Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Enschede

For one person, living is cheaper in Enschede: $2,363 a month against $3,047 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Enschede
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Enschede Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,047

/mo nomad

Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Enschede

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,047 in Rotterdam versus $2,363 in Enschede.

Rotterdam $3,047
Enschede $2,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,256 in Rotterdam versus $3,680 in Enschede.

Rotterdam $4,256
Enschede $3,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Rotterdam versus $4,996 in Enschede.

Rotterdam $5,466
Enschede $4,996

Living in Rotterdam is roughly 29% more expensive than in Enschede, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 125% above, Enschede 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.60

$21.35 €18.99

-2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 €74.2

$79.9 €71.1

4.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.74

$15.56 €13.84

-15.17%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$4.06 €3.62

7.64%

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

$3.89 €3.46

$3.55 €3.16

9.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$2.88 €2.57

21.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.25 €6.45

$6.02 €5.35

20.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 €5.32

$6.31 €5.61

-5.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.35 €1.20

8.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.50 €2.22

-8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.64 €2.35

12.12%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.66

$4.39 €3.91

19.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$13.75 €12.23

-11.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.37 €11.90

$14.53 €12.92

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.62 €16.56

$14.76 €13.13

26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.69 €2.39

25.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.19 €1.95

15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.19 €1.95

16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$4.77 €4.24

-26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.12 €2.77

-45.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.13 €1.90

-30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.20 €1.06

22.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.14

$0.76 €0.67

69.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.61 €12.99

$14.10 €12.54

3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 €5.93

$6.65 €5.91

0.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.44 €1.28

2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.97 €2.64

-15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.40 €3.92

$2.96 €2.64

48.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €98.6

$113 €101

-1.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$3.76 €3.34

25.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.48 €3.10

$2.56 €2.28

35.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$68.4 €60.9

$27.53 €24.49

148.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.54 €2.26

1.97%

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

$42.3K €37.6K

$41.9K €37.2K

0.93%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$38.9K €34.6K

1.21%

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

$297 €264

$262 €233

13.42%

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

$21.43 €19.06

$21.36 €19.00

0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.49

$44.78 €39.83

24.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 €42.68

$34.20 €30.42

40.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.31 €26.07

$24.17 €21.50

21.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 €13.69

$19.13 €17.02

-19.50%

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

$2,677 €2,381

$1,198 €1,065

123.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$7,959 €7,079

60.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.7

$93.5 €83.1

1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 €35.08

$37.39 €33.26

5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.2

$91.6 €81.5

20.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$101 €89.7

37.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 €1,750

$1,334 €1,187

47.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,002 €892

58.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,116 €2,771

$2,509 €2,232

24.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,994 €1,774

14.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,925 €5,271

$4,629 €4,118

28.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,979 €3,539

$3,233 €2,876

23.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 €3,678

$2,857 €2,541

44.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

4.6

-24.13%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Enschede: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52.1%

Enschede

$1K 42.4% 36.9% $585

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$374 12.3%

Enschede

$328 13.9% 12.3% $46

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.3%

Enschede

$338 14.3% 2% $7

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$337 11.1%

Enschede

$335 14.2% 0.7% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$173 5.7%

Enschede

$145 6.2% 15.8% $27

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$151 4.9%

Enschede

$141 6% 6.1% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$79 2.6%

Enschede

$72 3.1% 8% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,968 in Rotterdam and $1,334 in Enschede. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 45% 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 $80.0 in Enschede for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $338 per month, with Enschede cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Enschede

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

161,235

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rotterdam Enschede 170 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

Rotterdam vs Enschede: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotterdam and Enschede differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($3,047 vs $2,363 including rent). Enschede is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $1,334 in Enschede. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,047 per month in Rotterdam versus $2,363 in Enschede – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Enschede runs roughly 2% less than in Rotterdam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,363 in Enschede versus $3,047 in Rotterdam, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Enschede but tight or insufficient in Rotterdam. The gap between the two cities makes Enschede 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, Rotterdam and Enschede 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 Enschede gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.