Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Bussum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bussum: $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
124

Cost of Living Index in Bussum
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Bussum Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,733

/mo nomad

Bussum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bussum 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 Bussum.

The Hague $2,733
Bussum $2,557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,089 in The Hague versus $3,742 in Bussum.

The Hague $4,089
Bussum $3,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,446 in The Hague versus $4,927 in Bussum.

The Hague $5,446
Bussum $4,927

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$24.87 €22.12

-10.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €77.8

$84.2 €74.9

3.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.89 €13.24

$13.63 €12.13

9.24%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.91

$3.90 €3.47

12.56%

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

$4.28 €3.81

$3.77 €3.36

13.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$3.11 €2.77

31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 €6.37

$5.43 €4.83

31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 €6.79

$5.48 €4.88

39.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.17 €1.04

27.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.33 €1.18

72.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.43 €2.16

3.29%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.20

$4.82 €4.29

-1.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 €12.85

$12.77 €11.36

13.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.18 €11.73

$14.39 €12.80

-8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.25 €17.12

$16.67 €14.83

15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.91 €1.70

32.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.40 €2.13

-7.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.81 €1.61

9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$2.66 €2.36

35.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.01 €1.78

-35.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.56 €1.39

-17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.23 €1.09

-8.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.75 €0.67

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.47 €12.87

$13.92 €12.38

3.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 €5.24

$6.78 €6.03

-13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.50 €1.34

-11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.75 €1.56

11.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 €4.08

$3.50 €3.11

31.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 €81.0

$88.6 €78.8

2.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 €4.03

$4.40 €3.91

3.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 €2.95

$3.28 €2.91

1.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.71 €29.99

$60.8 €54.1

-44.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.26 €2.01

11.50%

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

$41.4K €36.9K

$39.5K €35.2K

4.78%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$23.0K €20.5K

71.52%

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

$281 €250

$282 €251

-0.07%

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

$28.39 €25.25

$24.44 €21.74

16.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 €48.31

$49.21 €43.77

10.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €44.82

$59.0 €52.5

-14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.94 €21.30

$23.98 €21.33

-0.17%

Cinema Ticket

$16.49 €14.67

$16.68 €14.83

-1.14%

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

$2,400 €2,135

$2,374 €2,112

1.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$7,848 €6,981

47.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.2

$58.5 €52.0

63.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.79

$43.85 €39.01

-0.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$90.6 €80.6

19.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$140 €125

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$1,639 €1,458

0.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 €1,148

$1,177 €1,047

9.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,798 €2,489

$2,393 €2,129

16.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,886 €1,678

20.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,067 €5,396

$5,963 €5,304

1.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,538 €4,037

$6,301 €5,605

-27.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,069 €3,619

$4,538 €4,037

-10.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

4.3

-20.93%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bussum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47.2%

Bussum

$1.2K 46% 8.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$364 13.3%

Bussum

$355 13.9% 2.4% $8.9

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Bussum

$352 13.8% 2.3% $8.4

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$330 12.1%

Bussum

$306 12% 7.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.3%

Bussum

$150 5.9% 13.2% $23

Getting Around

The Hague

$131 4.8%

Bussum

$123 4.8% 5.5% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$83 3.1%

Bussum

$92 3.6% 10.7% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in The Hague and $1,639 in Bussum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bussum pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $87.0 in The Hague vs $84.0 in Bussum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $306 per month, with Bussum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Bussum

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

33,220

💱 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 Bussum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Bussum. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,640 in The Hague versus $1,639 in Bussum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,733 per month in The Hague versus $2,557 in Bussum – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bussum runs roughly 3% less than in The Hague. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Bussum 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 Bussum 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 Bussum 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.