Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mountain View, CA and Haarlem

For one person, living is cheaper in Haarlem: $3,158 a month against $4,611 in Mountain View, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

222

Cost of Living Index in Mountain View, CA
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Mountain View, CA Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index

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Mountain View, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,611

/mo nomad

Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mountain View, 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 Mountain View, CA and in Haarlem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,611 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $3,158 in Haarlem, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $4,611
Haarlem $3,158

A couple spends around $6,506 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $4,385 in Haarlem, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $6,506
Haarlem $4,385

A family of three spends $8,402 per month in Mountain View, CA vs $5,612 in Haarlem, rent included.

Mountain View, CA $8,402
Haarlem $5,612

Mountain View, CA costs about 46% more than Haarlem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mountain View, CA and Haarlem sit above the global median – Mountain View, CA by 242%, Haarlem by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$28.84 €25.65

-29.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$101 €89.4

-0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$13.82 €12.30

-13.89%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.20 €3.74

27.38%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$4.10 €3.65

-31.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.28 €2.92

-16.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$7.90 €7.03

-11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$5.55 €4.93

78.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.41 €1.26

-9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.79 €2.48

56.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.55 €2.27

92.55%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$4.74 €4.21

14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 $16.31

$13.62 €12.11

19.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$13.00 €11.57

-11.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$20.98 €18.66

-38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.99 €2.66

85.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.48 €2.21

-19.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.85 €1.64

141.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$4.94 €4.39

16.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.90 €1.69

99.47%

Onion (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.29 €2.03

145.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.22 €1.08

109.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.00 €0.89

173.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 $11.49

$14.08 €12.53

-18.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 $13.05

$7.67 €6.82

70.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.53 €1.36

34.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.39 €2.13

1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.76 €2.45

76.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €71.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$6.19 €5.51

-34.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.49 €2.21

95.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.09 €23.21

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.57 €2.29

-41.25%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$41.7K €37.1K

-12.05%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$39.0K €34.7K

-33.93%

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

$289 $289

$248 €221

16.36%

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

$44.50 $44.50

$23.70 €21.08

87.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$60.6 €53.9

2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 $71.2

$56.4 €50.2

26.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.19 $12.19

$27.69 €24.63

-55.98%

Cinema Ticket

$16.92 $16.92

$16.27 €14.47

4.00%

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

$2,281 $2,281

$2,607 €2,319

-12.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$6,728 €5,984

259.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 $51.5

$85.9 €76.4

-39.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$102 $102

$63.1 €56.2

61.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 $148

$98.4 €87.5

50.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$145 €129

2.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,890 $2,890

$1,934 €1,720

49.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,085 $3,085

$1,689 €1,503

82.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,542 $5,542

$2,846 €2,532

94.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,997 $4,997

$2,262 €2,012

120.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$7,654 €6,808

38.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$5,670 €5,044

80.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,341 $9,341

$4,135 €3,678

125.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

3.8

61.58%

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

Last update for Mountain View, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Haarlem: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mountain View, CA

$3.1K 66.9%

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.5% 45.2% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Mountain View, CA

$436 9.5%

Haarlem

$357 11.3% 18.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mountain View, CA

$396 8.6%

Haarlem

$333 10.5% 15.9% $63

Eating Out

Mountain View, CA

$338 7.3%

Haarlem

$403 12.8% 19% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Mountain View, CA

$203 4.4%

Haarlem

$177 5.6% 12.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mountain View, CA

$105 2.3%

Haarlem

$89 2.8% 15.3% $16

Getting Around

Mountain View, CA

$48 * 1%

Haarlem

$110 3.5% 131% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,890 in Mountain View, 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 126% higher in Mountain View, 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 Mountain View, CA versus $101 in Haarlem. Groceries tell a different story – $436 in Mountain View, CA vs $357 in Haarlem – so Haarlem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Mountain View, CA

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

19:35 7:35 PM

9 h ahead of Mountain View, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,739

165,396

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mountain View, CA Haarlem 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mountain View, 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

Mountain View, CA vs Haarlem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mountain View, CA costs about 46% 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 $6,916 per month in Mountain View, 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 Mountain View, CA and $101 in Haarlem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Mountain View, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,611 in Mountain View, 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 $4,611 in Mountain View, 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, Mountain View, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.