Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Rijswijk

For one person, living is cheaper in Rijswijk: $2,594 a month against $3,032 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Rijswijk
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Rijswijk Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Rijswijk

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Rijswijk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,032 in Rotterdam versus $2,594 in Rijswijk.

Rotterdam $3,032
Rijswijk $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,227 in Rotterdam versus $3,483 in Rijswijk.

Rotterdam $4,227
Rijswijk $3,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,422 in Rotterdam versus $4,371 in Rijswijk.

Rotterdam $5,422
Rijswijk $4,371

Living in Rotterdam is roughly 17% more expensive than in Rijswijk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 125% above, Rijswijk 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 €18.52

$22.18 €19.73

-6.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.1

$76.6 €68.1

10.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$8.77 €7.80

53.82%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$3.55 €3.16

24.51%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$3.29 €2.92

15.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$3.14 €2.79

10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 €6.29

$6.86 €6.10

3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.30 €1.16

13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.65 €1.47

43.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.09 €1.86

36.84%

Eggs

$5.38 €4.78

$3.95 €3.52

36.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$13.52 €12.03

-12.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$11.18 €9.95

21.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 €16.69

$16.71 €14.86

12.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$1.98 €1.76

67.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.99 €1.77

30.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.02 €1.80

24.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$2.27 €2.02

48.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.25 €1.11

36.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.28 €1.14

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.13 €1.00

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.94 €0.84

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.67

$13.42 €11.93

6.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.54 €4.93

18.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.35 €1.20

9.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.76 €1.56

47.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.09 €4.52

-13.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

$72.8 €64.8

49.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.69 €4.17

-3.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.45 €3.07

-2.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.8 €58.6

$33.16 €29.49

98.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 €2.34

$2.47 €2.19

6.88%

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

$40.9K €36.3K

$41.2K €36.7K

-0.93%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$38.3K €34.1K

1.26%

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

$300 €267

$281 €250

6.75%

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

$21.55 €19.17

$19.27 €17.14

11.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 €47.74

$49.88 €44.37

7.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 €43.11

$41.09 €36.55

17.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.57 €25.41

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.88

$13.78 €12.26

13.21%

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

$2,658 €2,364

$2,414 €2,148

10.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$11.6K €10.4K

9.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$96.1 €85.5

-4.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 €34.25

$42.35 €37.67

-9.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.0

$105 €93.3

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €125

$135 €120

4.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 €1,748

$1,422 €1,265

38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,402

$1,287 €1,145

22.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,071 €2,732

$1,507 €1,341

103.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 €1,991

$1,541 €1,371

45.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,891 €5,240

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 €3,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 €3,653

$3,777 €3,359

8.76%

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 Rijswijk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52%

Rijswijk

$1.3K 49.6% 18.4% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$375 12.4%

Rijswijk

$350 13.5% 6.7% $25

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.4%

Rijswijk

$285 11% 17.4% $60

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$336 11.1%

Rijswijk

$318 12.3% 5.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$171 5.7%

Rijswijk

$170 6.6% 0.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$148 4.9%

Rijswijk

$115 4.4% 22.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$80 2.6%

Rijswijk

$69 2.7% 13.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,966 in Rotterdam and $1,422 in Rijswijk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 9% 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: $84.0 in Rotterdam vs $77.0 in Rijswijk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $285 per month, with Rijswijk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Rijswijk

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

51,027

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rotterdam Rijswijk 17 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 Rijswijk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rotterdam and Rijswijk differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($3,032 vs $2,594 including rent). Rijswijk is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,966 in Rotterdam versus $1,422 in Rijswijk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rotterdam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rijswijk – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $84.0 in Rotterdam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,594 in Rijswijk versus $3,032 in Rotterdam, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Rijswijk but tight or insufficient in Rotterdam. The gap between the two cities makes Rijswijk 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 Rijswijk 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 Rijswijk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.