Cost of Living · AU vs NL
🇦🇺 Sydney vs 🇳🇱 Amsterdam: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,238 in Australia vs $1,837 in Netherlands — 17.91% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Netherlands
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -20.03%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -20.03%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -20.03%
Closest to Australia prices
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -6.15%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -6.18%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -6.18%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Australia | Netherlands | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,610 | $1,287 (1,189 EUR) | -20.03% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,288 | $1,030 (951 EUR) | -20.03% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,943 | $2,354 (2,175 EUR) | -20.03% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $16.85 | $14.14 (13 EUR) | -16.08% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $70.23 | $58.92 (54 EUR) | -16.1% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $10.36 | $8.83 (8 EUR) | -14.77% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.05 | $0.92 (1 EUR) | -12.38% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.05 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | -12.13% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.24 | $2.85 (3 EUR) | -12.04% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $9.53 | $8.39 (8 EUR) | -11.96% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.81 | $3.36 (3 EUR) | -11.81% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.58 | $4.03 (4 EUR) | -12.01% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $11.44 | $10.07 (9 EUR) | -11.98% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.91 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | -12.04% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.62 | $4.71 (4 EUR) | -16.19% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.81 | $7.33 (7 EUR) | -6.15% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $4.68 | $3.93 (4 EUR) | -16.03% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.19 | $1.93 (2 EUR) | -11.87% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $61.23 | $52.20 (48 EUR) | -14.75% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.59 | $2.21 (2 EUR) | -14.67% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.75 | $3.14 (3 EUR) | -16.27% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.69 | $1.41 (1 EUR) | -16.57% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.93 | $0.87 (1 EUR) | -6.45% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $188 | $161 (148 EUR) | -14.76% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $65.94 | $56.21 (52 EUR) | -14.76% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $42.39 | $36.14 (33 EUR) | -14.74% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $46.82 | $39.28 (36 EUR) | -16.1% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $13.11 | $11.00 (10 EUR) | -16.09% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $28.09 | $23.57 (22 EUR) | -16.09% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $53.70 | $50.38 (47 EUR) | -6.18% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $87.87 | $82.44 (76 EUR) | -6.18% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $234 | $196 (181 EUR) | -16.11% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Netherlands than Australia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,837 in Netherlands versus $2,238 in Australia — 17.91% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Netherlands?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.71 in Netherlands (≈ 4.35 EUR), versus about $5.62 in Australia.
- How much is rent in Netherlands compared to Australia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,287/month in Netherlands versus $1,610/month in Australia (-20.03%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.