Amsterdam vs. Paris Cost of Living Summary

Amsterdam is 20.4% more expensive than Paris.

Restaurants
pay 14.0% more in Amsterdam
Groceries
pay 4.8% less in Amsterdam
Transportation
pay 19.3% more in Amsterdam
Housing
pay 57.9% more in Amsterdam
Childcare
pay 1.6% more in Amsterdam
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.0% more in Amsterdam
Clothing
pay 17.5% less in Amsterdam

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

Amsterdam vs. Paris Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Amsterdam instead of Paris, you would:

pay 14.0% more for restaurants

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.92
€16.00
$22.39
€20.00
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$13.44
€12.00
$15.09
€13.47
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $4.55
€4.06
$3.82
€3.41

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pay 4.8% less for groceries

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Bread
1 loaf
$2.49
€2.22
$2.32
€2.07
Local cheese (8 oz) $11.08
€9.90
$8.37
€7.47
Milk (1 gallon) $5.83
€5.20
$5.83
€5.20

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pay 19.3% more for transportation

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.46
€7.56
$9.77
€8.72
Monthly public transit pass $101.67
€90.78
$114.21
€101.98
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,599.83
€30,894.08
$41,419.02
€36,982.92

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pay 57.9% more for housing

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$29.90
€26.70
$53.22
€47.52
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,564.13
€1,396.60
$2,615.70
€2,335.55
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,192.71
€1,064.96
$1,951.54
€1,742.52

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pay 1.6% more for childcare

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,800.03
€1,607.24
$2,791.00
€2,492.08
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $26,004.30
€23,219.16
$17,310.49
€15,456.48

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pay 12.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.84
€7.00
$7.61
€6.80
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.05
€4.51
$4.55
€4.06
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$14.56
€13.00
$14.56
€13.00

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pay 17.5% less for clothing

 
Paris
Amsterdam
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$110.29
€98.48
$93.98
€83.92
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$52.46
€46.84
$40.96
€36.58
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$118.77
€106.05
$99.66
€88.98

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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