Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Rotterdam Cost of Living Summary
United States is 10.7% cheaper than Rotterdam.
- Restaurants
-
pay 25.8% less in United States
- Groceries
-
pay 24.2% more in United States
- Transportation
-
pay 35.3% less in United States
- Housing
-
pay 5.2% less in United States
- Childcare
-
pay 15.6% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.0% less in United States
- Clothing
-
pay 35.2% less in United States
The cost of groceries and childcare in United States are more expensive than in Rotterdam. Expenses including transportation, clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in United States.
United States vs. Rotterdam Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Rotterdam, you would:
pay 25.8% less for restaurants
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$23.36
€20.06
|
$19.45
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.02
€12.04
|
$11.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.77
€3.24
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
€2.59
|
$2.00
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.2% more for groceries
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.42
€2.08
|
$3.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.09
€6.09
|
$6.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.08
€4.36
|
$3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.29
€4.54
|
$4.27
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.52
€5.60
|
$5.41
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.21
€1.04
|
$2.37
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.15
€0.99
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.83
|
$2.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.88
€1.61
|
$2.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
€0.82
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.91
€0.78
|
$1.38
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 35.3% less for transportation
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.68
€7.45
|
$3.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.09
€66.20
|
$65.85
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$39,711.65
€34,104.80
|
$32,336.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$33.35
€28.64
|
$17.61
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 5.2% less for housing
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$56.68
€48.68
|
$68.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,764.83
€1,515.66
|
$1,664.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,483.58
€1,274.12
|
$1,416.15
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$221.76
€190.45
|
$150.19
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 15.6% more for childcare
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,105.72
€1,808.41
|
$1,387.27
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,039.24
€12,057.05
|
$23,196.46
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 13.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.18
€7.02
|
$5.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.58
€3.93
|
$5.15
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.02
€12.04
|
$9.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.17
€43.09
|
$51.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.52
€15.05
|
$13.64
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 35.2% less for clothing
|
Rotterdam
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$101.88
€87.50
|
$51.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.37
€43.26
|
$41.81
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.62
€113.04
|
$87.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$187.61
€161.12
|
$112.04
|
|
Rotterdam vs. United States - 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: December 2025
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