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 ₹696

$6.66 €5.92

10.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₹157

$1.50 €1.33

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₹259

$2.55 €2.27

7.06%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.08 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.70

$3.75 €3.34

-93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.49 ₹806

$95.2 €84.7

-91.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹97.9

$4.73 €4.21

-78.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.69

$3.00 €2.67

-91.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$34.06 €30.30

-95.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$2.43 €2.16

-55.97%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$41.6K €37.0K

-72.79%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$38.8K €34.5K

-48.11%

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

$37.73 ₹3,583

$259 €230

-85.43%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$22.93 €20.39

-84.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.89 ₹655

$50.3 €44.74

-86.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.63 ₹1,390

$42.07 €37.42

-65.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 ₹688

$26.22 €23.33

-72.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 ₹301

$15.68 €13.94

-79.78%

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

$56.5 ₹5,369

$2,185 €1,944

-97.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,646 ₹156.3K

$8,876 €7,896

-81.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.73 ₹2,158

$94.7 €84.3

-76.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.04 ₹2,283

$42.95 €38.20

-44.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.04 ₹3,898

$102 €90.8

-59.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.60 ₹2,906

$132 €117

-76.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$144 ₹13.6K

$1,648 €1,465

-91.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.5 ₹8,691

$1,314 €1,169

-93.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 ₹30.8K

$2,547 €2,266

-87.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ₹20.3K

$1,985 €1,766

-89.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,200 ₹114.0K

$6,600 €5,871

-81.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$619 ₹58.8K

$4,779 €4,251

-87.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$440 ₹41.8K

$3,787 €3,369

-88.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.92

3.87

130.49%

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

Last update for India: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.8%

Netherlands

$337 12.5% 230% $235

Accommodation & Living

India

$92 23.1%

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8% 1336% $1.2K

Eating Out

India

$68 17.1%

Netherlands

$341 12.6% 403% $273

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.5%

Netherlands

$167 6.2% 214% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12.2%

Netherlands

$332 12.3% 589% $284

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.3%

Netherlands

$73 2.7% 250% $52

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Netherlands

$130 4.8% 1005% $118

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $119 in India, $1,410 in the Netherlands. Capital cities: $271 in Delhi vs $2,654 in Amsterdam.

National salary averages: $413 in India, $3,603 in the Netherlands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1085% higher in the Netherlands.

Dining out costs 750% more in the Netherlands.

Public transport is 1129% more expensive in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 772% higher in the Netherlands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

3 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

17,100,715

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

India Netherlands 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Netherlands

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

India vs Netherlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $395 per month in India and $2,694 in the Netherlands, there's a 581% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 in the Netherlands and $119 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in the Netherlands it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: India wins on affordability; the Netherlands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.