Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Netherlands and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $395 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 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
19

Cost of Living Index in India
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India Living Index

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🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,694 in the Netherlands versus $395 in India.

Netherlands $2,694
India $395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,888 in the Netherlands versus $628 in India.

Netherlands $3,888
India $628

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,081 in the Netherlands versus $861 in India.

Netherlands $5,081
India $861

Internal cost variation is higher in the Netherlands: monthly costs span $1,207 to $3,496, compared to $229–$828 in India. City choice carries more weight in the Netherlands.

Living in the Netherlands is roughly 581% more expensive than in India on average.

The Netherlands (99% above) and India (71% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$2.14 ₹203

940.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.2

$10.57 ₹1,004

741.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 €12.26

$3.77 ₹358

265.78%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$1.76 ₹167

136.36%

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

$3.60 €3.20

$0.42 ₹39.67

757.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.14 ₹13.45

2078.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$1.95 ₹186

238.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.11 ₹295

83.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.63 ₹59.6

109.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.46 ₹43.45

389.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$0.68 ₹64.3

295.59%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$0.93 ₹88.4

406.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 €12.21

$4.83 ₹458

184.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.11 €12.55

$2.91 ₹276

384.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.36

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$2.00 ₹190

33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$0.63 ₹59.6

295.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.98 ₹92.8

112.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 €3.63

$0.51 ₹48.04

700.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.36 ₹34.28

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.39 ₹36.72

379.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.43 ₹41.31

197.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.29 ₹27.53

203.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 €12.59

$5.14 ₹488

175.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.92

$7.33 ₹696

-9.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.65 ₹157

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.73 ₹259

-6.59%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.08 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 €3.34

$0.25 ₹23.70

1400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 €84.7

$8.49 ₹806

1021.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$1.03 ₹97.9

359.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 €2.67

$0.25 ₹23.69

1100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 €30.30

$1.61 ₹153

2015.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.07 ₹101

127.10%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

267.47%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$20.1K ₹1.9M

92.72%

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

$259 €230

$37.73 ₹3,583

586.46%

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

$22.93 €20.39

$3.58 ₹340

540.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.74

$6.89 ₹655

630.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.42

$14.63 ₹1,390

187.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 €23.33

$7.25 ₹688

261.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.94

$3.17 ₹301

394.64%

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

$2,185 €1,944

$56.5 ₹5,369

3764.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,876 €7,896

$1,646 ₹156.3K

439.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.3

$22.73 ₹2,158

316.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$24.04 ₹2,283

78.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$41.04 ₹3,898

148.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$30.60 ₹2,906

330.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,465

$144 ₹13.6K

1047.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$91.5 ₹8,691

1335.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 €2,266

$324 ₹30.8K

685.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 €1,766

$214 ₹20.3K

829.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,600 €5,871

$1,200 ₹114.0K

449.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,779 €4,251

$619 ₹58.8K

672.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,369

$440 ₹41.8K

761.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

8.92

-56.61%

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

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Last update for India: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8%

India

$92 23.1% 93% $1.2K

Eating Out

Netherlands

$341 12.6%

India

$68 17.1% 80.1% $273

Groceries & Markets

Netherlands

$337 12.5%

India

$102 25.8% 69.7% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Netherlands

$332 12.3%

India

$48 12.2% 85.5% $284

Clothing & Footwear

Netherlands

$167 6.2%

India

$53 13.5% 68.1% $114

Getting Around

Netherlands

$130 4.8%

India

$12 3% 90.9% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Netherlands

$73 2.7%

India

$21 5.3% 71.4% $52

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,410 in the Netherlands, $119 in India. Capital cities: $2,654 in Amsterdam vs $271 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $3,603 in the Netherlands, $413 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1085% higher in the Netherlands.

Dining out costs 750% more in the Netherlands.

Public transport is 1129% more expensive in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 772% higher in the Netherlands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

14:38 2:38 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of the Netherlands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,100,715

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Netherlands India 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Netherlands
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $395 per month in India and $2,694 in the Netherlands, there's a 581% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 in the Netherlands and $119 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 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: India wins on affordability; the Netherlands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.