Cost of Living in Groningen, Netherlands

Updated On May 10, 2022

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Groningen?

Groningen is the main municipality as well as the capital city of the Groningen province in the.

There are a couple of things that make Groningen special, the first one being that, for Dutch standards Groningen is a large city, yet relatively far away from any other city.

This means that the city has everything you need, and people living in areas around it, consider this the nearest “big city”.

The amount of money you’ll spend in this city depends on you, but if you really want to save every penny, the smallest amount you’ll need is around 500$.

Cost of Living Index:
72.29
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

Eating out is definitely cheaper in Groningen than in other major cities in the Netherlands, but, still, it is recommendable that you check the prices standing in front of restaurants before eating out. Eating a meal for two in a mid-range restaurant could cost you around 65$, while the inexpensive ones don’t go under 16$. You can get a round of good old domestic beer for 5$ per person.

Markets

MARKETS

Food costs in Groningen won’t set you back too much as you can get cheap and fresh produce on the market (at the Vismarkt), or at the Aldi (budget supermarket). The city in general is considerable cheaper than other major cities in the Netherlands such as Amsterdam. If you’re super smart about your food, shopping for food in markets is a good idea.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Although the cities of Netherlands are excellently organized when it comes to transportation and Groningen has plenty of transport links to other areas, most people living here don’t even use public transport and their transport costs are down to zero, because everyone just uses bikes or go on foot – it’s the norm. You can get a used, cheap bike for less than 200$.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Depending on the size of your apartment, monthly utilities, including heating, cooling, electricity and gas could cost between 100$ and 300$ a month. However, for an apartment of about 85m2, your bills would amount up to 170$. Keep in mind that the gas bill goes up in winter, from November to February. Internet is expensive as well, amounting up to around 40$ a month.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

In Groningen, attending fitness clubs and classes is much less expensive than in other cities in the Netherlands. If you want to go to a fitness club in Groningen and get in shape, the fee will be around 27$ a month, or 15$ for an hour of renting a tennis court, which is really cheap for the Netherlands. If you want to watch a movie here, however, expect it to cost over 11$.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Groningen is a great place to go shopping in the Netherlands. It has many shops and shopping malls, but before you enter any of them, be prepared that the prices are high even for European standards. In Groningen, quality jeans cost almost 100$, as do quality sneakers, while lighter pieces of clothing are only 40$.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

It is widely known that the most expensive aspect of living in the Netherlands is rent and Groningen is no exception! In this city, however, rent is far cheaper than in, for example, Amsterdam. Here, you cannot find an apartment to rent for less than 650$, and if you’re looking for one in the center, than count on giving 850$.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Groningen

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$16.06
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$4.59
Water (0.33 Liter)$2.06
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$1.03
Loaf Bread (500g)$1.30
Eggs (12)$2.61
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$2.87
Monthly Pass$55.05
Gasoline$1.85
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$171.67
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.14
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$38.23
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$27.66
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$15.63
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$11.76
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$97.95
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$37.99
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$100.36
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$862.10
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$642.28
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$1453.72

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Groningen?

Rent is so cheap in Groningen in comparison with other cities in the Netherlands that it’s one of the rare cities where the biggest part of people’s salaries gets spent on food, not on rent.

Food is definitely the biggest expense for the people of Groningen.

The next one is rent, but, again compared to other cities’ rent fees, Groningen is very cheap.

Transportation and restaurants are next on the list, since they are also pretty costly, given the fact that even the inexpensive restaurants don’t serve food for less than 15$.

Average Costs Breakdown

16.2%
30.6%
13.2%
6.4%
4.6%
3.3%
25.6%

Groningen: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

People in Groningen earn considerable amounts of money, and this is actually their normal standard of living.

With an average wage reaching 2000$, citizens of Groningen have enough money to cover all their expenses, afford most of the things they want and need, and still live comfortable.

Of course, those that are renting have a harder time since they’re spending a lot more money.

The minimum wage doesn’t fall far behind the average monthly salary, so citizens of Groningen shouldn’t have problems making ends meet.

Average Salary$2070.19
Minimum Wage$1828.46
Mortgage Interest Rate2.41%

Cost of Living by City in Groningen

CityCost of Living Index
Amsterdam82.14
Eindhoven72.82
Leiden74.56
Maastricht73.87
Rotterdam74.08
The Hague (Den Haag)76.75
Utrecht76.3

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

Share Your Experience

Share
Facebook Pinterest