Cost of Living in Amsterdam, Netherlands

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How Much Does It Cost to Live In Amsterdam?

Amsterdam is the capital of Netherlands and as such, significantly more expensive than most other cities in the country.

Your expenses depend directly on your own lifestyle and what you’re ready to give up or splurge on: for example, if you really don’t want to save money, your monthly expenses in Amsterdam will be close to 4000$ per month, but, again, it depends of course on your lifestyle.

Living outside of Amsterdam will be cheaper, and you can use public transport, which is excellent in Amsterdam, to get to work.

The east and north of Amsterdam are always cheaper locations to live in, while the south of Amsterdam is the expensive area.

RESTAURANTS

Eating out is very expensive in Amsterdam nowadays, and you can expect to spend around 17$ per meal per person plus something like 3$ for a very small bottle of Cola which means that you’ll probably spend around 20$ per person. When eating out, choose inexpensive restaurants that look decent, and if you want to save up, just avoid the top upscale restaurants.

MARKETS

Purchasing in a grocery store or a market is the best way to enjoy a variety of food and healthy groceries. Fresh veggies and fruit are always available at relatively low prices. If your grocery shopping experience turns out expensive, you can reduce its general price by shopping at cheaper alternatives like the market or stores such as ALDI. Count on spending around 60-80$ per week on groceries.

TRANSPORTATION

The usual price for a monthly pass throughout Amsterdam is somewhere around 100$, but the good thing about this is that you have access to any form of transportation you wish to use (bus, train, tram, etc.) If you’re looking to save some money, you can always use a bike which is very common in this country. You can buy a second-hand bike on Facebook for 120$ tops. Look up Marketplaats for cheap bikes.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are rather expensive in Amsterdam. All the basic ones, including water, cooling, heating and garbage services, including taxes for water and trash (which are different in every district) amount up to 170$ a month. Internet isn’t cheap either, costing around 45$ a month – including TV cable and phone (or you can get slow internet which will then cost you about 15$ a month).

SPORTS & LEISURE

Sports and fitness are not as pricey in Amsterdam as you would expect! A membership at a fitness club for one adult costs around 40$ a month. Keep in mind that most gyms in the Netherlands work on a yearly or a 6-month contract. Cinema tickets, in turn, are very expensive: going to the movies will cost you around whopping 13$ per person.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Brand-name clothes usually have the same prices as in the rest of Europe which are generally higher than in the US, while Amsterdam has even higher prices for clothes than other European cities. For example, Levi’s jeans cost about 95$ while quality running sneakers of brands like Nike cost about a 100$. Light pieces of clothing in chain stores like Zara cost a bit less than 40$.

RENT PER MONTH

Rent in Amsterdam is extremely expensive. For an apartment in the city center, you’ll have to cash out around unbelievable 1700$. There are, however, some decent options for around 1100$ for a one bedroom apartment, here and there, but that’s not the norm. If you decide to move a bit further from the center, it will cost you around 1300$.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Amsterdam

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Amsterdam?

In Amsterdam, without a doubt, the biggest chunk of an average paycheck gets spent on rent which is ridiculously expensive in this city.

The next huge expense is the food and a large portion of people’s salaries gets spent in markets or grocery stores.

Restaurants take up the next spot on the list, since food can get pretty pricey, and those who are well-off eat in restaurants practically every day.

Transportation is very expensive too, while also being an everyday necessity for everyone.

As usual, the smallest amount of money is spent on clothes and accessories, while sports and leisure take up almost 5% of all expenses.

Average Costs Breakdown

Amsterdam: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Those that get a minimum wage of about 1500$ might have some hard time covering all expenses, especially if they’re renting an apartment in such an expensive country.

Still, the minimum wage in Netherlands is the third best in the EU.

However, average monthly net salary is pretty high, and though their expenses are high too, an average citizen of Amsterdam can live comfortably and have no problem earning for a living.

Of course, those renting an apartment will always have a harder time paying off their bills and rent, but generally speaking, Amsterdam has a high living standard.

Amsterdam Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Amsterdam Safety Review

Safety Index:

75

• OVERALL RISK: LOW
• TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
• PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
• NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW
• MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
• TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
• SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
• WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

Cost of Living by City in Amsterdam