Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Haarlem

For one person, living is cheaper in The Hague: $2,727 a month against $3,178 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,727

/mo nomad

Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,727 per month in The Hague vs $3,178 in Haarlem, rent included.

The Hague $2,727
Haarlem $3,178

A couple spends around $4,085 per month in The Hague vs $4,420 in Haarlem, rent included.

The Hague $4,085
Haarlem $4,420

A family of three spends $5,443 per month in The Hague vs $5,662 in Haarlem, rent included.

The Hague $5,443
Haarlem $5,662

The Hague is about 14% cheaper than Haarlem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both The Hague and Haarlem sit above the global median – The Hague by 101%, Haarlem by 135%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.76

$28.60 €25.44

-22.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €79.4

$102 €91.0

-12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 €13.38

$13.64 €12.13

10.26%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$4.37 €3.89

-0.46%

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

$4.15 €3.70

$3.96 €3.52

4.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 €3.81

$3.39 €3.02

26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.38

$7.62 €6.77

-5.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 €6.85

$5.45 €4.85

41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.45 €1.29

4.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.80 €2.49

-21.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.56 €2.28

-3.52%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.01

$4.88 €4.34

-7.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 €13.29

$14.01 €12.46

6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 €11.45

$13.36 €11.88

-3.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.53 €17.38

$21.57 €19.18

-9.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.85 €2.54

-6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.42 €2.15

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.82 €1.62

13.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$5.13 €4.57

-28.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.84 €1.63

-27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.21 €1.96

-39.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.28 €1.14

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.04 €0.92

-9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.34 €12.76

$13.76 €12.24

4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 €5.38

$8.04 €7.15

-24.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.56 €1.39

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.49 €2.21

-20.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.38 €3.90

$2.82 €2.51

55.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.1 €83.7

$81.6 €72.6

15.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 €4.10

$6.43 €5.72

-28.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.43 €2.16

37.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$26.48 €23.55

25.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.57 €2.28

-1.56%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$41.1K €36.5K

1.85%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.1K €34.8K

-0.79%

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

$283 €252

$251 €223

12.83%

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

$28.32 €25.19

$23.86 €21.22

18.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 €48.09

$60.8 €54.1

-11.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €45.96

$57.3 €51.0

-9.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.96 €21.31

$27.95 €24.86

-14.28%

Cinema Ticket

$16.01 €14.24

$16.25 €14.45

-1.48%

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

$2,402 €2,137

$2,639 €2,347

-8.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$6,634 €5,901

77.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €85.9

$84.9 €75.5

13.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 €38.18

$62.5 €55.6

-31.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.8

$99.8 €88.8

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €125

$146 €130

-3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 €1,472

$1,970 €1,752

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 €1,139

$1,700 €1,512

-24.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,769 €2,463

$2,939 €2,614

-5.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 €1,996

$2,282 €2,030

-1.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,171 €5,489

$7,628 €6,785

-19.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,415 €3,927

$5,792 €5,152

-23.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,128 €3,672

$4,255 €3,785

-2.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.8

-10.53%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 18, 2026

Last update for Haarlem: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47%

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.5% 32.7% $419

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$365 13.4%

Haarlem

$335 10.6% 8.2% $30

Eating Out

The Hague

$360 13.2%

Haarlem

$401 12.6% 11.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$331 12.1%

Haarlem

$364 11.5% 9.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.4%

Haarlem

$177 5.6% 2.1% $3.6

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Haarlem

$111 3.5% 16.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Haarlem

$90 2.8% 7.3% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,655 in The Hague versus $1,970 in Haarlem. 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 3% higher in Haarlem, 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 $89.0 in The Hague versus $102 in Haarlem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $364 – making The Hague the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

165,396

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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The Hague Haarlem 43 km

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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 Haarlem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haarlem costs about 17% more than The Hague, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,091 per month in The Hague and $4,767 in Haarlem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in The Hague, 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 $89.0 in The Hague and $102 in Haarlem. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,727 in The Hague and $3,178 in Haarlem. That's a gap of about 17%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,727 in The Hague and $3,178 in Haarlem. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. The Hague costs $2,727 versus $3,178 in Haarlem. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 The Hague. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.