Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Alkmaar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alkmaar: $2,394 a month against $2,727 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,727

/mo nomad

Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in The Hague and in Alkmaar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in The Hague and in Alkmaar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,727 in The Hague versus $2,394 in Alkmaar.

The Hague $2,727
Alkmaar $2,394

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,085 in The Hague versus $3,536 in Alkmaar.

The Hague $4,085
Alkmaar $3,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,443 in The Hague versus $4,677 in Alkmaar.

The Hague $5,443
Alkmaar $4,677

Living in The Hague is roughly 14% more expensive than in Alkmaar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 101% above, Alkmaar 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.76

$29.74 €26.45

-25.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €79.4

$88.1 €78.3

1.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 €13.38

$14.67 €13.05

2.52%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$3.96 €3.52

9.85%

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

$4.15 €3.70

$3.19 €2.83

30.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 €3.81

$2.47 €2.20

73.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.38

$5.75 €5.12

24.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 €6.85

$4.57 €4.06

68.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.43 €1.27

6.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.37 €2.10

-6.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$3.45 €3.07

-28.41%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.01

$4.90 €4.36

-7.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 €13.29

$14.23 €12.66

4.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 €11.45

$15.08 €13.41

-14.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.53 €17.38

$16.85 €14.99

15.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.54 €2.26

5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.47 €2.20

-10.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.84 €1.64

11.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$4.25 €3.78

-13.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.94 €1.73

-31.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.15 €1.91

-37.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 €1.13

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.80 €0.71

17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.34 €12.76

$12.78 €11.37

12.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 €5.38

$6.89 €6.13

-12.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.34 €1.19

-2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.19 €1.95

-10.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.38 €3.90

$2.20 €1.96

99.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.1 €83.7

$57.9 €51.5

62.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 €4.10

$2.75 €2.44

67.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.63 €1.45

104.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$24.82 €22.07

33.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.24 €1.99

12.95%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$41.3K €36.7K

1.38%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$38.6K €34.4K

0.44%

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

$283 €252

$242 €216

16.77%

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

$28.32 €25.19

$20.63 €18.35

37.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 €48.09

$46.41 €41.28

16.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €45.96

$46.05 €40.96

12.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.96 €21.31

$6.11 €5.44

292.14%

Cinema Ticket

$16.01 €14.24

$15.00 €13.34

6.73%

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

$2,402 €2,137

$726 €645

231.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$2,393 €2,128

392.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €85.9

$116 €103

-16.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 €38.18

$46.67 €41.51

-8.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.8

$109 €97.3

-3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €125

$118 €105

18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 €1,472

$778 €692

112.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 €1,139

$1,020 €907

25.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,769 €2,463

$2,855 €2,539

-3.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 €1,996

$1,576 €1,401

42.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,171 €5,489

$4,974 €4,424

24.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,415 €3,927

$4,169 €3,709

5.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,128 €3,672

$3,317 €2,950

24.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

-15.00%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 18, 2026

Last update for Alkmaar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47%

Alkmaar

$1K 42.6% 20.4% $261

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$365 13.4%

Alkmaar

$309 12.9% 15.3% $56

Eating Out

The Hague

$360 13.2%

Alkmaar

$390 16.3% 8.3% $30

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$331 12.1%

Alkmaar

$346 14.5% 4.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.4%

Alkmaar

$176 7.3% 1.3% $2.3

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Alkmaar

$78 3.2% 41.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Alkmaar

$76 3.2% 9.1% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,655 in The Hague and $778 in Alkmaar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 24% 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: $89.0 in The Hague vs $88.0 in Alkmaar. Groceries flip the comparison at $331 vs $346, with The Hague cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

111,834

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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The Hague Alkmaar 69 km

From you

The Hague
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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

The Hague vs Alkmaar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alkmaar wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in The Hague. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alkmaar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% higher in The Hague, 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: $1,655 in The Hague versus $778 in Alkmaar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alkmaar runs roughly 62% less than in The Hague. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,402 in The Hague versus $726 in Alkmaar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,394 in Alkmaar versus $2,727 in The Hague, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alkmaar but tight or insufficient in The Hague. The gap between the two cities makes Alkmaar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alkmaar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,394 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alkmaar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, The Hague and Alkmaar 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 Alkmaar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in The Hague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.