Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Emmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Emmen: $1,892 a month against $3,153 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Emmen
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Emmen Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,153

/mo nomad

Emmen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Emmen

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

A single person spends $3,153 per month in Rotterdam vs $1,892 in Emmen, rent included.

Rotterdam $3,153
Emmen $1,892

A couple spends around $4,381 per month in Rotterdam vs $2,917 in Emmen, rent included.

Rotterdam $4,381
Emmen $2,917

A family of three spends $5,609 per month in Rotterdam vs $3,942 in Emmen, rent included.

Rotterdam $5,609
Emmen $3,942

Rotterdam costs about 67% more than Emmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rotterdam and Emmen sit above the global median – Rotterdam by 132%, Emmen by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 €18.57

$22.22 €19.83

-6.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$82.1 €73.2

3.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.19

$13.56 €12.10

0.74%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.84

$3.41 €3.04

26.39%

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

$3.79 €3.38

$3.37 €3.01

12.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.38 €3.01

1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 €6.18

$5.72 €5.11

21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 €5.39

$4.36 €3.89

38.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.03 €0.92

37.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.21 €1.97

10.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.75 €2.45

3.27%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.70

$4.35 €3.88

21.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 €10.79

$11.94 €10.65

1.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.32 €11.88

$12.73 €11.35

4.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.92 €16.88

$16.42 €14.65

15.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.06

$2.61 €2.33

31.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$2.43 €2.17

2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.80 €1.61

41.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.20 €2.86

5.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.81 €1.62

-7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.85 €1.65

-17.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.19 €1.06

26.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.70 €0.62

84.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 €12.84

$12.34 €11.01

16.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.09

$6.52 €5.81

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.27 €1.13

19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.63 €2.35

-1.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.27 €5.60

$2.19 €1.95

186.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €98.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.09

$8.33 €7.43

-45.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 €3.08

$1.99 €1.77

73.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.3 €60.1

$22.02 €19.65

205.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.36 €2.11

8.47%

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

$41.3K €36.9K

$42.0K €37.5K

-1.55%

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

$39.9K €35.6K

$39.8K €35.5K

0.27%

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

$305 €272

$166 €148

83.57%

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

$21.41 €19.11

$18.60 €16.60

15.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.74

$54.8 €48.93

1.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.35 €40.46

$41.08 €36.65

10.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.35 €26.19

$22.11 €19.73

32.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.99

$13.21 €11.79

18.70%

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

$2,793 €2,492

$2,653 €2,367

5.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.2K

$7,951 €7,094

57.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.9

$77.3 €69.0

20.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 €35.42

$40.60 €36.22

-2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.4

$88.2 €78.7

22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$102 €91.1

38.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 €1,845

$878 €783

135.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 €1,502

$789 €704

113.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,183 €2,840

$1,674 €1,493

90.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 €2,140

$1,367 €1,219

75.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,140 €5,478

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,198 €3,746

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,933 €3,509

$2,753 €2,456

42.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

3.65

-4.38%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 24, 2026

Last update for Emmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.7K 53.4%

Emmen

$789 41.7% 53.2% $895

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$382 12.1%

Emmen

$239 12.7% 37.3% $142

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$346 11%

Emmen

$307 16.2% 11.2% $39

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$335 10.6%

Emmen

$324 17.1% 3.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$172 5.5%

Emmen

$139 7.3% 19.3% $33

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$158 5%

Emmen

$27 * 1.4% 82.9% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$77 2.4%

Emmen

$68 3.6% 12% $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 $2,068 in Rotterdam versus $878 in Emmen. 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 43% higher in Rotterdam, 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 $85 in Rotterdam versus $82 in Emmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $307 – making Emmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Emmen

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

108,765

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rotterdam Emmen 190 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 Emmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,153 in Rotterdam, $1,892 in Emmen – Emmen comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,729 per month in Rotterdam and $2,839 in Emmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Emmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $878 there versus $2,068 in Rotterdam.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Rotterdam and $82 in Emmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Rotterdam, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Emmen, where all-in costs run around $1,892, than in Rotterdam at $3,153. In Emmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rotterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Emmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rotterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.