Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Groningen

For one person, living is cheaper in Groningen: $2,348 a month against $3,153 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,153

/mo nomad

Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Groningen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,153 in Rotterdam versus $2,348 in Groningen.

Rotterdam $3,153
Groningen $2,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,381 in Rotterdam versus $3,547 in Groningen.

Rotterdam $4,381
Groningen $3,547

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,609 in Rotterdam versus $4,745 in Groningen.

Rotterdam $5,609
Groningen $4,745

Living in Rotterdam is roughly 34% more expensive than in Groningen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 132% above, Groningen 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 €18.65

$20.31 €18.20

2.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.3

$103 €91.9

-16.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.24

$15.42 €13.82

-11.41%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.86

$4.65 €4.16

-7.31%

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

$3.79 €3.39

$3.90 €3.49

-2.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.09

$3.12 €2.80

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 €6.21

$5.54 €4.97

25.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 €5.42

$5.47 €4.90

10.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.28

$1.46 €1.31

-2.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.51 €2.25

-2.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.53 €2.27

12.25%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.72

$4.56 €4.09

15.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 €10.83

$12.46 €11.16

-2.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.32 €11.93

$13.13 €11.77

1.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.92 €16.95

$17.91 €16.05

5.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.07

$2.96 €2.65

15.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.52 €2.26

-0.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.65 €2.37

-4.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 €3.03

$4.82 €4.32

-29.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.97 €1.77

-14.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.56 €1.40

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.30 €1.17

16.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.27 €1.14

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 €12.90

$14.28 €12.79

0.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.11

$6.52 €5.85

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.37

$1.45 €1.30

4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.45 €2.20

5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.27 €5.62

$4.15 €3.72

51.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.3

$67.2 €60.3

64.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.10

$6.65 €5.96

-31.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 €3.09

$2.66 €2.38

29.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.3 €60.3

$28.78 €25.79

133.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.66 €2.39

-3.76%

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

$41.3K €37.0K

$42.1K €37.7K

-1.75%

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

$39.9K €35.7K

$39.2K €35.2K

1.58%

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

$305 €273

$229 €205

33.28%

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

$21.41 €19.19

$20.69 €18.54

3.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €49.95

$50.3 €45.07

10.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.35 €40.64

$37.83 €33.90

19.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.35 €26.30

$15.10 €13.53

94.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €14.05

$16.95 €15.19

-7.49%

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

$2,793 €2,503

$2,012 €1,803

38.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.2K

$7,714 €6,912

62.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €83.2

$108 €96.5

-13.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 €35.58

$44.69 €40.05

-11.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.8

$105 €93.9

3.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €127

$197 €177

-28.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 €1,853

$1,382 €1,238

49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 €1,509

$993 €890

69.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,183 €2,853

$2,110 €1,891

50.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 €2,149

$1,605 €1,439

49.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,140 €5,502

$5,500 €4,929

11.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,198 €3,762

$3,905 €3,500

7.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,933 €3,525

$3,026 €2,712

29.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

3.43

1.75%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 24, 2026

Last update for Groningen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.7K 53.4%

Groningen

$993 42.3% 41% $691

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$382 12.1%

Groningen

$300 12.8% 21.5% $82

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$346 11%

Groningen

$344 14.7% 0.5% $1.8

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$335 10.6%

Groningen

$331 14.1% 1.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$172 5.5%

Groningen

$205 8.7% 19% $33

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$158 5%

Groningen

$104 4.4% 34.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$77 2.4%

Groningen

$72 3.1% 6.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,068 in Rotterdam and $1,382 in Groningen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 30% 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: $85 in Rotterdam vs $103 in Groningen. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $344, with Groningen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Groningen

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

201,242

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Groningen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Groningen wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Rotterdam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Groningen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% 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: $2,068 in Rotterdam versus $1,382 in Groningen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,793 in Rotterdam versus $2,012 in Groningen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rotterdam – a meal for two runs $85 versus $103 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Groningen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Groningen delivers better value at $2,348 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Groningen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rotterdam and Groningen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Groningen wins on affordability, Rotterdam on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.