Cost of Living in Netherlands - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: Netherlands
Address: NL

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $1,155 (excluding rent), and $2,719 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $2,849 (excluding rent), and $5,268 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.04 €19.84

$11.52 €9.92

$34.56 €29.75

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.1 €80.1

$64.0 €55.1

$140 €120

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €11.75

$11.36 €9.79

$17.05 €14.68

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.60

$2.34 €2.02

$5.87 €5.05

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

$3.59 €3.09

$2.38 €2.05

$4.76 €4.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.49

$2.30 €1.98

$4.03 €3.47

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €5.85

$3.74 €3.22

$9.06 €7.80

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €4.89

$3.97 €3.42

$7.37 €6.35

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.09

$1.08 €0.93

$1.70 €1.46

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 €1.99

$1.19 €1.02

$3.55 €3.06

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.64

$1.88 €1.62

$3.65 €3.14

Eggs

$4.91 €4.23

$2.98 €2.56

$5.72 €4.93

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 €12.03

$10.59 €9.12

$22.05 €18.98

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.06 €13.82

$8.74 €7.53

$17.69 €15.23

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 €14.52

$11.45 €9.86

$22.92 €19.73

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.08

$1.87 €1.61

$3.53 €3.04

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 €2.24

$1.79 €1.54

$2.97 €2.56

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.71

$1.78 €1.53

$3.55 €3.06

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.43

$2.35 €2.02

$7.01 €6.04

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.76

$1.14 €0.98

$2.27 €1.95

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.36 €1.17

$3.28 €2.83

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.05

$1.12 €0.97

$1.53 €1.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.72

$0.55 €0.48

$1.66 €1.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.95 €12.01

$10.47 €9.01

$14.53 €12.51

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 €6.01

$5.81 €5.00

$10.47 €9.01

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.27

$1.00 €0.86

$2.03 €1.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 €2.38

$1.52 €1.31

$3.55 €3.06

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 €3.39

$2.37 €2.04

$5.93 €5.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 €78.9

$65.9 €56.7

$172 €148

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 €3.81

$3.79 €3.26

$8.32 €7.16

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 €2.16

$2.03 €1.75

$3.09 €2.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.62 €29.81

$27.70 €23.85

$63.5 €54.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €1.93

$2.19 €1.88

$2.42 €2.08

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

$39.1K €33.7K

$30.4K €26.2K

$42.3K €36.4K

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

$35.9K €30.9K

$30.6K €26.4K

$39.9K €34.3K

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

$257 €221

$171 €147

$455 €392

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

$25.73 €22.15

$11.68 €10.05

$35.04 €30.17

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.54 €42.65

$34.94 €30.09

$69.9 €60.2

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.54 €35.76

$22.71 €19.55

$68.1 €58.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 €20.66

$11.40 €9.82

$38.42 €33.08

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 €13.81

$13.75 €11.84

$19.47 €16.76

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

$2,110 €1,817

$1,192 €1,026

$2,837 €2,443

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,484 €8,166

$5,532 €4,763

$21.2K €18.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.1 €84.5

$45.84 €39.47

$141 €121

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.79 €38.56

$21.90 €18.86

$74.9 €64.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €91.0

$68.3 €58.8

$148 €127

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €118

$69.3 €59.7

$231 €199

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,367

$1,153 €993

$2,355 €2,028

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 €1,126

$923 €795

$1,990 €1,713

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,668 €2,297

$1,758 €1,513

$4,325 €3,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,065 €1,778

$1,355 €1,167

$3,024 €2,603

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,817 €5,869

$5,190 €4,468

$10.8K €9,261

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,112 €4,402

$3,898 €3,356

$7,525 €6,479

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,942 €3,394

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.25

2.5

4.6

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

Last update: March 3, 2026

By City in Netherlands

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
1	's-Hertogenbosch	108780	127	$1,142	$2,496	$2,927	$5,565	171.46	278.33
