Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Enschede

For one person, living is cheaper in Enschede: $2,363 a month against $2,727 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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 Enschede
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Enschede Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,727

/mo nomad

Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,727 in The Hague versus $2,363 in Enschede.

The Hague $2,727
Enschede $2,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,085 in The Hague versus $3,680 in Enschede.

The Hague $4,085
Enschede $3,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,443 in The Hague versus $4,996 in Enschede.

The Hague $5,443
Enschede $4,996

Living in The Hague is roughly 15% more expensive than in Enschede, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 101% above, Enschede 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.76

$21.35 €18.99

4.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €79.4

$79.9 €71.1

11.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 €13.38

$15.56 €13.84

-3.34%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$4.06 €3.62

7.14%

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

$4.15 €3.70

$3.55 €3.16

16.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 €3.81

$2.88 €2.57

48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.38

$6.02 €5.35

19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 €6.85

$6.31 €5.61

22.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.35 €1.20

12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.50 €2.22

-11.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.64 €2.35

-6.44%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.01

$4.39 €3.91

2.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 €13.29

$13.75 €12.23

8.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 €11.45

$14.53 €12.92

-11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.53 €17.38

$14.76 €13.13

32.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.69 €2.39

-0.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.19 €1.95

0.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.19 €1.95

-5.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$4.77 €4.24

-22.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$3.12 €2.77

-57.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.13 €1.90

-37.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.20 €1.06

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.76 €0.67

23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.34 €12.76

$14.10 €12.54

1.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 €5.38

$6.65 €5.91

-9.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.44 €1.28

-9.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.97 €2.64

-33.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.38 €3.90

$2.96 €2.64

47.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.1 €83.7

$113 €101

-16.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.76 €3.34

22.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.56 €2.28

30.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$27.53 €24.49

20.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.54 €2.26

-0.39%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$41.9K €37.2K

-0.08%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$38.9K €34.6K

-0.26%

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

$283 €252

$262 €233

7.93%

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

$28.32 €25.19

$21.36 €19.00

32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 €48.09

$44.78 €39.83

20.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €45.96

$34.20 €30.42

51.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.96 €21.31

$24.17 €21.50

-0.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.01 €14.24

$19.13 €17.02

-16.31%

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

$2,402 €2,137

$1,198 €1,065

100.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$7,959 €7,079

48.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €85.9

$93.5 €83.1

3.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 €38.18

$37.39 €33.26

14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.8

$91.6 €81.5

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €125

$101 €89.7

39.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 €1,472

$1,334 €1,187

24.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 €1,139

$1,002 €892

27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,769 €2,463

$2,509 €2,232

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 €1,996

$1,994 €1,774

12.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,171 €5,489

$4,629 €4,118

33.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,415 €3,927

$3,233 €2,876

36.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,128 €3,672

$2,857 €2,541

44.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

4.6

-26.09%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 18, 2026

Last update for Enschede: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47%

Enschede

$1K 42.4% 21.7% $278

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$365 13.4%

Enschede

$328 13.9% 10.1% $37

Eating Out

The Hague

$360 13.2%

Enschede

$335 14.2% 7% $25

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$331 12.1%

Enschede

$338 14.3% 2% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.4%

Enschede

$145 6.2% 16.1% $28

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Enschede

$141 6% 6.4% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Enschede

$72 3.1% 13.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,655 in The Hague and $1,334 in Enschede. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 45% 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 $80.0 in Enschede. Groceries flip the comparison at $331 vs $338, with The Hague cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Enschede

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

161,235

💱 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 Enschede: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague and Enschede differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,727 vs $2,363 including rent). Enschede is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $1,334 in Enschede. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,727 per month in The Hague versus $2,363 in Enschede – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Enschede runs roughly 20% less than in The Hague. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,363 in Enschede versus $2,727 in The Hague, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Enschede but tight or insufficient in The Hague. The gap between the two cities makes Enschede 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, The Hague and Enschede 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 Enschede gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in The Hague. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.