Cost of Living · NL vs DE
🇳🇱 Amsterdam vs 🇩🇪 Berlin: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,837 in Netherlands vs $1,714 in Germany — 6.71% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Germany
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -7.59%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -7.59%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -7.59%
Closest to Netherlands prices
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -2.22%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -2.23%
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -2.3%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Netherlands | Germany | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,287 | $1,190 (1,099 EUR) | -7.59% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,030 | $952 (879 EUR) | -7.59% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,354 | $2,175 (2,010 EUR) | -7.59% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.14 | $13.29 (12 EUR) | -6.01% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $58.92 | $55.38 (51 EUR) | -6.01% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.83 | $8.35 (8 EUR) | -5.44% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.92 | $0.88 (1 EUR) | -4.35% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.68 | $2.57 (2 EUR) | -4.1% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.85 | $2.73 (3 EUR) | -4.21% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.39 | $8.02 (7 EUR) | -4.41% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.36 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | -4.46% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.03 | $3.85 (4 EUR) | -4.47% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.07 | $9.62 (9 EUR) | -4.47% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.68 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -4.76% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.71 | $4.43 (4 EUR) | -5.94% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.33 | $7.16 (7 EUR) | -2.32% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.93 | $3.69 (3 EUR) | -6.11% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.93 | $1.84 (2 EUR) | -4.66% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $52.20 | $49.34 (46 EUR) | -5.48% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.21 | $2.09 (2 EUR) | -5.43% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.14 | $2.95 (3 EUR) | -6.05% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.41 | $1.33 (1 EUR) | -5.67% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.87 | $0.85 (1 EUR) | -2.3% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $161 | $152 (140 EUR) | -5.48% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $56.21 | $53.13 (49 EUR) | -5.48% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $36.14 | $34.16 (32 EUR) | -5.48% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $39.28 | $36.92 (34 EUR) | -6.01% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $11.00 | $10.34 (10 EUR) | -6% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $23.57 | $22.15 (20 EUR) | -6.02% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $50.38 | $49.26 (46 EUR) | -2.22% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $82.44 | $80.60 (74 EUR) | -2.23% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $196 | $185 (171 EUR) | -6.01% |
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 Germany than Netherlands?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,714 in Germany versus $1,837 in Netherlands — 6.71% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Germany?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.43 in Germany (≈ 4.09 EUR), versus about $4.71 in Netherlands.
- How much is rent in Germany compared to Netherlands?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,190/month in Germany versus $1,287/month in Netherlands (-7.59%). 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.