Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Netherlands and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Australia: $2,539 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,694 per month in the Netherlands vs $2,539 in Australia, rent included.

Netherlands $2,694
Australia $2,539

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in the Netherlands vs $3,716 in Australia, rent included.

Netherlands $3,888
Australia $3,716

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in the Netherlands vs $4,892 in Australia, rent included.

Netherlands $5,081
Australia $4,892

The regional cost range is wider in the Netherlands ($1,207–$3,496) than in Australia ($1,635–$3,245), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the Netherlands is about 6% higher than in Australia on average.

Both the Netherlands and Australia are pricier than the global median – the Netherlands by 99%, Australia by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$17.35 A$24.97

28.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.2

$84.5 A$122

5.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 €12.26

$10.98 A$15.79

25.59%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$3.84 A$5.53

8.33%

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

$3.60 €3.20

$2.89 A$4.16

24.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$2.29 A$3.29

33.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$7.79 A$11.21

-15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$8.42 A$12.12

-32.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.75 A$2.52

-24.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.78 A$4.00

-19.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.31 A$3.33

16.45%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$4.89 A$7.04

-3.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 €12.21

$9.95 A$14.32

37.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.11 €12.55

$9.06 A$13.03

55.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.36

$14.92 A$21.46

15.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$3.65 A$5.25

-27.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$3.03 A$4.36

-17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.24 A$4.66

-35.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 €3.63

$4.69 A$6.76

-13.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.85 A$4.11

-36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.32 A$3.34

-19.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.43 A$3.50

-47.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.66 A$2.39

-46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 €12.59

$38.47 A$55.4

-63.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.92

$13.84 A$19.92

-51.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$4.87 A$7.01

-69.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.27

$5.28 A$7.59

-51.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 €3.34

$2.71 A$3.90

38.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 €84.7

$94.0 A$135

1.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$3.57 A$5.14

32.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.63 A$2.35

84.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 €30.30

$40.04 A$57.6

-14.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.33 A$1.91

82.71%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$29.1K A$41.9K

42.95%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$25.7K A$37.0K

50.85%

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

$259 €230

$205 A$296

26.11%

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

$22.93 €20.39

$28.24 A$40.63

-18.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.74

$57.0 A$82.0

-11.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.42

$55.4 A$79.7

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 €23.33

$19.46 A$28.01

34.74%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.94

$15.06 A$21.66

4.12%

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

$2,185 €1,944

$2,097 A$3,017

4.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,876 €7,896

$18.0K A$26.0K

-50.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.3

$78.0 A$112

21.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$55.3 A$79.6

-22.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$112 A$161

-8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$122 A$175

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,465

$1,559 A$2,244

5.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$1,215 A$1,748

8.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 €2,266

$2,435 A$3,504

4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 €1,766

$1,924 A$2,769

3.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,600 €5,871

$8,175 A$11.8K

-19.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,779 €4,251

$6,060 A$8,721

-21.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,369

$4,038 A$5,811

-6.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

5.94

-34.85%

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

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8%

Australia

$1.2K 47.8% 7.6% $99

Eating Out

Netherlands

$341 12.6%

Australia

$294 11.6% 13.6% $46

Groceries & Markets

Netherlands

$337 12.5%

Australia

$372 14.7% 10.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Netherlands

$332 12.3%

Australia

$291 11.4% 12.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Netherlands

$167 6.2%

Australia

$165 6.5% 1.2% $2

Getting Around

Netherlands

$130 4.8%

Australia

$117 4.6% 10.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Netherlands

$73 2.7%

Australia

$85 3.4% 16.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,410 in the Netherlands vs $1,364 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,654 in Amsterdam and $1,719 in Canberra.

Average salary: $3,603 in the Netherlands vs $3,853 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Public transport is 15% more expensive in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

9 h ahead of the Netherlands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,100,715

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Netherlands Australia 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Netherlands
Australia

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

Netherlands vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Australia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 6% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Netherlands: a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 versus $1,364 in Australia.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Australia, but in the Netherlands it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Australia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.