Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utrecht and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Oshawa: $2,370 a month against $2,939 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index

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Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,939

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Utrecht and in Oshawa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Utrecht and in Oshawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,939 in Utrecht versus $2,370 in Oshawa.

Utrecht $2,939
Oshawa $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,216 in Utrecht versus $3,414 in Oshawa.

Utrecht $4,216
Oshawa $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,494 in Utrecht versus $4,457 in Oshawa.

Utrecht $5,494
Oshawa $4,457

Living in Utrecht is roughly 24% more expensive than in Oshawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Utrecht 117% above, Oshawa 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.91 €20.40

$14.25 CA$19.98

60.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 €74.1

$63.6 CA$89.1

30.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.78

$8.33 CA$11.67

58.82%

Cappuccino

$4.77 €4.25

$3.54 CA$4.97

34.75%

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

$3.85 €3.42

$1.77 CA$2.48

117.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.89

$1.36 CA$1.91

138.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 €6.03

$4.86 CA$6.81

39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 €6.34

$6.04 CA$8.47

17.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.91 CA$4.08

-47.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.56

$2.91 CA$4.07

-1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$4.12 CA$5.77

-40.05%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.13

$2.97 CA$4.16

56.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 €12.10

$10.14 CA$14.21

34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 €12.45

$13.74 CA$19.27

1.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.92

$16.60 CA$23.27

14.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$4.20 CA$5.89

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.22 CA$1.71

96.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.94 CA$4.12

-26.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$3.84 CA$5.39

-3.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$3.36 CA$4.71

-48.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.57 CA$3.60

-27.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.35 CA$3.29

-33.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.73 CA$2.42

-20.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.76 €13.15

$14.29 CA$20.03

3.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 €6.04

$12.63 CA$17.70

-46.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$3.53 CA$4.94

-60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.49 CA$4.89

-21.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 €3.27

$2.82 CA$3.95

30.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$87.1 CA$122

52.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.83

$2.74 CA$3.84

56.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.62 €3.22

$1.44 CA$2.01

151.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.49 €39.62

$19.58 CA$27.44

127.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.24 CA$1.74

101.61%

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

$40.7K €36.2K

$28.8K CA$40.3K

41.28%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$22.9K CA$32.1K

69.00%

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

$246 €219

$139 CA$195

76.90%

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

$21.97 €19.56

$37.94 CA$53.2

-42.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.25 €42.07

$54.3 CA$76.2

-13.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.19 €38.45

$22.91 CA$32.11

88.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.16 €28.64

$29.28 CA$41.05

9.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 €13.55

$10.86 CA$15.23

40.06%

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

$3,178 €2,830

$922 CA$1,292

244.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,609 €6,775

$8,083 CA$11.3K

-5.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.3

$58.3 CA$81.7

64.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.9 €46.24

$57.7 CA$80.8

-9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$107 CA$150

-3.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$129 CA$181

-2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 €1,751

$1,400 CA$1,963

40.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 €1,336

$1,207 CA$1,692

24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 €2,852

$2,003 CA$2,807

59.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 €2,033

$1,824 CA$2,556

25.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,380 €6,571

$5,158 CA$7,230

43.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,047 €4,494

$10.3K CA$14.5K

-51.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,436 €3,950

$3,049 CA$4,274

45.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

4.53

-30.24%

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

Last update for Utrecht: November 1, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utrecht

$1.5K 51.1%

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9% 19.6% $294

Eating Out

Utrecht

$357 12.1%

Oshawa

$230 9.7% 35.4% $126

Groceries & Markets

Utrecht

$354 12%

Oshawa

$390 16.5% 10.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utrecht

$315 10.7%

Oshawa

$231 9.8% 26.6% $84

Getting Around

Utrecht

$170 5.8%

Oshawa

$108 4.6% 36.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Utrecht

$170 5.8%

Oshawa

$158 6.7% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Utrecht

$74 2.5%

Oshawa

$45 1.9% 39.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,967 in Utrecht and $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Utrecht pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Utrecht vs $64 in Oshawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $354 vs $390, with Utrecht cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

6 h behind Utrecht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,947

159,458

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Utrecht Oshawa 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Utrecht vs Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oshawa wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Utrecht. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Oshawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Utrecht, 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: $1,967 in Utrecht versus $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Oshawa – a meal for two runs $64 versus $83 in Utrecht. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,939 per month in Utrecht versus $2,370 in Oshawa – Oshawa is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Oshawa 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.

It comes down to priorities – Oshawa wins on affordability, Utrecht on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.