Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inRotterdam, Netherlands
South Holland, Netherlands868KHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Massimo Catarinella
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 1.14x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Netherlands: $71,378/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 28% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
1.4x further
Prices are 28% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
2.5x further
Prices are 60% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.5x further
Prices are 35% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.3x further
Prices are 23% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$71,378
PPP, International $
City Population
868K
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$1,801/mo
1BR Outside Center$1,506/mo
3BR City Center$3,100/mo
3BR Outside Center$2,536/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$24
Mid-Range (2 people)$94
Milk (1L)$1.48
Eggs (12)$5.30
Transport
Monthly Pass$117
Gasoline (1L)$2.32
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$268/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$56/mo
Education
Preschool$2,694/mo
Intl Primary School$13,350/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Netherlands as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Rotterdam.
Quality
Good public schools
Expat access
Available to residents
conditionalInstruction
Dutch
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
The Netherlands has a strong public-school system and a real resident-schooling path, especially for families staying long enough to integrate.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident families can generally enroll, and newcomer support exists in some places, but the long-term public path still depends on Dutch.
⚠️ Homeschooling
Legal with strict exemptions onlyRegistration required
Dutch law requires school attendance. Exemptions exist for religious/philosophical objections (Article 5a) or if no suitable school exists within travel distance. Lifestyle or pedagogical preference is not sufficient grounds. Most worldschooling families cannot legally homeschool in the Netherlands.
Homeschool legality in Netherlands — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
6 confirmed schools
Typical fee
$22,801/yr
median of 3 schools' published fees
- IB6
Confirmed on its own website
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
How schools rank by exam results →Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Netherlands.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$2,400-$3,150
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$3,600-$4,700
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Rotterdam is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Netherlands.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
289 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and deep nursing capacity support this rating.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage, relatively low patient cost-sharing, and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong support this rating.
Private care
MixedA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
85/100
2023
Physicians
3.88/1k
2022
Hospital beds
2.42/1k
2022
Out of pocket
12%
2024
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
82.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
4/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
2.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedMultiple facilities have websites and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Pharmacy: 98Dentist: 77Doctor: 46Clinic: 27Physiotherapy: 27Hospital: 13Laboratory: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Netherlands yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index70/100
Crime Index30/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.84
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Rotterdam, Netherlands · Source: CBS (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
beer
$5.50Estimated29% cheaper
budget hotel
$276.88Survey-verified663% more
childcare preschool
$2694.09Estimated73% more
cinema
$13.00Estimated21% cheaper
coca cola
$2.00Estimated7% cheaper
eggs dozen
$5.30Estimated10% more
gasoline liter
$36.39Survey-verified3433% more
inexpensive meal
$24.50Survey-verified16% more
internet 60mbps
$55.73Estimated18% cheaper
iphone
$1149.00Estimated15% more
jeans
$82.00Estimated60% more
latte
$3.90Estimated27% cheaper
luxury hotel
$276.88Survey-verified42% cheaper
mcmeal
$24.50Survey-verified142% more
milk liter
$1.48Estimated21% more
monthly pass
$36.39Survey-verified48% cheaper
nike shoes
$90.00Estimated1% cheaper
rent 1br
$1621.92Survey-verified11% cheaper
rent 2br
$1621.92Survey-verified62% cheaper
rent 3br
$3099.63Estimated3% cheaper
subway fare
$36.39Survey-verified1410% more
utilities basic
$267.89Estimated25% more
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 90 days
US passport holders can stay up to 90 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
working holiday
Working Holiday Visa12 months
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Rotterdam compared with the US?
Your money goes about 1.1x further in Rotterdam than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Rotterdam cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Rotterdam is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 28% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Rotterdam.
How does rent in Rotterdam compare with New York City?
Rent in Rotterdam is about 60% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Rotterdam?
Groceries in Rotterdam are about 35% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 23% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands, with about 868,000 residents in the city proper and roughly 1.2 million in the metro, sitting at the mouth of the Rhine-Meuse delta on the North Sea. It hosts Europe's largest port by volume, and the city was largely rebuilt after the 1940 German bombing, giving it a distinctly modernist architectural character unlike Amsterdam. The economy diversifies across the port complex, Erasmus University, and a growing creative and tech sector. Costs run notably below Amsterdam for comparable housing. English is functionally universal among professionals. Relocators get strong cycling infrastructure, direct ICE rail to Brussels, Paris, and London, and a more international and less tourist-saturated Dutch city than the capital.
Excellent fiber internet - among Europe's fastest connectivityLarge English-speaking expat community with strong networking eventsHighly walkable and bikeable with extensive cycling infrastructureMultiple co-working spaces catering to digital nomadsMild but rainy climate - expect frequent drizzle year-roundGrowing food scene with multicultural dining and local marketsVibrant nightlife and cultural venues, especially electronic music sceneVery safe city with low crime rates and excellent public services
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