Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Desert, CA and Middelburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $2,283 a month against $3,410 in Palm Desert, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Palm Desert, CA
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Palm Desert, CA Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Palm Desert, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,410

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palm Desert, CA and in Middelburg

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

A single person spends $3,410 per month in Palm Desert, CA vs $2,283 in Middelburg, rent included.

Palm Desert, CA $3,410
Middelburg $2,283

A couple spends around $4,782 per month in Palm Desert, CA vs $3,354 in Middelburg, rent included.

Palm Desert, CA $4,782
Middelburg $3,354

A family of three spends $6,154 per month in Palm Desert, CA vs $4,425 in Middelburg, rent included.

Palm Desert, CA $6,154
Middelburg $4,425

Palm Desert, CA costs about 49% more than Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Palm Desert, CA and Middelburg sit above the global median – Palm Desert, CA by 153%, Middelburg by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.48 $26.48

$13.10 €11.65

102.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$89.9 €80.0

-17.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 $11.29

$12.20 €10.86

-7.46%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.11 €3.65

35.52%

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

$3.45 $3.45

$3.41 €3.04

1.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.19 €2.84

-16.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 $7.96

$7.01 €6.23

13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.89 €6.13

46.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.36 €1.21

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.21 €1.96

107.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.97 €1.76

132.99%

Eggs

$5.76 $5.76

$4.45 €3.95

29.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 $13.89

$12.33 €10.96

12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$12.89 €11.47

23.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 $19.33

$19.18 €17.06

0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.68 €2.39

85.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.25 €2.00

-0.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.03 €1.80

137.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$3.55 €3.16

50.14%

Potato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.29 €1.15

244.19%

Onion (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.14 €1.02

278.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.12 €1.00

91.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.92 €0.82

178.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.69 $11.69

$11.61 €10.32

0.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$5.78 €5.14

155.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.35 €1.20

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.86 €1.65

46.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$4.59 €4.09

-31.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.46 €3.08

-45.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.09 $24.09

$33.26 €29.58

-27.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.32 €2.06

-42.67%

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

$33.6K $33.6K

$41.7K €37.1K

-19.44%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$38.1K €33.9K

-32.91%

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

$243 $243

$142 €127

70.60%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$28.79 €25.60

165.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$53.9 €47.91

23.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.01 €40.03

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 €12.53

Cinema Ticket

$13.25 $13.25

$10.14 €9.02

30.67%

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

$545 $545

$2,381 €2,117

-77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,508 $8,508

$11.7K €10.4K

-27.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$95.4 €84.9

-47.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.02 $35.02

$43.76 €38.93

-19.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 $70.8

$106 €94.2

-33.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$140 €124

-1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 $2,502

$1,407 €1,252

77.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 $1,988

$1,215 €1,081

63.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,209 $3,209

$2,045 €1,819

56.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,053 $3,053

$1,874 €1,667

62.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,339 $4,339

$4,112 €3,658

5.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

3.4

96.47%

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

Last update for Palm Desert, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palm Desert, CA

$2K 58.3%

Middelburg

$1.2K 53.2% 38.9% $773

Groceries & Markets

Palm Desert, CA

$468 13.7%

Middelburg

$317 13.9% 32.3% $151

Eating Out

Palm Desert, CA

$397 11.6%

Middelburg

$266 11.6% 33% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palm Desert, CA

$386 11.3%

Middelburg

$225 9.9% 41.7% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Palm Desert, CA

$132 3.9%

Middelburg

$173 7.6% 31% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Palm Desert, CA

$27 * 0.8%

Middelburg

$65 2.9% 146% $39

Getting Around

Palm Desert, CA

$13 * 0.4%

Middelburg

$22 * 1% 72.8% $9.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,502 in Palm Desert, CA versus $1,407 in Middelburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Palm Desert, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Palm Desert, CA versus $90.0 in Middelburg. Groceries tell a different story – $468 in Palm Desert, CA vs $317 in Middelburg – so Middelburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Palm Desert, CA

🇳🇱 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

16:05 4:05 PM

9 h ahead of Palm Desert, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,163

40,345

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Palm Desert, CA Middelburg 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Palm Desert, CA
Middelburg

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

Palm Desert, CA vs Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Palm Desert, CA is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,115 per month in Palm Desert, CA and $3,425 in Middelburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Middelburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,410 in Palm Desert, CA and $2,283 in Middelburg. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $545 per month in Palm Desert, CA and $2,381 in Middelburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Middelburg, where all-in costs run around $2,283, than in Palm Desert, CA at $3,410. In Middelburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Palm Desert, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Middelburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Middelburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Palm Desert, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.