Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Thousand Oaks, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Rotterdam: $3,032 a month against $3,797 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
187

Cost of Living Index in Thousand Oaks, CA
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Thousand Oaks, CA Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,032

/mo nomad

Thousand Oaks, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam and in Thousand Oaks, CA

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 Thousand Oaks, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,032 per month in Rotterdam vs $3,797 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent included.

Rotterdam $3,032
Thousand Oaks, CA $3,797

A couple spends around $4,227 per month in Rotterdam vs $5,248 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent included.

Rotterdam $4,227
Thousand Oaks, CA $5,248

A family of three spends $5,422 per month in Rotterdam vs $6,699 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent included.

Rotterdam $5,422
Thousand Oaks, CA $6,699

Rotterdam is about 20% cheaper than Thousand Oaks, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rotterdam and Thousand Oaks, CA sit above the global median – Rotterdam by 125%, Thousand Oaks, CA by 181%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.82 €18.52

$25.09 $25.09

-17.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.1

$100.0 $100.0

-15.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$8.60 $8.60

56.86%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$5.55 $5.55

-20.36%

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

$3.81 €3.39

$2.82 $2.82

35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.07

$1.95 $1.95

77.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 €6.29

$8.21 $8.21

-13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$9.72 $9.72

-38.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.14 $1.14

29.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.94 $3.94

-39.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$3.51 $3.51

-18.52%

Eggs

$5.38 €4.78

$5.05 $5.05

6.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$12.55 $12.55

-6.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 €12.11

$20.24 $20.24

-32.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.76 €16.69

$21.88 $21.88

-14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$5.38 $5.38

-38.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.80 $1.80

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$4.73 $4.73

-46.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$5.92 $5.92

-43.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$3.71 $3.71

-54.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.85 $2.85

-46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.62 $1.62

-8.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.22 $2.22

-43.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.67

$10.16 $10.16

40.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$14.81 $14.81

-55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.68 $1.68

-11.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.54 $1.54

68.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 €3.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €97.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.38 $4.38

2.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.37 €3.00

$1.81 $1.81

86.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.8 €58.6

$35.85 $35.85

83.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 €2.34

$1.48 $1.48

78.38%

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

$40.9K €36.3K

$37.1K $37.1K

10.15%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$26.1K $26.1K

48.58%

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

$300 €267

$163 $163

84.38%

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

$21.55 €19.17

$48.06 $48.06

-55.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 €47.74

$69.4 $69.4

-22.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 €43.11

$66.9 $66.9

-27.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.57 €25.41

$22.43 $22.43

27.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.88

$11.94 $11.94

30.65%

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

$2,658 €2,364

$1,781 $1,781

49.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$42.1K $42.1K

-69.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$50.4 $50.4

83.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 €34.25

$30.09 $30.09

27.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.0

$79.2 $79.2

37.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €125

$117 $117

19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 €1,748

$2,607 $2,607

-24.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,402

$2,448 $2,448

-35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,071 €2,732

$3,705 $3,705

-17.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 €1,991

$3,513 $3,513

-36.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,891 €5,240

$5,959 $5,959

-1.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 €3,528

$5,896 $5,896

-32.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,107 €3,653

$5,918 $5,918

-30.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

6.64

-47.44%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Thousand Oaks, CA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$2.4K 64.5% 55.3% $872

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$375 12.4%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$280 7.4% 25.3% $95

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.4%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$467 12.3% 35.2% $122

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$336 11.1%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$373 9.8% 10.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$171 5.7%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$125 3.3% 27.2% $47

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$148 4.9%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$13 * 0.4% 90.9% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$80 2.6%

Thousand Oaks, CA

$91 2.4% 14% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,966 in Rotterdam versus $2,607 in Thousand Oaks, CA. 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 44% higher in Thousand Oaks, CA, 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 $100 in Thousand Oaks, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $467 – making Rotterdam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇺🇸 Thousand Oaks, CA

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

17:15 5:15 PM

9 h behind Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

124,207

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rotterdam Thousand Oaks, CA 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rotterdam
Thousand Oaks, CA

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 Thousand Oaks, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Thousand Oaks, CA is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,548 per month in Rotterdam and $5,695 in Thousand Oaks, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rotterdam, 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 $100 in Thousand Oaks, CA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Thousand Oaks, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,032 in Rotterdam and $3,797 in Thousand Oaks, CA. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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 Rotterdam. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thousand Oaks, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.