Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Gouda

For one person, living is cheaper in Gouda: $2,472 a month against $3,032 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Gouda
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Gouda Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Gouda

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Gouda

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

A single person spends $3,032 per month in Rotterdam vs $2,472 in Gouda, rent included.

Rotterdam $3,032
Gouda $2,472

A couple spends around $4,227 per month in Rotterdam vs $3,894 in Gouda, rent included.

Rotterdam $4,227
Gouda $3,894

A family of three spends $5,422 per month in Rotterdam vs $5,316 in Gouda, rent included.

Rotterdam $5,422
Gouda $5,316

Rotterdam costs about 23% more than Gouda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rotterdam and Gouda sit above the global median – Rotterdam by 125%, Gouda by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 €18.52

$19.24 €17.11

8.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.1

$90.0 €80.1

-6.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$15.22 €13.54

-11.37%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$4.45 €3.96

-0.67%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$3.43 €3.05

11.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.07 €2.73

12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 €6.29

$7.95 €7.07

-10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$5.84 €5.19

2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.25 €1.11

18.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.21 €1.96

7.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.57 €2.28

11.28%

Eggs

$5.38 €4.78

$4.59 €4.08

17.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$14.53 €12.93

-18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$12.91 €11.49

5.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 €16.69

$16.62 €14.78

12.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$2.68 €2.39

23.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.28 €2.03

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.97 €1.75

27.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.65 €3.24

-7.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.72 €1.53

-1.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.91 €1.70

-20.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.17 €1.04

26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.95 €0.85

32.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.67

$13.40 €11.92

6.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$6.58 €5.85

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.45 €1.29

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.51 €2.23

3.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 €3.90

$3.53 €3.14

24.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$83.2 €74.0

31.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$3.44 €3.06

31.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.30 €2.93

2.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.8 €58.6

$22.00 €19.57

199.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 €2.34

$2.39 €2.12

10.46%

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

$40.9K €36.3K

$41.9K €37.3K

-2.61%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$38.1K €33.9K

1.74%

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

$300 €267

$274 €244

9.31%

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

$21.55 €19.17

$15.23 €13.55

41.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 €47.74

$49.04 €43.62

9.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 €43.11

$59.1 €52.6

-18.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.57 €25.41

$24.27 €21.59

17.72%

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.88

$14.77 €13.14

5.62%

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

$2,658 €2,364

$1,751 €1,558

51.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$13.3K €11.8K

-4.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$95.0 €84.5

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 €34.25

$42.29 €37.62

-8.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.0

$105 €93.4

3.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €125

$140 €124

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 €1,748

$1,785 €1,588

10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,402

$1,100 €978

43.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,071 €2,732

$2,804 €2,494

9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 €1,991

$2,261 €2,011

-1.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,891 €5,240

$5,355 €4,763

10.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 €3,528

$4,381 €3,897

-9.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 €3,653

$2,477 €2,203

65.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

3.4

2.65%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gouda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52%

Gouda

$1.1K 44.5% 30.2% $477

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$375 12.4%

Gouda

$339 13.7% 9.7% $36

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.4%

Gouda

$325 13.2% 5.9% $20

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$336 11.1%

Gouda

$330 13.4% 1.8% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$171 5.7%

Gouda

$172 7% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$148 4.9%

Gouda

$117 4.7% 20.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$80 2.6%

Gouda

$89 3.6% 11.3% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,966 in Rotterdam versus $1,785 in Gouda. 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 66% 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 $84.0 in Rotterdam versus $90.0 in Gouda. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Rotterdam vs $325 in Gouda – so Gouda wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Gouda

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

73,427

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rotterdam Gouda 19 km

From you

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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 Gouda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotterdam costs about 23% more than Gouda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,548 per month in Rotterdam and $3,707 in Gouda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gouda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Rotterdam and $90.0 in Gouda. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,032 in Rotterdam and $2,472 in Gouda. That's a gap of about 23%.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,032 in Rotterdam and $2,472 in Gouda. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gouda costs $2,472 versus $3,032 in Rotterdam. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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