Cost of Living in the Netherlands 2026

Monthly budget calculator

Pick a city and a lifestyle to see an estimated monthly total. These are our estimates for a typical student, not official figures — your rent will decide most of the result.

Health insurance is shown at €130 a month, our estimate for Dutch public insurance (required once you take any job). If you only study, private student insurance costs about €30–60 a month. Tuition is the 2026–27 EU statutory fee of €2,694 spread over 12 months; non-EU students pay far more (see below).

All budgets at a glance

Monthly estimates including rent, food, transport, social life, an estimated €130 public health insurance and €225 EU tuition. Rent alone ranges from €320 (Groningen, budget) to €1,100 (Amsterdam, comfortable).

Real prices

Everyday prices students actually pay (estimates; they vary by city and shop):

The official figures behind your budget

IND proof of funds

Non-EU students need a study residence permit, and the IND requires proof that you can support yourself: €1,130.77 a month for university or HBO study in 2026, about €13,569 for 12 months, on top of tuition. Your university applies on your behalf as recognised sponsor; the study permit fee is €254. The IND updates the amount every January. Full visa steps are in the Study in Holland visa guide.

Tuition: statutory vs institutional

EU/EEA, Swiss and Surinamese students who haven't already earned a comparable Dutch degree pay the statutory fee of €2,694 for 2026–27. Everyone else pays an institutional fee, typically €9,000–20,000 a year for a bachelor's and €12,000–30,000 for a master's. Some institutions also charge an application fee of €75–100.

Health insurance and zorgtoeslag

If you only study, you can't take Dutch public insurance; you keep home-country cover or buy private student insurance (EU/EEA students may use the EHIC). As soon as you take a job or a paid internship, Dutch public insurance (basisverzekering, roughly €130–159 a month by our estimate, with a €385 annual deductible in 2026) becomes mandatory. You can then apply for zorgtoeslag, the health-care allowance: up to €129 a month in 2026 for a single person with an income up to €40,857 a year. See the health insurance guide for details.

Rent allowance (huurtoeslag)

Huurtoeslag helps with rent, but only for a self-contained home: your own lockable front door, kitchen, toilet and shower. Most rooms in shared houses don't qualify, which is why studios are the usual route. Since 2026 a rent above the old limit no longer rules you out (the allowance is calculated on rent up to €932.93), but income and asset limits still apply (assets up to €38,479 for a single person), and you must be legally resident in the Netherlands.

More Netherlands guides