Cost of Living in Amsterdam

An Insider’s Guide to Moving in Amsterdam

This Amsterdam relocation guidee has been designed with the explicit intention to provide expats and travellers with all they need to know about moving to Amsterdam.

This exciting chapter covers Cost of Living.

Before moving to Amsterdam (or indeed any country) you need to know how much everything costs. This enables you to plan out a sensible budget and how living there will differ from where you are now. This chapter has been crafted to put your costing fears at ease and to show you what the most important facilities and luxuries are going to cost per month.

It is important to note that costs can vary depending on how often you go out and what your lifestyle is. If you love pricy and luxury items and and enjoy splashing out on the best theatre seats, then chances are you’ll be spending more than those that are more rigorous with expenditure. Not that there’s anything wrong in splashing out, obviously.

3.1 Rent

This is one of the first costs that you’ll have to deal with when you arrive. Your rent, depending on the contract you sign, will cover most aspects of upholding the property from gas, electric, water and internet.

It is best to remember that rent prices will vary across different neighbourhoods and on the overall size of the living space. This is the same in any city in the world, from the delights of London to the cities of New York and Paris. So don’t be surprised if you see some disparity between one neighbourhood and another.

Some of the prices can be viewed below:

As you can see, the prices do vary across area and the size of the living space that you’re renting.

These prices include the utilities (although they are only average costs and utilities may not be included in your rent).

3.2 Utilities

We all hate bills. There's nothing more annoying than picking up the post and finding that the whole stack is a load of bills. However, cheer up fellow relocator as those bills give you all the utilities you need to make your tasty meals, keep the property warm and to browse the web.

Prices vary wildly depending on the amount of people living in your household, how often you use all the facilities and what providers and suppliers you are using.

A rough idea can be viewed below for the prices of utilities every month. The prices cover gas, water and electricity.

If you’re concerned about the overall costs and expenditure when it comes to bills, you may be able to discuss the possibility of looking for a new provider with your landlord. Both of you can benefit from a better provider if you feel you're being overcharged.

Electricity & Gas

You’ll find that Amsterdam (and the rest of the Netherlands) have a 220-240 Volt/50Mhz system. This is the same system that’s used elsewhere in Europe as well as Asia, Australia and Africa.

Don’t forget to bring your plug adaptor. You’ll need a C, E and F adapter to successfully plug into the mains.

Fortunately the gas and electricity are both supplied by the same provider. This makes it easier to manage the costs and to potentially change if you feel you’re being treated unfairly.

Some of the major suppliers include:

• Eneco energie
• EnergieDirect
• Eon
• Essent
• Green Choice
• Nederlandse Energie Maatschappij
• Nuon
• Oxxio

Water

Waternet is the main provider of water in the city as well as the Netherlands. You may find a water meter is your accommodation that will measure your consumption accurately.