Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Delft

For one person, living is cheaper in Delft: $2,757 a month against $3,047 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Delft
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Delft Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,047

/mo nomad

Delft

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Delft

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,047 in Rotterdam versus $2,757 in Delft.

Rotterdam $3,047
Delft $2,757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,256 in Rotterdam versus $4,031 in Delft.

Rotterdam $4,256
Delft $4,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Rotterdam versus $5,306 in Delft.

Rotterdam $5,466
Delft $5,306

Living in Rotterdam is roughly 11% more expensive than in Delft, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 125% above, Delft 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.60

$22.55 €20.06

-7.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 €74.2

$96.6 €85.9

-13.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.74

$13.53 €12.03

-2.44%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$3.99 €3.55

9.52%

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

$3.89 €3.46

$3.73 €3.32

4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.01 €2.68

16.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.25 €6.45

$6.16 €5.48

17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 €5.32

$5.75 €5.12

4.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.36 €1.21

8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.84 €1.63

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.93 €2.60

1.02%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.66

$5.17 €4.60

1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$16.44 €14.63

-25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.37 €11.90

$15.44 €13.73

-13.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.62 €16.56

$17.78 €15.81

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.74 €2.44

23.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.37 €2.11

6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.87 €1.66

36.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$4.69 €4.17

-25.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.02 €1.80

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.40 €2.14

-38.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.26 €1.12

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.14

$0.78 €0.70

65.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.61 €12.99

$13.88 €12.34

5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 €5.93

$7.13 €6.35

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.47 €1.31

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.64 €2.35

-4.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.40 €3.92

$2.20 €1.95

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €98.6

$77.2 €68.6

43.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$3.37 €3.00

40.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.48 €3.10

$3.28 €2.92

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$68.4 €60.9

$49.51 €44.04

38.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.42 €2.15

7.02%

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

$42.3K €37.6K

$42.0K €37.4K

0.51%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$39.1K €34.8K

0.57%

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

$297 €264

$262 €233

13.40%

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

$21.43 €19.06

$30.11 €26.78

-28.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.49

$41.17 €36.62

35.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 €42.68

$40.68 €36.18

17.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.31 €26.07

$8.58 €7.64

241.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 €13.69

$14.52 €12.91

6.06%

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

$2,677 €2,381

$1,572 €1,398

70.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$6,634 €5,901

92.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.7

$79.8 €71.0

19.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 €35.08

$41.63 €37.03

-5.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.2

$93.2 €82.9

18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$147 €131

-5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 €1,750

$1,707 €1,518

15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,392 €1,238

14.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,116 €2,771

$2,740 €2,437

13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$2,205 €1,962

3.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,925 €5,271

$6,544 €5,820

-9.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,979 €3,539

$4,447 €3,955

-10.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 €3,678

$3,595 €3,198

15.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

3.89

-10.28%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Delft: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52.1%

Delft

$1.4K 50.5% 12.4% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$374 12.3%

Delft

$333 12.1% 10.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.3%

Delft

$355 12.9% 3% $10

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$337 11.1%

Delft

$338 12.3% 0.3% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$173 5.7%

Delft

$163 5.9% 5.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$151 4.9%

Delft

$106 3.8% 29.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$79 2.6%

Delft

$70 2.5% 11.5% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,968 in Rotterdam and $1,707 in Delft. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 15% 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: $83.0 in Rotterdam vs $97.0 in Delft for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $355 per month, with Rotterdam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Delft

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

106,086

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rotterdam Delft 13 km

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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

Rotterdam vs Delft: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotterdam and Delft differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($3,047 vs $2,757 including rent). Delft is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Rotterdam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,968 in Rotterdam versus $1,707 in Delft. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Delft runs roughly 44% less than in Rotterdam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,677 in Rotterdam versus $1,572 in Delft. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Delft is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Rotterdam and Delft 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 Delft gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.