Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,478 a month against $2,694 in the Netherlands, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in the Netherlands
Learn more

Netherlands Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,694

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,694 per month in the Netherlands vs $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Netherlands $2,694
United Kingdom $2,478

A couple spends around $3,888 per month in the Netherlands vs $3,608 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Netherlands $3,888
United Kingdom $3,608

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in the Netherlands vs $4,739 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Netherlands $5,081
United Kingdom $4,739

Cost ranges are similar: the Netherlands spans $1,207–$3,496, the United Kingdom $1,143–$4,049. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in the Netherlands is about 9% higher than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – the Netherlands by 99%, the United Kingdom by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$21.61 £16.21

3.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.2

$87.7 £65.8

1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.79 €12.26

$10.82 £8.12

27.45%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.70

$4.77 £3.58

-12.79%

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

$3.60 €3.20

$2.64 £1.98

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.72

$1.88 £1.41

62.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 €5.88

$6.59 £4.94

0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$6.56 £4.92

-12.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.64 £1.23

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.65 £1.23

36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.23 £1.68

20.63%

Eggs

$4.71 €4.19

$4.06 £3.05

16.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 €12.21

$9.64 £7.23

42.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.11 €12.55

$9.14 £6.86

54.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 €15.36

$14.77 £11.08

16.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.36

$2.92 £2.19

-8.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.65 £1.24

50.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.80 £2.10

-25.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 €3.63

$3.32 £2.49

22.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.81 £1.36

-0.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.56 £1.17

19.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.24 £0.93

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.66 £1.25

-46.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 €12.59

$23.79 £17.85

-40.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.92

$10.46 £7.85

-36.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.94 £2.21

-48.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.27

$3.39 £2.54

-24.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.75 €3.34

$3.51 £2.63

6.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.2 €84.7

$104 £78.3

-8.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$5.42 £4.06

-12.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.40 £1.80

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.06 €30.30

$27.06 £20.30

25.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.96 £1.47

23.98%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$38.7K £29.0K

7.62%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$41.2K £30.9K

-5.93%

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

$259 €230

$323 £242

-19.82%

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

$22.93 €20.39

$18.55 £13.92

23.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.74

$42.14 £31.61

19.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.42

$46.76 £35.08

-10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 €23.33

$17.95 £13.47

46.07%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.94

$13.85 £10.39

13.21%

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

$2,185 €1,944

$1,725 £1,294

26.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,876 €7,896

$22.6K £16.9K

-60.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.3

$92.8 £69.6

2.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €38.20

$46.58 £34.94

-7.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$102 £76.5

0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$102 £76.6

29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,465

$1,348 £1,011

22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$1,098 £824

19.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 €2,266

$2,160 £1,620

17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 €1,766

$1,745 £1,309

13.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,600 €5,871

$5,578 £4,184

18.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,779 €4,251

$4,418 £3,315

8.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,787 €3,369

$3,358 £2,519

12.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

5.32

-27.26%

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

Last update for the Netherlands: October 18, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Netherlands

$1.3K 48.8%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3% 16.4% $216

Eating Out

Netherlands

$341 12.6%

United Kingdom

$327 13.2% 4.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Netherlands

$337 12.5%

United Kingdom

$305 12.3% 9.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Netherlands

$332 12.3%

United Kingdom

$384 15.5% 15.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Netherlands

$167 6.2%

United Kingdom

$155 6.2% 7.6% $13

Getting Around

Netherlands

$130 4.8%

United Kingdom

$136 5.5% 4.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Netherlands

$73 2.7%

United Kingdom

$74 3% 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,410 in the Netherlands vs $1,265 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,654 in Amsterdam and $2,852 in London.

Average salary: $3,603 in the Netherlands vs $3,250 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in the Netherlands.

Salaries are 11% higher in the Netherlands.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

1 h behind the Netherlands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,100,715

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Netherlands United Kingdom 360 km

From you

Netherlands
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The United Kingdom is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 9% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Netherlands: a central one-bedroom averages $1,410 versus $1,265 in the United Kingdom.

$4,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the United Kingdom, but in the Netherlands it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The United Kingdom 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.