Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Lelystad

For one person, living is cheaper in Lelystad: $1,710 a month against $2,766 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
Learn more

The Hague Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
Learn more

Lelystad Living Index

Jump to prices

The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,766

/mo nomad

Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,766 per month in The Hague vs $1,710 in Lelystad, rent included.

The Hague $2,766
Lelystad $1,710

A couple spends around $4,187 per month in The Hague vs $2,651 in Lelystad, rent included.

The Hague $4,187
Lelystad $2,651

A family of three spends $5,609 per month in The Hague vs $3,592 in Lelystad, rent included.

The Hague $5,609
Lelystad $3,592

The Hague costs about 62% more than Lelystad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both The Hague and Lelystad sit above the global median – The Hague by 103%, Lelystad by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.09

$22.27 €20.00

0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.8

$82.4 €74.0

10.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.95 €13.43

$13.37 €12.01

11.82%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.81

$4.10 €3.69

3.41%

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

$4.11 €3.69

$2.60 €2.34

58.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 €3.81

$2.33 €2.10

82.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 €6.61

$5.20 €4.67

41.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 €7.11

$4.51 €4.05

75.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.30

$1.26 €1.13

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.63 €1.46

41.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.40 €2.15

6.67%

Eggs

$4.57 €4.10

$4.60 €4.13

-0.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.50 €13.03

$6.80 €6.11

113.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.06 €11.74

$14.20 €12.75

-8.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.31 €17.34

$16.57 €14.89

16.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.39

$2.11 €1.89

26.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.46 €2.21

-11.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.83 €1.65

10.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 €3.27

$3.53 €3.17

3.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.74 €1.56

-21.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.74 €1.56

-27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.28 €1.15

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.81 €0.73

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.77 €13.27

$9.44 €8.48

56.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 €5.37

$6.85 €6.15

-12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.28 €1.15

4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.42 €2.18

-18.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.87 €4.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.4 €75.0

$111 €99.4

-24.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 €4.26

$3.72 €3.34

27.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.48 €3.12

$2.63 €2.36

32.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 €30.42

$26.07 €23.42

29.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.18 €1.95

16.51%

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

$40.5K €36.4K

$33.6K €30.1K

20.83%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$39.4K €35.4K

-0.41%

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

$283 €254

$242 €217

17.17%

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

$28.00 €25.16

$14.72 €13.22

90.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 €50.1

$32.30 €29.01

72.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.86 €42.09

$42.75 €38.40

9.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.12 €21.67

Cinema Ticket

$15.92 €14.30

$13.62 €12.24

16.89%

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

$2,577 €2,315

$2,725 €2,448

-5.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.6K

$8,152 €7,323

44.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €86.1

$92.9 €83.5

3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.00 €39.53

$48.39 €43.47

-9.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.4

$93.7 €84.2

12.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €123

$115 €103

18.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 €1,535

$668 €600

155.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 €1,197

$447 €402

197.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,907 €2,612

$1,330 €1,195

118.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,430 €2,183

$770 €692

215.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,313 €5,671

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,515 €4,056

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,042 €3,631

$2,420 €2,173

67.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.23

5.26%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lelystad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 48.2%

Lelystad

$447 26.2% 66.4% $885

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$367 13.3%

Lelystad

$289 16.9% 21.3% $78

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13%

Lelystad

$322 18.8% 10.7% $38

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$330 11.9%

Lelystad

$297 17.4% 10.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$172 6.2%

Lelystad

$158 9.2% 8.2% $14

Getting Around

The Hague

$125 4.5%

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5% 2% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$79 2.9%

Lelystad

$70 4.1% 11.1% $8.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,708 in The Hague versus $668 in Lelystad. 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 67% higher in The Hague. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in The Hague versus $82 in Lelystad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $297 – making Lelystad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

78,598

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

The Hague Lelystad 96 km

From you

The Hague
Lelystad

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 Lelystad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague costs about 62% more than Lelystad, 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 $4,149 per month in The Hague and $2,565 in Lelystad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lelystad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $668 there versus $1,708 in The Hague.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in The Hague and $82 in Lelystad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,766 in The Hague and $1,710 in Lelystad. That’s a gap of about 62%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lelystad, where all-in costs run around $1,710, than in The Hague at $2,766. In Lelystad it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Hague it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. The Hague has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,710 in Lelystad to $2,766 in The Hague. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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