Cost of living in Netherlands

Dear readers,

After living here in Netherlands for 7 years, I think I am in good position to give a detailed analysis of the question many of you might be interested in - "What is the cost of living in Netherlands per month?". 

I keep seeing these questions in many forums and people relocating to netherlands often ask this question. So based on my experience, let me answer this question for you. The living expense calculations shown below are based on following assumptions about your lifestyle:

Assumptions:

- You are an Expat

- 2 person household (no kids)

- Mortgage/rent of 3BHK apartment 

- Ownership of car

- Active lifestyle (frequent eating out, euro trips etc.)

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Fixed monthly costs for 2 person household (paid per month)

Apartment Costs (assuming you don't live in Amsterdam)

Rent/Mortgage of 3 BHK apartment (including service charges/VVE contribution): 1250 euros

Electricity + Heating: 110 euro (can be much more depending on house insulation and your temperature setup)

Internet + TV: 45 euros

Water: 10 euros

Car

Car insurance: 50 euros

Motorrijtuigenbelasting (Road tax): 50 euros

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone (for 2 connections): 80 euros

Insurance

Health insurance (total for two persons): 225 euros (including collective health insurance discount from employer and excluding dental and physio)

Fitness

Gym membership (total for two persons): 50 euros

Variable monthly costs for 2 person household (paid per month)

Food and Drinks

Average cost of groceries: 300 euros
Average cost of restaurant bills, take out food, bar drinks: 300 euros

Other items (shopping, car fuel, travelling etc)

Average costs: 800 euros

Fixed yearly costs for 2 person household (paid once per year)

Car

Car roadside assistance (Pechhulp): 100 euros

Car annual maintenance: 200 euros (can be much more than this)

Apartment related taxes (will be lower when renting)

Onroerendezaakbelasting (property tax, can be ignored when renting): 300 euros

Waterschapsbelasting (water board tax): 105 euros

Afvalstoffenheffing (waste collection levy): 340 euros

Rioolheffing (sewage levy): 150 euros

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Conclusions (based on assumptions shown above):

- Total monthly cost of a two person household in Netherlands is 3270 euros

- On top of this, you can expect to pay 895 euros per year as shown above.

So according to my calculations, you can expect to pay these amounts from your monthly net salary. I hope this helps you in your financial planning.

If you live in a shared accommodation, do not eat out or travel frequently, do not have a car and do limited shopping then you can reduce a maximum 1000 euros from the monthly expenses mentioned above. On the other hand, you can have unexpected costs related to apartment and car maintenance, own risk of health insurance, much higher heating costs etc. So you need to take all this into account.

I hope you have an awesome day!

Cheers,

Karan