Cost of living comparison

Netherlands

compared to

California, USA

California vs. The Hague (Den Haag) Cost of Living Summary

California is 8.1% more expensive than The Hague (Den Haag).

Restaurants: pay 8.8% less in California
Groceries: pay 36.4% more in California
Transportation: pay 42.8% less in California
Housing: pay 29.6% more in California
Childcare: pay 61.8% more in California
Entertainment and Sports: pay 10.6% more in California
Clothing: pay 29.8% less in California

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in California are more expensive than in The Hague (Den Haag). Expenses including transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in California.

California vs. The Hague (Den Haag) Cost Breakdown

If you lived in California instead of The Hague (Den Haag), you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 8.8% less for restaurants

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$18.69 €16.02	$21.84	+16.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$14.02 €12.02	$12.33	-12.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.32 €2.84	$2.79	-15.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.87 €2.46	$2.17	-24.3%
Average			-8.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - Cost of restaurants

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pay 36.4% more for groceries

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Bread 1 loaf	$2.29 €1.96	$4.20	+84.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.23 €6.20	$6.77	-6.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.18 €4.44	$4.73	-8.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.83 €4.14	$5.14	+6.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$7.05 €6.05	$6.05	-14.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.10 €0.94	$2.30	+110.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.13 €0.97	$0.92	-19.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.90 €0.77	$1.91	+112.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.11 €1.81	$2.38	+12.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.89 €0.76	$1.50	+68.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.91 €0.78	$1.41	+54.9%
Average			+36.4%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - Cost of groceries

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pay 42.8% less for transportation

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$8.69 €7.45	$4.72	-45.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$175.19 €150.21	$63.04	-64.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$42,045.51 €36,049.28	$30,529.84	-27.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$32.50 €27.87	$21.43	-34.1%
Average			-42.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - Cost of transportation

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pay 29.6% more for housing

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$47.19 €40.46	$67.96	+44.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,796.15 €1,540.00	$2,385.40	+32.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,415.80 €1,213.89	$2,043.56	+44.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$176.54 €151.36	$171.94	-2.6%
Average			+29.6%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - Cost of housing

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pay 61.8% more for childcare

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$2,348.84 €2,013.86	$1,633.13	-30.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$11,933.92 €10,231.99	$30,339.97	+154.2%
Average			+61.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - Cost of childcare

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pay 10.6% more for entertainment and sports

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$7.01 €6.01	$7.31	+4.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.45 €3.81	$5.58	+25.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$14.60 €12.52	$10.92	-25.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$42.60 €36.52	$68.02	+59.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$16.93 €14.52	$14.99	-11.5%
Average			+10.6%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 29.8% less for clothing

	The Hague (Den Haag)	California
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$123.12 €105.56	$56.47	-54.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$52.45 €44.97	$40.47	-22.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$124.01 €106.33	$87.50	-29.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$137.43 €117.83	$119.94	-12.7%
Average			-29.8%

The Hague (Den Haag) vs. California - 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: June 2026

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