Cost of living comparison

compared to

Massachusetts vs. Netherlands Cost of Living Summary

Massachusetts is 11.6% more expensive than Netherlands overall.

Restaurants
pay 16.8% less in Massachusetts
Groceries
pay 37.0% more in Massachusetts
Transportation
pay 35.6% less in Massachusetts
Housing
pay 32.5% more in Massachusetts
Childcare
pay 74.7% more in Massachusetts
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.5% more in Massachusetts
Clothing
pay 22.1% less in Massachusetts

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in Massachusetts are more expensive than in Netherlands. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts vs. Netherlands Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Massachusetts instead of Netherlands, you would:

pay 16.8% less for restaurants

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $21.66
€18.60
$20.54
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.94
€11.98
$12.50
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.53
€3.04
$2.63
 

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pay 37.0% more for groceries

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Bread
1 loaf
$2.15
€1.85
$3.53
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.70
€5.75
$7.98
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.86
€4.17
$4.30
 

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pay 35.6% less for transportation

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.56
€7.35
$3.21
 
Monthly public transit pass $101.86
€87.48
$70.22
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,970.03
€31,750.27
$33,617.11
 

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pay 32.5% more for housing

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$49.26
€42.30
$70.71
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,462.13
€1,255.69
$2,203.18
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,216.44
€1,044.69
$1,938.26
 

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pay 74.7% more for childcare

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,911.60
€1,641.71
$2,228.25
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,591.36
€9,095.97
$24,653.85
 

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pay 11.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.49
€5.58
$6.61
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.17
€3.58
$4.91
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.74
€11.80
$12.23
 

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pay 22.1% less for clothing

 
Netherlands
Massachusetts
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$94.61
€81.26
$51.65
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$45.24
€38.85
$38.73
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$104.29
€89.56
$87.67
 

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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: December 2025
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