Cost of living comparison

Netherlands

compared to

United States

New York City vs. Rotterdam Cost of Living Summary

New York City is 45.1% more expensive than Rotterdam.

Restaurants: pay 8.0% less in New York City
Groceries: pay 66.3% more in New York City
Transportation: pay 7.5% less in New York City
Housing: pay 46.2% more in New York City
Childcare: pay 2.8 times more in New York City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 54.3% more in New York City
Clothing: pay 14.1% less in New York City

The cost of childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, and housing in New York City are more expensive than in Rotterdam. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, and transportation are lower in New York City. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in New York City.

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New York City vs. Rotterdam Cost Breakdown

If you lived in New York City instead of Rotterdam, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 8.0% less for restaurants

	Rotterdam	New York City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$23.36 €20.42	$25.00	+7.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$14.02 €12.25	$13.00	-7.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.77 €3.30	$3.09	-18.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$3.02 €2.64	$2.61	-13.6%
Average			-8.0%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 66.3% more for groceries

	Rotterdam	New York City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.42 €2.12	$4.75	+95.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.09 €6.20	$8.89	+25.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.08 €4.44	$6.05	+19.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.29 €4.62	$7.20	+36.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$6.52 €5.70	$7.07	+8.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.21 €1.06	$3.29	+172.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.15 €1.01	$1.08	-6.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.97 €0.85	$2.60	+168.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.88 €1.64	$2.68	+42.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.95 €0.83	$1.63	+70.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.91 €0.79	$1.78	+96.5%
Average			+66.3%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of groceries

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pay 7.5% less for transportation

	Rotterdam	New York City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$8.68 €7.59	$3.47	-60.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$77.09 €67.40	$132.00	+71.2%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$39,711.65 €34,722.08	$36,344.69	-8.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$33.35 €29.16	$22.39	-32.8%
Average			-7.5%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of transportation

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pay 46.2% more for housing

	Rotterdam	New York City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$56.68 €49.56	$67.59	+19.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,764.83 €1,543.09	$4,037.06	+128.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,483.58 €1,297.18	$2,496.67	+68.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$221.76 €193.90	$151.98	-31.5%
Average			+46.2%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of housing

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pay 2.8 times more for childcare

	Rotterdam	New York City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$2,105.72 €1,841.15	$3,154.10	+49.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$14,039.24 €12,275.28	$57,250.00	+307.8%
Average			+178.8%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of childcare

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pay 54.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Rotterdam	New York City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$8.18 €7.15	$8.00	-2.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.58 €4.00	$5.71	+24.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$14.02 €12.25	$19.00	+35.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$50.17 €43.87	$150.04	+199.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$17.52 €15.32	$20.00	+14.2%
Average			+54.3%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 14.1% less for clothing

	Rotterdam	New York City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$101.88 €89.08	$67.80	-33.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$50.37 €44.04	$49.94	-0.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$131.62 €115.09	$115.58	-12.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$187.61 €164.04	$168.76	-10.0%
Average			-14.1%

Rotterdam vs. New York City - Cost of clothing

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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: July 2026

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