Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Netherlands and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

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.

130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
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Netherlands Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Netherlands $2,694
Italy $1,825

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

Netherlands $3,888
Italy $2,790

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

Netherlands $5,081
Italy $3,756

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 the Netherlands is roughly 48% more expensive than in Italy on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$19.90 €17.70

11.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.2

$77.1 €68.6

15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 €12.26

$11.41 €10.15

20.86%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$2.01 €1.78

106.97%

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

$3.60 €3.20

$3.13 €2.78

15.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$1.40 €1.24

117.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$5.76 €5.12

14.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$5.73 €5.10

-0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.62 €1.44

-18.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.38 €2.12

-5.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.92 €2.60

-7.88%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$4.17 €3.70

12.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 €12.21

$17.28 €15.37

-20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.11 €12.55

$12.73 €11.32

10.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.36

$20.39 €18.13

-15.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$2.61 €2.32

1.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.12 €1.88

17.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.63 €2.34

-20.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 €3.63

$3.34 €2.97

22.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$2.02 €1.79

-10.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.89 €1.69

-1.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.56 €1.39

-17.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.55 €0.49

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 €12.59

$6.84 €6.08

107.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.92

$7.64 €6.80

-12.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.80 €1.61

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.40 €2.14

6.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 €3.34

$1.86 €1.65

101.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 €84.7

$43.27 €38.49

120.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$5.64 €5.01

-16.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.71 €1.52

75.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 €30.30

$33.04 €29.39

3.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.11 €1.87

15.17%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$35.8K €31.8K

16.45%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$37.4K €33.3K

3.78%

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

$259 €230

$230 €204

12.77%

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

$22.93 €20.39

$11.60 €10.32

97.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.74

$30.40 €27.04

65.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.42

$53.9 €47.96

-21.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 €23.33

$24.24 €21.56

8.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.94

$10.58 €9.41

48.20%

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

$2,185 €1,944

$545 €485

300.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,876 €7,896

$11.5K €10.3K

-22.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.3

$88.4 €78.7

7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$39.60 €35.22

8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$101 €89.8

1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$133 €118

-0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,465

$799 €711

106.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$624 €555

110.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 €2,266

$1,423 €1,266

78.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 €1,766

$1,030 €916

92.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,600 €5,871

$3,601 €3,203

83.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,779 €4,251

$2,270 €2,019

110.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,369

$1,893 €1,684

100.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

3.56

8.71%

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

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8%

Italy

$624 34.2% 52.5% $689

Eating Out

Netherlands

$341 12.6%

Italy

$276 15.1% 19% $65

Groceries & Markets

Netherlands

$337 12.5%

Italy

$350 19.2% 3.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Netherlands

$332 12.3%

Italy

$272 14.9% 18.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Netherlands

$167 6.2%

Italy

$163 8.9% 2.6% $4.3

Getting Around

Netherlands

$130 4.8%

Italy

$65 3.6% 50.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Netherlands

$73 2.7%

Italy

$75 4.1% 2.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $3,603 in the Netherlands, $1,892 in Italy. 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

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as the Netherlands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,100,715

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Netherlands Italy 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Netherlands
Italy

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 Italy: 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.