Three worked monthly budgets
Each line below is either a figure from the dataset or a fixed US reference amount scaled by this country's index for that category. The reference column stays on screen so you can see exactly what was multiplied by what, and swap in your own number where your life differs.
One person, outside the city centre
A single adult renting a one-bedroom away from the centre, cooking most nights, using public transport rather than running a car. Living outside the centre is what makes this budget work in the Netherlands: a central one-bedroom runs 34% more than an outer one, $1,640 against $1,225.
| Line item | How it was derived | In the Netherlands | Same line, US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, one-bed outside the centre | Market average for a one-bedroom, taken straight from the data | $1,225 | $1,350 |
| Groceries and household | $400 US reference × groceries index 75 | $300 | $400 |
| Utilities, phone and internet | $210 US reference × utilities index 123 | $258 | $210 |
| Local transport | $120 US reference × transport index 86 | $103 | $120 |
| Eating and drinking out | $170 US reference × restaurant index 95 | $162 | $170 |
| Everything else (clothes, leisure, repairs) | $240 US reference × overall price index 88 | $211 | $240 |
| Monthly total | $2,259 | $2,490 | |
The same basket runs $231 a month less than it would in the United States, or about $2,772 across a year.
A couple, one-bedroom in the centre
Two people sharing a central one-bedroom, two transport passes, a bigger grocery bill and a real restaurant habit. On one average Dutch net salary that flat alone would take 42% of take-home pay, against 40% in the US — which is why this household is two incomes, or one large one.
| Line item | How it was derived | In the Netherlands | Same line, US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, one-bed in the centre | Market average for a one-bedroom, taken straight from the data | $1,640 | $1,700 |
| Groceries and household | $680 US reference × groceries index 75 | $510 | $680 |
| Utilities, phone and internet | $265 US reference × utilities index 123 | $326 | $265 |
| Local transport, two people | $215 US reference × transport index 86 | $185 | $215 |
| Eating and drinking out | $360 US reference × restaurant index 95 | $342 | $360 |
| Everything else (clothes, leisure, repairs) | $430 US reference × overall price index 88 | $378 | $430 |
| Monthly total | $3,381 | $3,650 | |
The same basket runs $269 a month less than it would in the United States, or about $3,228 across a year.
Remote worker still paid by a US employer
Central flat, no Dutch employer and therefore no employer health cover, plus the travel and connectivity costs that come with keeping a US job from abroad. This is the household that gains most from the gap here: US pay meeting the Netherlands prices at an overall index of 88 against 100, with private cover at $182 a month as the standing cost of not being on a local payroll.
| Line item | How it was derived | In the Netherlands | Same line, US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, one-bed in the centre | Market average for a one-bedroom, taken straight from the data | $1,640 | $1,700 |
| Groceries and household | $470 US reference × groceries index 75 | $353 | $470 |
| Utilities, phone, internet and a desk | $300 US reference × utilities index 123 | $369 | $300 |
| Local transport | $150 US reference × transport index 86 | $129 | $150 |
| Eating and drinking out | $420 US reference × restaurant index 95 | $399 | $420 |
| Everything else, including travel home | $520 US reference × overall price index 88 | $458 | $520 |
| Private health cover, one adult | Typical private premium in the dataset, not scaled | $182 | Not comparable |
| Monthly total | $3,530 | $3,560 | |
The same basket runs $212 a month less than it would in the United States, or about $2,544 across a year. The US column excludes health cover because the structures do not line up: Employer-sponsored single coverage averaged about $777 a month in total premium, most of it paid by the employer, before deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.
These are models, not surveyed household budgets. They take national price levels and apply them to a fixed reference basket, so they describe the price environment rather than anyone's actual spending. Capital cities routinely run above the national index, second cities below it, and a car, school fees, childcare or debt payments would each add a line that is not here.
