Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and the Netherlands

Name: Netherlands
Address: NL

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,825 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

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🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in the Netherlands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $2,694 in the Netherlands.

Italy $1,825
Netherlands $2,694

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $3,888 in the Netherlands.

Italy $2,790
Netherlands $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $5,081 in the Netherlands.

Italy $3,756
Netherlands $5,081

Internal cost variation is higher in the Netherlands: monthly costs span $1,207 to $3,496, compared to $1,044–$2,560 in Italy. City choice carries more weight in the Netherlands.

Living in Italy costs about 32% less than in the Netherlands on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, the Netherlands 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$22.27 €19.81

-10.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$89.0 €79.2

-13.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$13.79 €12.26

-17.26%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$4.16 €3.70

-51.68%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$3.60 €3.20

-13.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$3.05 €2.72

-54.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$6.61 €5.88

-12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$5.72 €5.09

0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.32 €1.17

22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.25 €2.01

5.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.69 €2.39

8.55%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$4.71 €4.19

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$13.73 €12.21

25.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$14.11 €12.55

-9.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$17.27 €15.36

18.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.66 €2.36

-1.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.49 €2.21

-14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.08 €1.85

26.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$4.08 €3.63

-18.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.80 €1.60

12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.87 €1.67

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.28 €1.14

21.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.88 €0.78

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$14.16 €12.59

-51.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$6.66 €5.92

14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.50 €1.33

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.55 €2.27

-5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.75 €3.34

-50.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$95.2 €84.7

-54.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.73 €4.21

19.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$3.00 €2.67

-43.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$34.06 €30.30

-2.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$2.43 €2.16

-13.17%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$41.6K €37.0K

-14.13%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$38.8K €34.5K

-3.64%

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

$230 €204

$259 €230

-11.32%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$22.93 €20.39

-49.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$50.3 €44.74

-39.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$42.07 €37.42

28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$26.22 €23.33

-7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$15.68 €13.94

-32.53%

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

$545 €485

$2,185 €1,944

-75.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$8,876 €7,896

29.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$94.7 €84.3

-6.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$42.95 €38.20

-7.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$102 €90.8

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$132 €117

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$1,648 €1,465

-51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$1,314 €1,169

-52.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$2,547 €2,266

-44.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$1,985 €1,766

-48.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$6,600 €5,871

-45.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$4,779 €4,251

-52.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$3,787 €3,369

-50.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.87

-8.01%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8% 110% $689

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

Netherlands

$337 12.5% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

Netherlands

$341 12.6% 23.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

Netherlands

$332 12.3% 22.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Netherlands

$167 6.2% 2.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Netherlands

$73 2.7% 2.2% $1.7

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Netherlands

$130 4.8% 100% $65

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $1,410 in the Netherlands. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $2,654 in Amsterdam.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $3,603 in the Netherlands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 95% higher in the Netherlands.

Dining out costs 16% more in the Netherlands.

Public transport is 110% more expensive in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 90% higher in the Netherlands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

17,100,715

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Italy Netherlands 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Netherlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $2,694 in the Netherlands, there's a 48% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 in the Netherlands and $724 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 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: Italy wins on affordability; the Netherlands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.