Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Dordrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Dordrecht: $2,640 a month against $3,153 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
Learn more

Rotterdam Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Dordrecht
Learn more

Dordrecht Living Index

Jump to prices

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,153

/mo nomad

Dordrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Dordrecht

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,153 in Rotterdam versus $2,640 in Dordrecht.

Rotterdam $3,153
Dordrecht $2,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,381 in Rotterdam versus $3,716 in Dordrecht.

Rotterdam $4,381
Dordrecht $3,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,609 in Rotterdam versus $4,792 in Dordrecht.

Rotterdam $5,609
Dordrecht $4,792

Living in Rotterdam is roughly 19% more expensive than in Dordrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 132% above, Dordrecht 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 €18.57

$18.81 €16.78

10.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$87.7 €78.3

-2.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.19

$14.30 €12.76

-4.48%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.84

$3.87 €3.45

11.37%

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

$3.79 €3.38

$3.39 €3.03

11.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.69 €2.40

27.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 €6.18

$6.33 €5.65

9.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 €5.39

$5.42 €4.84

11.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.31 €1.17

8.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.97 €1.76

23.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.85 €2.54

-0.35%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.70

$4.05 €3.61

30.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 €10.79

$13.85 €12.36

-12.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.32 €11.88

$14.33 €12.78

-7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.92 €16.88

$17.52 €15.63

7.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.06

$2.46 €2.19

39.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.42 €2.16

3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$2.06 €1.83

23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.56 €3.18

-4.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.93 €1.72

-12.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.61 €1.44

-5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.20 €1.07

25.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.14 €1.02

13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 €12.84

$12.15 €10.84

18.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.09

$7.40 €6.60

-7.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.51 €1.35

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.51 €2.24

2.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.27 €5.60

$4.41 €3.94

42.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €98.8

$90.8 €81.0

21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.09

$4.29 €3.82

6.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 €3.08

$3.01 €2.68

14.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.3 €60.1

$32.97 €29.42

104.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.46 €2.20

4.07%

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

$41.3K €36.9K

$40.6K €36.3K

1.68%

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

$39.9K €35.6K

$38.3K €34.2K

3.97%

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

$305 €272

$411 €367

-25.83%

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

$21.41 €19.11

$31.98 €28.53

-33.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.74

$46.81 €41.76

19.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.35 €40.46

$35.75 €31.89

26.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.35 €26.19

$24.57 €21.92

19.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.99

$14.55 €12.98

7.77%

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

$2,793 €2,492

$2,493 €2,224

12.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.2K

$8,151 €7,273

53.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.9

$74.8 €66.7

24.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 €35.42

$35.55 €31.72

11.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.4

$95.1 €84.9

13.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$177 €158

-20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 €1,845

$1,480 €1,321

39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 €1,502

$1,145 €1,022

47.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,183 €2,840

$2,102 €1,875

51.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 €2,140

$1,632 €1,456

46.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,140 €5,478

$4,287 €3,825

43.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,198 €3,746

$3,794 €3,385

10.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,933 €3,509

$5,205 €4,644

-24.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

4.27

-18.27%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dordrecht: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.7K 53.4%

Dordrecht

$1.1K 43.4% 32% $539

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$382 12.1%

Dordrecht

$490 18.6% 28.2% $108

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$346 11%

Dordrecht

$334 12.7% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$335 10.6%

Dordrecht

$307 11.6% 8.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$172 5.5%

Dordrecht

$172 6.5% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$158 5%

Dordrecht

$128 4.8% 19% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$77 2.4%

Dordrecht

$65 2.5% 15.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,068 in Rotterdam and $1,480 in Dordrecht. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dordrecht pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Rotterdam vs $88 in Dordrecht. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $334, with Dordrecht cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Dordrecht

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

121,434

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rotterdam Dordrecht 18 km

From you

Rotterdam
Dordrecht

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 Dordrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dordrecht is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $2,068 in Rotterdam versus $1,480 in Dordrecht. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Rotterdam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rotterdam – a meal for two runs $85 versus $88 in Dordrecht. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Dordrecht is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Dordrecht is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rotterdam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.