Category by category against the US
The overall index hides the spread. The category that comes out best against the US is groceries at an index of 75; the one that comes out worst is utilities at 123, a spread of 48 points between them. Budget from the categories you actually spend in rather than from the headline number: a household that eats out four nights a week is exposed to a different index than one that cooks.
| Category | Index | Compared with the US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall consumer prices (including rent) | 88 | Cheaper | 12% less |
| Rent | 90 | Cheaper | 10% less |
| Groceries | 75 | Cheaper | 25% less |
| Restaurants | 95 | Similar | 5% less |
| Transport | 86 | Cheaper | 14% less |
| Utilities | 123 | Pricier | 23% more |
In the Netherlands, overall consumer prices run about 12% below the US average — an index of 88 against a US national average of 100. In the Netherlands, rent runs about 10% below the US average — an index of 90 against a US national average of 100. In the Netherlands, groceries run about 25% below the US average — an index of 75 against a US national average of 100. In the Netherlands, eating out runs about 5% below the US average — an index of 95 against a US national average of 100. In the Netherlands, local transport runs about 14% below the US average — an index of 86 against a US national average of 100. In the Netherlands, utilities run about 23% above the US average — an index of 123 against a US national average of 100. Figures reviewed September 4, 2026.
| Location | Netherlands | United States |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | $1,640 | $1,700 |
| Outside centre | $1,225 | $1,350 |
| Average net salary | $3,950 | $4,230 |
Rent is the line worth stress-testing first. A central one-bedroom averages $1,640 against $1,700 in the US, and moving out of the centre takes it to $1,225, a difference of $415 a month before anything else in the budget changes.
How each category ranks across the tracked countries
The table above compares the Netherlands with the United States. This one compares it with everywhere else on this site, category by category, so you can see which line items are a real advantage here and which are simply normal across the countries Americans look at.
| Category | the Netherlands | Median of the set | Rank | Cheapest in the set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall prices | 88 | 87 | 9 of 15 | Thailand (32) |
| Rent | 90 | 77 | 11 of 15 | Thailand (29) |
| Groceries | 75 | 93 | 2 of 15 | Thailand (64) |
| Restaurants | 95 | 94 | 9 of 15 | Thailand (26) |
| Transport | 86 | 103 | 4 of 15 | Thailand (52) |
| Utilities | 123 | 93 | 11 of 15 | Thailand (17) |
Where the Netherlands ranks in this dataset
Against the 15 countries tracked here, the Netherlands is number 9 from the cheapest, and 6 of them are more expensive. The cheapest in the set is Thailand at 32, the priciest Ireland at 100.
| Rank | Country | Index | vs US | 1-bed, centre | $4,230 of US spending costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand | 32 | 67.7% less | $475 | $1,366 |
| 2 | Mexico | 62 | 38% less | $765 | $2,623 |
| 3 | Portugal | 63 | 37% less | $1,200 | $2,665 |
| 4 | Japan | 66 | 34.3% less | $1,280 | $2,779 |
| 5 | Spain | 70 | 30% less | $1,390 | $2,961 |
| 6 | Italy | 71 | 29% less | $1,200 | $3,003 |
| 7 | Germany | 72 | 28.5% less | $645 | $3,024 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 87 | 13% less | $1,112 | $3,680 |
| 9 | Netherlands You are here | 88 | 12% less | $1,640 | $3,722 |
| 10 | Canada | 91 | 9% less | $1,433 | $3,849 |
| 11 | Sweden | 92 | 8% less | $1,206 | $3,892 |
| 12 | United Kingdom | 92 | 8% less | $2,370 | $3,892 |
| 13 | Norway | 99 | about level | $1,642 | $4,188 |
| 14 | Australia | 100 | about level | $1,675 | $4,230 |
| 15 | Ireland | 100 | about level | $2,263 | $4,230 |
What a US take-home packet is worth in the Netherlands
The same dollars buy a different amount of life once the local price level applies. Each card takes a US monthly take-home figure, reprices the identical standard of living at an index of 88, and shows what is left over. Rent share is the central one-bedroom as a percentage of that take-home, next to the same share in the US.
