Cost of Living · DE vs NL
🇩🇪 Berlin vs 🇳🇱 Amsterdam: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,714 in Germany vs $1,837 in Netherlands — 7.19% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Netherlands
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 2.27%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 2.28%
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 2.35%
Closest to Germany prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +8.21%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +8.21%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +8.21%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Germany | Netherlands | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,190 | $1,287 (1,189 EUR) | +8.21% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $952 | $1,030 (951 EUR) | +8.21% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,175 | $2,354 (2,175 EUR) | +8.21% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $13.29 | $14.14 (13 EUR) | +6.4% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $55.38 | $58.92 (54 EUR) | +6.39% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.35 | $8.83 (8 EUR) | +5.75% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.88 | $0.92 (1 EUR) | +4.55% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.57 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | +4.28% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.73 | $2.85 (3 EUR) | +4.4% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.02 | $8.39 (8 EUR) | +4.61% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.21 | $3.36 (3 EUR) | +4.67% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.85 | $4.03 (4 EUR) | +4.68% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $9.62 | $10.07 (9 EUR) | +4.68% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.60 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +5% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.43 | $4.71 (4 EUR) | +6.32% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.16 | $7.33 (7 EUR) | +2.37% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.69 | $3.93 (4 EUR) | +6.5% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.84 | $1.93 (2 EUR) | +4.89% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $49.34 | $52.20 (48 EUR) | +5.8% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.09 | $2.21 (2 EUR) | +5.74% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.95 | $3.14 (3 EUR) | +6.44% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.33 | $1.41 (1 EUR) | +6.02% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.85 | $0.87 (1 EUR) | +2.35% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $152 | $161 (148 EUR) | +5.8% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $53.13 | $56.21 (52 EUR) | +5.8% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $34.16 | $36.14 (33 EUR) | +5.8% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $36.92 | $39.28 (36 EUR) | +6.39% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $10.34 | $11.00 (10 EUR) | +6.38% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $22.15 | $23.57 (22 EUR) | +6.41% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $49.26 | $50.38 (47 EUR) | +2.27% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $80.60 | $82.44 (76 EUR) | +2.28% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $185 | $196 (181 EUR) | +6.39% |
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 more expensive is Netherlands than Germany?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,837 in Netherlands versus $1,714 in Germany — 7.19% more. 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 $4.43 in Germany.
- How much is rent in Netherlands compared to Germany?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,287/month in Netherlands versus $1,190/month in Germany (+8.21%). 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.