Monthly Cost Calculator
Select a city and lifestyle to see a personalized monthly breakdown. Data from Nibud, CBS, and student surveys.
Annual Cost: EU vs Non-EU
Toggle to compare total annual costs including tuition.
What Things Actually Cost
Real Dutch prices. Lidl/Aldi are 20–30% cheaper than Albert Heijn for staples.
Money-Saving Tips
Quality difference is minimal for staples. Price difference is 20–30%. That is EUR 30–50 saved per month. Use Albert Heijn only for their "bonus" deals.
Home-cooked meal: EUR 2–4. Eating out: EUR 12.50+. Eating out twice instead of five times a week saves EUR 100–150/month. Sunday batch cooking is a common student strategy.
60–70% off surplus food from bakeries and supermarkets. A EUR 4–5 "magic bag" contains EUR 12–15 worth of food. Albert Heijn bags sell out fast — set alerts.
Second-hand bike: EUR 50–150 one-time. Monthly fuel cost: EUR 0. Add NS Flex 40% off-peak discount (EUR 5/month) for occasional train trips. OV-chipkaart: EUR 7.50. EU students may get free public transport via DUO.
Kringloopwinkels (second-hand shops) are a Dutch institution. Furnish an entire room for EUR 50–100. Furniture, kitchen supplies, clothing, books — all at a fraction of retail prices.
How Does the Netherlands Compare?
The bottom line: More expensive than Germany or France, cheaper than the UK. The real difference is tuition: Germany has no tuition at public universities, while the Netherlands charges EUR 8,000–30,000 for non-EU students. That is why securing the NL Scholarship and exploring alternative funding matters so much.