Modest take-home
$3,000/mo take-home
- Same lifestyle costs
- $2,640
- Left over each month
- +$360
- Buys what this would in the US
- $3,409
- Central rent as a share of pay
- 55% vs 57% in the US
US average net pay
$4,230/mo take-home
- Same lifestyle costs
- $3,722
- Left over each month
- +$508
- Buys what this would in the US
- $4,807
- Central rent as a share of pay
- 39% vs 40% in the US
Senior take-home
$8,000/mo take-home
- Same lifestyle costs
- $7,040
- Left over each month
- +$960
- Buys what this would in the US
- $9,091
- Central rent as a share of pay
- 21% vs 21% in the US
Take-home is the number that matters here, so these figures assume you have already paid tax somewhere. Where that tax is due is a separate question with real money attached. How the Netherlands tax rules treat Americans →
The same budgets against the pay that usually funds them
An index tells you what things cost, not whether you can afford them. The average local net salary in the Netherlands is $3,950 a month against $4,230 in the US, so the budgets above land very differently depending on who is paying you. The share column is the modelled budget as a percentage of that net pay.
| Household | Budget in the Netherlands | Income assumed | Share of net pay | Same basket, US pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single person, local job | $2,259 | Local average net pay, $3,950 | 57% | 59% |
| Couple, two local jobs | $3,381 | Two local average net salaries, $7,900 | 43% | 43% |
| Remote worker, US employer | $3,530 | US average net pay, $4,230 | 83% | 84% |
A local job also means local deductions. The top personal income tax rate in the Netherlands is 49.5% and VAT or sales tax runs at 21% on most of what you buy, which is already inside the price indices above but not inside a US gross salary you might be comparing against.
Run your own number for the Netherlands
Put your real take-home in and the comparison reruns against the Netherlands price level, with and without rent.
A ratio, not a budget: it scales your income by the country's overall consumer price level against the US average. Your actual costs depend on the city and how you live. Rent figures are national market averages for a one-bedroom apartment.
Cost questions about the Netherlands
How much money do I need to move to the Netherlands from the US?
Budget roughly $12,000 to $18,000 for a solo move. A city-centre one-bedroom in Amsterdam runs about $1,640 a month, landlords usually want two months' deposit plus the first month up front, and many demand proof of gross income at three to four times the rent. Add 423 euros for a work or DAFT permit, 4,500 euros of business capital if you use DAFT, about $182 a month for the compulsory Dutch basic health insurance, which every resident must buy, and flights and shipping.
Is the Netherlands cheaper than the US?
Overall, yes, by about 12 percent on Eurostat and World Bank price data, but it is uneven. Groceries run roughly 25 percent below US levels. Utilities go the other way: electricity, gas, water and the municipal refuse charge come to about $257 a month for an average Dutch dwelling against a US equivalent of about $210, so bills run roughly a fifth higher. Rent for a new tenant runs at about 90 percent of American levels, and petrol at about $10.17 a gallon is two and a half times the US price. Net salaries are also lower: the Dutch average net wage is around $3,950 a month.
How hard is it to find an apartment in the Netherlands?
Hard, and worse in Amsterdam and Utrecht than anywhere else. CBS records single private-sector tenants under 35 paying 1,159 euros a month in Amsterdam in 2024 against 867 euros nationally, and liberalised-sector rents rose a further 4.4 percent in 2025 and 4.5 percent in 2026. Landlords commonly screen on gross income of three to four times the rent and dozens of people apply per viewing. Most newcomers take a short-stay or furnished place first, register there, and search properly once they have a BSN.
Sources and method
Indices are expressed against a US national average of 100 and reconciled from the sources below. Rent and salary figures are national averages in US dollars. The budget tables multiply those indices by the reference amounts printed in each row; no figure on this page comes from a household survey, and none of it is financial advice.
What these numbers are. The headline figures were re-derived from primary sources during review. Some category indices could not be matched to a published statistic and are reasoned estimates, marked as such in the list below. Where a source entry says a value is derived, estimated or crowd-sourced, that is exactly what it is: no international body publishes a like-for-like index for every category, and private insurance premiums are not published at all in most countries. Rent figures are national market averages, so a capital city will run above them. How the dataset is built.
