Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irvine, CA and Haarlem

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.

193

Cost of Living Index in Irvine, CA
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Irvine, CA Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index

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Irvine, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,949

/mo nomad

Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Irvine, CA costs about 25% more than Haarlem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.37 $25.37

$28.84 €25.65

-12.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$101 €89.4

-0.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 $11.31

$13.82 €12.30

-18.16%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$4.20 €3.74

36.90%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$4.10 €3.65

-32.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.28 €2.92

-40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 $7.89

$7.90 €7.03

-0.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.47 $9.47

$5.55 €4.93

70.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.41 €1.26

-14.89%

White Bread (500g)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.79 €2.48

110.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.55 €2.27

74.51%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$4.74 €4.21

7.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.36 $12.36

$13.62 €12.11

-9.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.51 $20.51

$13.00 €11.56

57.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.13 $14.13

$20.98 €18.66

-32.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.99 €2.66

81.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.48 €2.21

-30.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.85 €1.64

131.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$4.94 €4.39

28.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.90 €1.69

87.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.29 €2.03

50.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.22 €1.08

87.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.00 €0.89

123.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$14.08 €12.53

-16.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$7.67 €6.82

92.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.53 €1.36

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.39 €2.12

34.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.76 €2.45

-28.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 $72.6

$80.8 €71.9

-10.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$6.19 €5.51

-25.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.49 €2.21

-24.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.37 $36.37

$26.09 €23.20

39.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.57 €2.29

-38.13%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$41.7K €37.1K

-12.84%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$39.0K €34.7K

-33.03%

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

$219 $219

$248 €221

-11.97%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$23.70 €21.08

194.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$60.6 €53.9

15.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.87 $42.87

$56.4 €50.2

-23.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.37 $13.37

$27.69 €24.63

-51.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$16.27 €14.47

-26.74%

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

$1,926 $1,926

$2,607 €2,319

-26.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.5K $42.5K

$6,728 €5,984

531.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 $75.0

$85.9 €76.4

-12.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 $40.05

$63.1 €56.1

-36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 $79.6

$98.4 €87.5

-19.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 $169

$145 €129

16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 $2,851

$1,934 €1,720

47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,689 €1,502

42.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,844 $4,844

$2,846 €2,531

70.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,218 $4,218

$2,262 €2,011

86.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,313 $8,313

$7,654 €6,807

8.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,993 $7,993

$5,670 €5,043

40.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,684 $6,684

$4,135 €3,677

61.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.8

74.74%

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

Last update for Irvine, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Haarlem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Irvine, CA

$2.4K 61%

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.5% 29.8% $718

Groceries & Markets

Irvine, CA

$475 12%

Haarlem

$357 11.3% 24.9% $118

Eating Out

Irvine, CA

$383 9.7%

Haarlem

$403 12.8% 5.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Irvine, CA

$358 9.1%

Haarlem

$333 10.5% 7.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Irvine, CA

$164 4.2%

Haarlem

$177 5.6% 7.8% $13

Getting Around

Irvine, CA

$95 2.4%

Haarlem

$110 3.5% 16.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Irvine, CA

$67 1.7%

Haarlem

$89 2.8% 33.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,851 in Irvine, CA versus $1,934 in Haarlem. 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 $100 in Irvine, CA versus $101 in Haarlem. Groceries tell a different story – $475 in Irvine, CA vs $357 in Haarlem – so Haarlem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Irvine, CA

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

9 h ahead of Irvine, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,716

165,396

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

From you

Irvine, CA
Haarlem

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

Irvine, CA vs Haarlem: 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 $5,923 per month in Irvine, CA and $4,736 in Haarlem. 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 $100 in Irvine, CA and $101 in Haarlem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,949 in Irvine, CA and $3,158 in Haarlem. 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.