Cost of Living · NL vs ES
🇳🇱 Amsterdam vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,837 in Netherlands vs $1,382 in Spain — 24.77% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -27.69%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -27.69%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -27.69%
Closest to Netherlands prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -8.85%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -8.85%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -8.87%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Netherlands | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,287 | $931 (860 EUR) | -27.69% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,030 | $745 (688 EUR) | -27.69% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,354 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | -27.69% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.14 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | -22.49% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $58.92 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | -22.49% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.83 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | -20.61% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.92 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | -16.3% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.68 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | -16.79% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.85 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | -16.84% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.39 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | -16.92% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.36 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | -16.96% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.03 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | -16.87% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.07 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | -16.88% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.68 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | -17.26% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.71 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | -22.51% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.33 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | -8.87% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.93 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | -22.65% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.93 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | -17.1% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $52.20 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | -20.67% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.21 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | -20.81% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.14 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | -22.29% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.41 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | -21.99% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.87 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | -9.2% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $161 | $127 (118 EUR) | -20.67% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $56.21 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | -20.67% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $36.14 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | -20.67% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $39.28 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | -22.48% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $11.00 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | -22.55% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $23.57 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | -22.49% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $50.38 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | -8.85% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $82.44 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | -8.85% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $196 | $152 (141 EUR) | -22.49% |
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 Spain than Netherlands?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $1,837 in Netherlands — 24.77% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $4.71 in Netherlands.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to Netherlands?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $1,287/month in Netherlands (-27.69%). 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.