- Eurostat, Purchasing power parities and price level indices (prc_ppp_ind), 2024, price level indices with EU27=100: household final consumption expenditure (E011) Netherlands 116.0 and United States 138.7, which puts the Netherlands at 83.6% of the US level at the 2024 average rate of $1.08238 per euro and 89.8% restated at the 4 September 2026 rate of $1.1622. On the broader actual individual consumption measure (A01) the figures are Netherlands 121.0 and United States 149.2, giving 87.1% restated; note that 149.2 is the US A01 value and must not be set against the Dutch E011 value. Netherlands category PLIs: food and non-alcoholic beverages 98.9, housing/water/electricity/gas 129.8, electricity/gas/other fuels 110.5, transport 112.9, restaurants and hotels 124.6. Eurostat publishes only GDP, actual individual consumption and household consumption PLIs for the United States, not a category breakdown, so the groceries, transport and dining indices on this page are the Dutch category PLI scaled by the published overall index (category index = 88 x Dutch category PLI / 116.0, giving 75, 86 and 95). That assumes US category prices sit at the US overall level, so those three are approximations rather than like-for-like category comparisons. The utilities and rent indices are deliberately not derived this way: utilities is built bottom-up from CBS consumer tariffs and CBS dwelling consumption, and rent from CBS woonlasten, both set out below — accessed September 4, 2026
- World Bank, PPP conversion factor for household final consumption (PA.NUS.PRVT.PP) and official exchange rate (PA.NUS.FCRF), 2024: Netherlands 0.74195 euro per international dollar against a market rate of 0.9239 euro per US dollar, a price level of 80.3% of the US at 2024 rates or 86.2% at the 4 September 2026 rate (the US PPP conversion factor is 1 by construction). Used as the cross-check on the Eurostat figure; against Eurostat's 89.8% on household consumption and 87.1% on actual individual consumption, this page publishes 88 — accessed September 4, 2026
- European Central Bank, euro reference exchange rate US dollar: 1.1622 on 4 September 2026, the rate used for every currency conversion on this page — accessed September 4, 2026
- Eurostat, Annual net earnings (earn_nt_net), Netherlands 2025: single person without children at 100% of average earnings, gross 60,636 euros and net 40,793.43 euros a year, which is 3,399 euros a month or about $3,950 at $1.1622 per euro. Note that the mandatory nominal health insurance premium is paid separately and is not deducted in this figure — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS StatLine, Woonlasten huishoudens (85950NED), 2024, tenants of non-housing-association (private-sector) landlords, average net monthly housing costs, meaning rent after any housing allowance and excluding utilities and local charges: nationally EUR 968 (median EUR 906), EUR 1,079 for households that had moved in within the previous five years, and EUR 867 for single people under 35. Single people under 35 paid EUR 1,159 in Amsterdam (median EUR 1,118), EUR 967 in Utrecht, EUR 894 in Rotterdam, EUR 894 in Eindhoven and EUR 847 in The Hague. This official CBS series is the sole basis for the rent figures on this page. Because CBS measures the existing stock rather than new lettings, a new-tenant premium of 1,079 / 968 = 1.1147 is applied, and 2024 levels are carried forward two years with the liberalised-sector increases in table 83163NED (4.4% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026, a combined factor of 1.0910). City-centre one-bedroom: Amsterdam, the capital, EUR 1,159 x 1.1147 x 1.0910 = EUR 1,409 a month, about $1,638 at $1.1622 per euro, published as $1,640. Outside centre: the national single-under-35 level, EUR 867 x 1.1147 x 1.0910 = EUR 1,054, about $1,225. Rent index: the national recent-mover level of EUR 1,079 carried forward to EUR 1,177 for 2026 is about $1,368 a month, which is 90% of the US median one-bedroom asking rent cited below. The new-tenant premium and the one-bedroom read-across are estimates layered on measured official data, not measurements in their own right — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS StatLine, Huurverhoging woningen naar soort verhuur (83163NED), geliberaliseerde verhuur: rent increases including harmonisation of 4.4% in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026 (3.7% in each year excluding harmonisation), used to carry the 2024 CBS rent levels forward to 2026 — accessed September 4, 2026
