Cost of living · Amsterdam · Netherlands · 2023
🇳🇱 Cost of living in Amsterdam
What it costs to live in Amsterdam - rent, groceries, utilities and getting around, in local euros, plus how the city compares with Netherlands and the rest of Europe.
- City price index
- 135
- Rent, 1-bed centre
- €1,850
- Monthly essentials
- €1,985
- Transit pass
- €95
Amsterdam · Netherlands · 2023
Amsterdam's city price index is 135 (EU-27 = 100), 12% above Netherlands's national average of 121, about €1,985/month for core essentials outside the centre.
- 135
- city price index
- €1,850
- 1-bed centre rent
- €1,985
- monthly essentials
- 121
- Netherlands avg
City pages stay noindex while the cities class is DEAD; figures remain for country-linked readers.
Estimated monthly essentials
€1,985 / month
A single person renting a one-bedroom flat outside the centre: rent + groceries + utilities + a transit pass. This is a core-costs estimate and excludes discretionary spending such as eating out, leisure and travel.
Rent in Amsterdam
Monthly rent bars plus the city price-index dial against Netherlands's national average: two TYPES, same vintage.
Amsterdam - average monthly rent (EUR)
🇳🇱 Amsterdam vs Netherlands avg
Gauge reads the same city price index (135); the tick marks Netherlands avg (121).
Average advertised monthly rents in Amsterdam. Living outside the centre typically saves €450 a month on a one-bedroom flat.
How Amsterdam compares across every city we track
Amsterdam's city price index of 135 is cheaper than 35% of the 17 European cities on this site, ranking 11th cheapest overall on the EU-27 = 100 scale - not just against Netherlands, but the full tracked distribution.
Amsterdam: city price index vs. every tracked European city
City price index, EU-27 = 100 - Eurostat urban audit
135 Top 41% higher than 59% of 17 tracked European cities
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more tracked European cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Eurostat urban audit + national statistics offices · 2023
Living costs in Amsterdam, in context
Amsterdam carries a real and noticeable premium over its national average. National figures average the whole country, so they understate what a resident of Amsterdam actually pays; the city figure is the one that matches the life you would actually live there.
Rent is the line that dominates a city budget. In Amsterdam, a one-bedroom flat runs €1,850 in the centre and €1,400 outside it, a gap of €450 a month - a fairly typical centre premium, so where in the city you live matters, though not as decisively as in the priciest capitals. A family-sized three-bedroom flat in the centre is around €3,500.
The steadier costs fill out the rest of the budget, and Amsterdam's monthly transit pass at €95 runs relatively higher here than the groceries basket (€295) or utilities (€195) - still almost always cheaper than running a car once fuel, parking and insurance are counted, but less of a bargain than in most other cities on this site.
Cities with a similar cost of living
What to do with this Amsterdam data
Copenhagen, Denmark tracks closest to Amsterdam's cost index -- a real-world benchmark if you are weighing this city against an alternative.
- See Copenhagen's full cost profile
- National cost of living for Netherlands
- Browse every city we track
- Run your own numbers in the calculator
These are city-level averages for general information, not a personal budget. The monthly-essentials figure is a core-costs estimate only; real costs depend on your neighbourhood, flat and lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to live in Amsterdam?
For a single person renting a one-bedroom flat outside the centre, core monthly essentials in Amsterdam - rent (€1,400), groceries (€295), utilities (€195) and a transit pass (€95) - come to about €1,985 a month, before any discretionary spending. On the EU-27 = 100 price scale, Amsterdam sits at index 135.
How much is rent in Amsterdam?
A one-bedroom flat in the city centre averages €1,850 a month, €1,400 outside the centre. A three-bedroom flat in the centre is around €3,500. Rent is the largest part of any city budget.
Is Amsterdam expensive compared to the rest of Netherlands?
Amsterdam's city price index of 135 is about 12% above Netherlands's national average of 121 (EU-27 = 100). Capitals and big cities almost always cost more than the national figure.
Where does this Amsterdam data come from?
Figures are drawn from CBS urban audit (2023). The city price index is on the same EU-27 = 100 scale used across the site; rent, grocery, utility and transit figures are local monthly amounts in euros.
How does Amsterdam compare to other cities we track?
Amsterdam's city price index of 135 is cheaper than 35% of the 17 European cities on this site, ranking 11th cheapest overall. This places it against the full tracked distribution, not just its own country's cities.
PlainCostOfLiving is rendered directly from Eurostat comparative price levels and median equivalised net income, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026. Primary sources: Eurostat comparative price levels (prc_ppp_ind) and Eurostat median equivalised net income (ilc_di03).