2	Alkmaar	111834	124	$1,162	$2,461	$3,005	$5,236	148.21	139.82
3	Almelo	73107	118	$996	$2,357	$2,504	$4,430	30.11	308.01
4	Almere	222825	130	$1,114	$2,630	$2,793	$5,108	44.22	323.01
5	Amersfoort	160759	141	$1,154	$2,847	$2,930	$4,977	305.7	284.45
6	Amstelveen	91675	155	$1,144	$3,105	$2,804	$4,944	255.62	304.7
7	Amsterdam	881933	175	$1,238	$3,442	$3,211	$6,584	44.75	284.14
8	Apeldoorn	167191	129	$1,170	$2,610	$2,934	$4,742	235.88	249.49
9	Arnhem	165770	113	$990	$2,264	$2,522	$4,636	180.27	273.99
10	Bergen op Zoom	51834	117	$1,095	$2,381	$2,225	$4,428	284.22	283.8
11	Best	29988	113	$971	$2,269	$2,638	$4,154	98.14	258.44
12	Beverwijk	41626	118	$945	$2,383	$2,121	$4,350	8.05	346.75
13	Borculo	10000	127	$1,142	$2,577	$3,026	$4,875	27	223.57
14	Breda	150008	117	$1,217	$2,358	$3,014	$4,684	122.87	280.72
15	Bussum	33220	136	$1,291	$2,772	$3,323	$5,206	66.76	295.52
16	Culemborg	28955	165	$1,071	$3,268	$2,555	$4,709	87.94	252.34
17	Delft	106086	120	$1,009	$2,414	$2,618	$4,946	90.8	273.72
18	Den Helder	56296	122	$991	$2,414	$2,991	$4,722	72.95	242.34
19	Deventer	102781	123	$931	$2,428	$2,793	$4,467	163.87	323.23
20	Dordrecht	121434	128	$967	$2,567	$2,818	$4,640	112.8	283.39
21	Drachten	45186	100	$872	$2,010	$2,286	$3,814	183.67	252.88
22	Ede	122012	111	$1,152	$2,203	$2,299	$4,200	135.6	107.15
23	Eindhoven	243730	131	$1,102	$2,585	$2,821	$4,954	44	290.39
24	Emmen	108765	117	$938	$2,325	$2,874	$4,447	203.33	281.31
25	Enschede	161235	121	$1,079	$2,432	$2,748	$5,097	22.09	322.12
26	Etten-Leur	43027	122	$966	$2,468	$2,950	$4,626	156	311.11
27	Geleen	31970	121	$992	$2,380	$3,012	$4,563	39.69	304.99
28	Goes	27495	124	$1,182	$2,444	$2,781	$4,509	148.25	269.41
29	Gouda	73427	126	$968	$2,557	$3,166	$5,351	31.78	243.13
30	Groningen	201242	106	$1,000	$2,102	$2,590	$4,224	20.74	282.45
31	Haarlem	165396	145	$1,280	$2,938	$3,212	$5,591	33.71	313.82
32	Halle	2000	131	$1,131	$2,584	$2,998	$4,835	277.75	195.39
33	Heerlen	87086	112	$1,038	$2,218	$2,674	$4,787	207.36	300.07
34	Hengelo	81140	114	$1,181	$2,236	$2,808	$4,578	298.21	294.28
35	Hilversum	93345	154	$1,347	$3,115	$3,269	$5,825	108.68	298.53
36	Hoofddorp	76638	160	$1,019	$3,164	$3,001	$5,793	152.35	297.1
37	Huizen	41273	131	$1,181	$2,612	$3,467	$5,056	238.86	269.95
38	Ijmuiden	31307	126	$1,227	$2,542	$3,065	$4,738	97.84	287.7
39	Leeuwarden	91992	129	$1,031	$2,522	$3,272	$5,130	140.8	290.06
40	Leiden	127089	135	$1,091	$2,656	$2,780	$4,983	14.46	298.87
41	Lelystad	78598	90	$1,213	$1,788	$2,983	$3,904	90.45	315.48
42	Lisse	22995	129	$1,316	$2,552	$2,530	$4,923	202.31	283.7
43	Maastricht	120105	128	$1,125	$2,569	$2,728	$4,730	53.87	259.13
44	Middelburg	40345	123	$1,167	$2,439	$2,691	$4,606	43.45	261.24
45	Nijmegen	-	132	$1,277	$2,685	$3,185	$5,178	136.16	283.44
46	Oostrewolde	-	122	$1,049	$2,459	$2,115	$4,498	-	-
47	Purmerend	79915	126	$1,171	$2,548	$2,626	$4,568	139.88	319.9
48	Rijswijk	51027	132	$1,271	$2,632	$3,258	$5,114	175.35	308.43
49	Roermond	41225	102	$1,031	$2,049	$2,842	$4,255	34.67	259.37
50	Rotterdam	572392	147	$1,213	$2,934	$2,967	$5,569	192.94	299.15

Netherlands Median Internet Speeds (Updated January 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in Netherlands - Frequently Asked Questions

The Netherlands offers a mix of value depending on region and lifestyle. In major cities you'll likely encounter higher housing costs and service fees, but reliable transit, strong healthcare access, and a clean, safe environment add efficiency to daily life. In smaller towns and rural areas, everyday expenses feel gentler, with shorter commutes and a closer sense of community. For travelers, expats, and digital nomads, the payoff is predictable routines, quality infrastructure, and easy access to parks and culture. Cost of Living in Netherlands varies by district; plan around housing and transit when you compare options. Tip: Map out neighborhoods by vibe – city center, canal-side, and suburb each offer different trade-offs.

Searching for housing often means exploring neighborhoods by vibe and price range, from bustling city cores to calmer outskirt pockets. Food options are diverse, with seasonal produce, markets, and a mix of international and local staples. Public transport is generally efficient, and cycling remains a practical choice in many cities. For work and study, co-working spaces, libraries, and cafes offer flexible options with reliable Wi-Fi. When you plan errands, expect consistent service hours and good consumer protections. Netherlands living cost varies by city, housing type, and how you move around. Tip: Use long-term rentals and transit passes to keep costs predictable.

To balance budget and quality, build a simple framework: identify must-haves (quiet workspace, good transport links, access to nature) and prefer neighborhoods with easy access to groceries and cafes. Use seasonal planning for groceries and energy use, lean into public transit passes, and consider bicycle-friendly areas for long-term savings. Budget with a flexible daily routine that avoids peak pricing for accommodations and services. In spring and autumn you’ll find cultural programming and outdoor markets, which can offer affordable or even free experiences. Tip: Start with a 2-to-4-week neighborhood trial to gauge vibe and costs.