Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rijswijk and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Rijswijk: $2,594 a month against $3,032 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Rijswijk
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Rijswijk Living Index
149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index

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Rijswijk

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,594

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rijswijk and in Rotterdam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Rijswijk versus $3,032 in Rotterdam.

Rijswijk $2,594
Rotterdam $3,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,483 in Rijswijk versus $4,227 in Rotterdam.

Rijswijk $3,483
Rotterdam $4,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,371 in Rijswijk versus $5,422 in Rotterdam.

Rijswijk $4,371
Rotterdam $5,422

Living in Rijswijk costs roughly 14% less than in Rotterdam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rijswijk 92% above, Rotterdam 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.18 €19.73

$20.82 €18.52

6.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 €68.1

$84.4 €75.1

-9.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 €7.80

$13.49 €12.00

-34.99%

Cappuccino

$3.55 €3.16

$4.42 €3.93

-19.68%

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

$3.29 €2.92

$3.81 €3.39

-13.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$3.46 €3.07

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 €6.10

$7.08 €6.29

-3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.48 €1.31

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.37 €2.11

-30.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.86 €2.54

-26.92%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.52

$5.38 €4.78

-26.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 €12.03

$11.78 €10.48

14.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 €9.95

$13.62 €12.11

-17.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.71 €14.86

$18.76 €16.69

-10.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.32 €2.96

-40.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.60 €2.31

-23.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.52 €2.24

-19.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.37 €3.00

-32.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.70 €1.51

-26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.52 €1.35

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.48 €1.32

-23.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.26 €1.12

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.42 €11.93

$14.24 €12.67

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$6.55 €5.82

-15.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.48 €1.32

-8.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.60 €2.31

-32.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.09 €4.52

$4.39 €3.90

15.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.8 €64.8

$109 €97.1

-33.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 €4.17

$4.51 €4.01

3.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 €3.07

$3.37 €3.00

2.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.16 €29.49

$65.8 €58.6

-49.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.64 €2.34

-6.44%

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

$41.2K €36.7K

$40.9K €36.3K

0.93%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$38.8K €34.5K

-1.24%

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

$281 €250

$300 €267

-6.33%

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

$19.27 €17.14

$21.55 €19.17

-10.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.88 €44.37

$53.7 €47.74

-7.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 €36.55

$48.47 €43.11

-15.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.57 €25.41

Cinema Ticket

$13.78 €12.26

$15.60 €13.88

-11.67%

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

$2,414 €2,148

$2,658 €2,364

-9.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$12.8K €11.4K

-8.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.1 €85.5

$92.2 €82.0

4.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.35 €37.67

$38.50 €34.25

10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$109 €97.0

-3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$141 €125

-4.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 €1,265

$1,966 €1,748

-27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 €1,145

$1,577 €1,402

-18.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 €1,341

$3,071 €2,732

-50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 €1,371

$2,238 €1,991

-31.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,891 €5,240

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 €3,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,777 €3,359

$4,107 €3,653

-8.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.49

-2.58%

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

Last update for Rijswijk: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rijswijk

$1.3K 49.6%

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52% 22.5% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rijswijk

$350 13.5%

Rotterdam

$375 12.4% 7.2% $25

Eating Out

Rijswijk

$318 12.3%

Rotterdam

$336 11.1% 5.7% $18

Groceries & Markets

Rijswijk

$285 11%

Rotterdam

$345 11.4% 21.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Rijswijk

$170 6.6%

Rotterdam

$171 5.7% 0.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Rijswijk

$115 4.4%

Rotterdam

$148 4.9% 28.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Rijswijk

$69 2.7%

Rotterdam

$80 2.6% 16.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,422 in Rijswijk and $1,966 in Rotterdam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Rijswijk vs $84.0 in Rotterdam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $345 per month, with Rijswijk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rijswijk

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

Same time as Rijswijk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,027

572,392

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rijswijk Rotterdam 17 km

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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

Rijswijk vs Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rijswijk and Rotterdam differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $3,032 including rent). Rijswijk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Rotterdam. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,422 in Rijswijk versus $1,966 in Rotterdam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rotterdam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rijswijk – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $84.0 in Rotterdam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,594 in Rijswijk versus $3,032 in Rotterdam, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Rijswijk but tight or insufficient in Rotterdam. The gap between the two cities makes Rijswijk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rijswijk and Rotterdam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rijswijk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.