Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Netherlands Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 36.6% more expensive than Netherlands overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.8% less in District of Columbia
- Groceries
- pay 54.8% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
- pay 31.2% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
- pay 40.4% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
- pay 2.6 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 41.1% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
- pay 4.7% less in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, and housing in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Netherlands. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in District of Columbia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Netherlands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Netherlands, you would:
pay 2.8% less for restaurants
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.66 €19.02 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $13.94 €12.24 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.53 €3.10 | $3.20 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.87 €2.52 | $2.79 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 54.8% more for groceries
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.15 €1.89 | $4.43 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.70 €5.88 | $8.04 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.86 €4.26 | $4.19 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.76 €4.18 | $4.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $7.31 €6.41 | $7.74 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.05 €0.92 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.13 €1.00 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.90 €0.79 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.84 €1.61 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.95 €0.83 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.92 €0.81 | $1.64 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 31.2% less for transportation
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $8.56 €7.52 | $3.53 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $101.86 €89.43 | $77.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,970.03 €32,459.76 | $35,699.74 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $27.44 €24.09 | $16.73 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 40.4% more for housing
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $49.26 €43.25 | $69.41 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,462.13 €1,283.75 | $2,568.48 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,216.44 €1,068.04 | $2,088.16 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $199.59 €175.24 | $146.54 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,911.60 €1,678.39 | $2,650.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $10,591.36 €9,299.23 | $40,166.67 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 41.1% more for entertainment and sports
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.49 €5.70 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.17 €3.66 | $6.07 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.74 €12.06 | $13.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $43.55 €38.23 | $103.76 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $16.09 €14.12 | $16.75 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.7% less for clothing
Netherlands | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $94.61 €83.07 | $76.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $45.24 €39.72 | $48.40 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $104.29 €91.57 | $104.31 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $135.17 €118.68 | $133.22 | |
Netherlands vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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Compare further: Netherlands vs. District of Columbia
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Netherlands vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Netherlands and United States.
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