Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Arnhem

For one person, living is cheaper in Arnhem: $2,557 a month against $2,733 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,733

/mo nomad

Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in The Hague versus $2,557 in Arnhem.

The Hague $2,733
Arnhem $2,557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,089 in The Hague versus $3,743 in Arnhem.

The Hague $4,089
Arnhem $3,743

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,446 in The Hague versus $4,930 in Arnhem.

The Hague $5,446
Arnhem $4,930

Living in The Hague is roughly 7% more expensive than in Arnhem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 102% above, Arnhem 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$21.91 €19.49

2.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €77.8

$85.2 €75.8

2.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.89 €13.24

$14.98 €13.32

-0.60%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.91

$4.07 €3.62

7.86%

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

$4.28 €3.81

$3.34 €2.97

28.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$2.83 €2.52

44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 €6.37

$5.62 €5.00

27.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 €6.79

$5.47 €4.86

39.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.48 €1.32

0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.99 €1.77

15.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.29 €2.04

9.61%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.20

$5.21 €4.64

-9.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 €12.85

$12.74 €11.33

13.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 €11.73

$14.14 €12.58

-6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.25 €17.12

$15.77 €14.03

22.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.82 €2.50

-10.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.54 €2.26

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.86 €1.65

6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$5.39 €4.79

-33.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.88 €1.67

-30.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.39 €2.13

-46.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.22 €1.08

-8.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.71 €0.63

30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.47 €12.87

$14.23 €12.65

1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 €5.24

$7.15 €6.36

-17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.44 €1.28

-7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.63 €2.34

-25.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 €4.08

$4.35 €3.87

5.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 €81.0

$113 €100

-19.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 €4.03

$4.00 €3.56

13.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.38 €2.12

39.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.71 €29.99

$32.86 €29.23

2.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.39 €2.12

5.44%

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

$41.4K €36.9K

$41.8K €37.2K

-0.94%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$39.7K €35.3K

-0.51%

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

$281 €250

$276 €245

2.13%

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

$28.39 €25.25

$22.71 €20.20

25.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 €48.31

$42.44 €37.75

27.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €44.82

$41.30 €36.73

22.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.94 €21.30

$10.99 €9.78

117.83%

Cinema Ticket

$16.49 €14.67

$14.38 €12.79

14.67%

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

$2,400 €2,135

$1,259 €1,120

90.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$5,925 €5,270

95.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.2

$95.3 €84.8

0.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.79

$29.13 €25.91

49.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$107 €94.8

1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$152 €136

-10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,436 €1,278

14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 €1,148

$1,159 €1,031

11.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 €2,489

$2,228 €1,982

25.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,834 €1,632

23.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,067 €5,396

$5,312 €4,725

14.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,538 €4,037

$4,175 €3,714

8.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,069 €3,619

$3,723 €3,312

9.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.95

-13.92%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arnhem: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47.2%

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3% 10.2% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$364 13.3%

Arnhem

$341 13.3% 6.4% $23

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Arnhem

$333 13% 7.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$330 12.1%

Arnhem

$335 13.1% 1.5% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.3%

Arnhem

$173 6.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

The Hague

$131 4.8%

Arnhem

$146 5.7% 11.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$83 3.1%

Arnhem

$70 2.7% 16% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in The Hague and $1,436 in Arnhem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague 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: $87.0 in The Hague vs $85.0 in Arnhem. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $335, with The Hague cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

165,770

💱 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

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

The Hague and Arnhem differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,733 vs $2,557 including rent). Arnhem is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $1,640 in The Hague versus $1,436 in Arnhem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in The Hague pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arnhem – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $87.0 in The Hague. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Arnhem is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, The Hague and Arnhem 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 Arnhem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in The Hague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.