- Zumper National Rent Report, August 2026: US median one-bedroom rent $1,515 and two-bedroom $1,907. Used only as the US denominator of the rent index. This is a commercial listings index compiled from a rental marketplace's own inventory, not an official statistic and not a crowd-sourced or user-submitted price aggregator; it is used because no US federal source publishes a current national one-bedroom asking rent, and the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey median asking rent could not be retrieved. Against $1,515, the CBS-derived Dutch national new-tenant level of about $1,368 a month is 90%, which is the rent index on this page — accessed September 4, 2026
- Eurostat, Electricity prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_204), band DC 2,500-4,999 kWh, all taxes included: Netherlands 0.2558 euros per kWh in the second half of 2025 (EU27 0.2896), about $0.297. Used for the per-unit comparison in the prose only, not for the utilities index, which is built from CBS tariffs and CBS consumption; the two agree closely on the variable rate, CBS putting supply plus energy tax at 0.25555 euros per kWh including VAT in July 2026 — accessed September 4, 2026
- Eurostat, Gas prices for household consumers (nrg_pc_202), band D2 20-199 GJ, all taxes included: Netherlands 0.1719 euros per kWh in the second half of 2025 (EU27 0.1228), about $0.200, roughly four times the US residential rate — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS StatLine, Energieverbruik particuliere woningen (81528NED), 2025: the average Dutch dwelling used 790 cubic metres of gas and 2,580 kWh of electricity delivered from the grid (1,810 kWh net of solar feed-in under the salderingsregeling), the average apartment 550 cubic metres and 1,830 kWh, and 7.4% of dwellings are on district heating rather than gas. The 790 cubic metres and 2,580 kWh are the consumption assumption behind the utilities index on this page; gross rather than net delivery is used because an arriving tenant normally has no solar panels — accessed September 4, 2026
- US EIA, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.3: US average residential electricity price 18.16 cents per kWh year to date 2026 and 18.34 cents in June 2026 — accessed September 4, 2026
- US EIA FAQ: in 2022, the latest year given, the average US residential electric utility customer used 10,791 kWh a year, about 899 kWh a month. At 18.16 cents that is about $163 a month of electricity alone, used as the sanity check on the roughly $210 a month this page takes as the US monthly household bill for the whole electricity, heating, water and refuse basket against which the utilities index is set — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS StatLine, Pompprijzen motorbrandstoffen per kwartaal (84991NED): Dutch Euro95 petrol averaged 2.311 euros a litre in Q2 2026 and diesel 2.259, which is about $10.17 a US gallon — accessed September 4, 2026
- US EIA, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices: US average regular grade gasoline $4.071 a gallon for the week ending 31 August 2026 — accessed September 4, 2026
- US EIA, Price of natural gas delivered to residential consumers, annual series: $15.34 per thousand cubic feet in 2025 (2024 $14.50), which at 1,037 Btu per cubic foot is about $0.050 per kWh, against the Dutch household rate of 0.1719 euros or about $0.200 per kWh. That ratio of about 3.9 is the basis for the statement that Dutch household gas costs roughly four times the US rate per unit — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS StatLine, Population dynamics; month and year (83474ENG): the Dutch population stood at 18,153,271 at the end of July 2026 — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS, Gemeenten begroten 15,3 miljard euro aan heffingsopbrengsten: for 2026 Dutch municipalities budget EUR 2.804 billion of afvalstoffenheffing, up 5.1%, and EUR 2.203 billion of rioolheffing. The refuse charge is levied on households, so EUR 2.804 billion over the 8,430,352 private households recorded by CBS is EUR 332.61 a household a year, EUR 27.72 a month, which is the refuse component of the utilities index. It is a national average of a charge that is set municipality by municipality and varies widely — accessed September 4, 2026
- CBS StatLine, Huishoudens; personen naar geslacht, leeftijd en regio (82905NED), 1 January 2025: 8,430,352 private households with an average household size of 2.1 persons, used as the denominator for the per-household refuse charge and as the cross-check on average water use — accessed September 4, 2026