Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Netherlands and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Canada: $2,317 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index

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🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Canada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,694 per month in the Netherlands vs $2,317 in Canada, rent included.

Netherlands $2,694
Canada $2,317

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in the Netherlands vs $3,358 in Canada, rent included.

Netherlands $3,888
Canada $3,358

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in the Netherlands vs $4,399 in Canada, rent included.

Netherlands $5,081
Canada $4,399

Cost ranges are similar: the Netherlands spans $1,207–$3,496, Canada $884–$3,722. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in the Netherlands is about 16% higher than in Canada on average.

Both the Netherlands and Canada are pricier than the global median – the Netherlands by 99%, Canada by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$18.00 CA$25.44

23.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.2

$70.6 CA$99.8

26.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 €12.26

$10.78 CA$15.24

27.92%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$3.74 CA$5.29

11.23%

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

$3.60 €3.20

$2.03 CA$2.86

77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$1.71 CA$2.42

78.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$5.56 CA$7.87

18.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$5.64 CA$7.98

1.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.26 CA$3.19

-41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.66 CA$3.76

-15.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.50 CA$4.94

-23.14%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$3.64 CA$5.14

29.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 €12.21

$10.82 CA$15.29

26.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.11 €12.55

$11.82 CA$16.71

19.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.36

$15.48 CA$21.88

11.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$4.14 CA$5.85

-35.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.43 CA$2.02

74.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.84 CA$5.43

-45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 €3.63

$4.11 CA$5.81

-0.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.60 CA$3.67

-30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.44 CA$3.45

-23.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.54 CA$3.60

-49.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.71 CA$2.42

-48.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 €12.59

$14.03 CA$19.83

0.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.92

$13.34 CA$18.85

-50.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.92 CA$4.13

-48.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.18 CA$4.50

-19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 €3.34

$2.42 CA$3.43

54.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 €84.7

$73.1 CA$103

30.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$3.17 CA$4.49

49.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.45 CA$2.05

106.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 €30.30

$26.76 CA$37.83

27.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.23 CA$1.74

97.56%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$27.5K CA$38.9K

51.33%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$21.2K CA$29.9K

83.19%

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

$259 €230

$146 CA$207

77.01%

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

$22.93 €20.39

$42.95 CA$60.7

-46.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.74

$58.3 CA$82.4

-13.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.42

$40.50 CA$57.3

3.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 €23.33

$19.38 CA$27.40

35.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.94

$11.17 CA$15.79

40.38%

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

$2,185 €1,944

$771 CA$1,090

183.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,876 €7,896

$14.5K CA$20.5K

-38.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.3

$53.9 CA$76.2

75.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$38.89 CA$55.0

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$88.3 CA$125

15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$101 CA$143

30.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,465

$1,262 CA$1,784

30.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$1,139 CA$1,610

15.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 €2,266

$2,060 CA$2,913

23.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 €1,766

$1,730 CA$2,445

14.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,600 €5,871

$4,554 CA$6,438

44.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,779 €4,251

$3,933 CA$5,560

21.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,369

$3,050 CA$4,312

24.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

4.87

-20.53%

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

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8%

Canada

$1.1K 49.2% 13.3% $175

Eating Out

Netherlands

$341 12.6%

Canada

$275 11.9% 19.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Netherlands

$337 12.5%

Canada

$372 16.1% 10.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Netherlands

$332 12.3%

Canada

$248 10.7% 25.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Netherlands

$167 6.2%

Canada

$127 5.5% 24% $40

Getting Around

Netherlands

$130 4.8%

Canada

$93 4% 28.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Netherlands

$73 2.7%

Canada

$63 2.7% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,410 in the Netherlands vs $1,207 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,654 in Amsterdam and $1,437 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $3,603 in the Netherlands vs $2,936 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 17% higher in the Netherlands.

Dining out costs 33% more in the Netherlands.

Public transport is 46% more expensive in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 23% higher in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

07:25 7:25 AM

6 h behind the Netherlands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,100,715

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Netherlands Canada 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Netherlands
Canada

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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canada is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 16% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Netherlands: a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 versus $1,207 in Canada.

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

Canada 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.