Cost of living in the Netherlands 2024
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- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
- Sharing the cost of living in the Netherlands in 2024! I moved to the Netherlands from the United States 4 years ago and the prices of things like rent, groceries, utilities, etc. have really changed. I provide a breakdown of what you can expect when you move to the Netherlands in this video.
Many of you are aware of my love for coffee and have asked to buy me a coffee over the years, so here's a link: buymeacoffee.com/dutchamericano
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I like to share my experiences of an American expat in the Netherlands. I describe both the unique and everyday aspects of Dutch culture, and life in Holland while enjoying every bit of it!
Blog website: www.dutchamericano.com
Instagram: DutchAmericano
Get in touch: dutchamericanonl@gmail.com
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I am dutch and live in Australia, the house prices rental or buying is out of control, grocery prices are ridiculous, it's the same all over the world..
Well you can always return back home here in the Netherlands it's not really that bad over here?
En nog een prettige dag toegewenst?😊
@@DidierWierdsma6335 Except that it is. People living with their parents until their 30's because there are no houses available.
@@DidierWierdsma6335 bullsht
@@akashicrecords9672 stieren poep?
Hello Ava! I'm a teen in the US that's recently gotten very fixated on the idea of moving to the Netherlands when I'm older, and I just wanna say thank you so much for posting these videos!! They're really helping me see what it's like there.
Awww I’m glad to hear it and thanks for your lovely message!
... all assuming that you can even find an affordable house/apartment to rent. Major shortage.
Promoted now; General Shortage.
No rental agency is renting you a 1300 euro apartment if you are only making 2900 euro.You need to make like 3/3,5 times the rent after taxes. So with a net income of 2900 at most you can rent something like 1000 euro. And other than woningbouw there is barely anything available for that price.
yeah nowdays that doesn't happen anymore. I got a few friends that rent for 50% of the income. 3/3.5x the rent in income no longer works for most cases
tip : register with the local woningbouw the minute you arrive, waiting times are in the decenia but every month waiting time counts . Make sure you ' bevestig ' your interest once a year and hope for a miracle . Appartements / houses via a woningbouw cooperation can be super nice and they are rent controlled even if you have basically no chance of snagging one of those without a wait time of 10 years or so . Wilkomen in Nederland - Beware of illegally subletting one of these, you will be found out , evicted in a matter of weeks and no one will care that you fell for that . The Randstad must be one of the most difficult places on the planet to find a house right now 😵💫
@@AnymMusic This is actually true: I've been able to rent a place without getting the 3,5 - 4x income threshold they were initially asking. It's not written in stone that you have to make that much money, but your chances tend to be a lot lower to get the house if you don't...
True. I'm glad I bought a house; I for one doesn't have an income (or am wealthy enough) to afford a comparable place to rent. Used to be the other way around.
Liberal politics (Stef Blok; the answer to anything and everything) changed that in only 3 months.
I love in Zaandam i pay 1350
The 7 euro's a day isn't realistic. I don't know where they get that number. But I personally couldn't do it. And then I don't even buy really expensive things.
I have a good income, but we spent approx €5,- a day per head of family. With a family of 5 (with 3 teen!), we spent €25,- a day on groceries. So around the €700 to €750 month.
I'm single and have some disabilities, that makes living a bit more expensive, but I could do it for that, if absolutely necessary.
I spent about € 400 a month on groceries, just for myself.
@@rogiervis2306 But how much do you spend on washing powder, dishwasher tablets, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, shaving gel, after shave, deodorant, tooth paste, house cleaning products?
Those €5,- are just for food. Mind you that a package of sliced cheese (6) costs €4,85 and that is cheap. Good quality farm cheese is much more. And what about fruit? Oranges, bananas, apples, pears, strawberries or grapes?
I'm the kind of person that buys things in bulk when they are on sale.
So i'm able to save a lot on non-perishable things.
For me grocery shopping (and anything else like cleaning supplies etc) would costs me about €6 a day.
And with that i'm able to treat myself to. Sometimes buying the bigger brand stuff, the stuff that taste a bit better but is twice as expensive.
But if i would just buy stuff on a daily basis and/or buy Remia, Bolletje or Campina products i would spend a lot more for it.
If you don't have a lot of money tou end up finding ways to save whatever you do have.
And making use of products on sale, is a good way to save up to 50% on about 1/3 of your shopping cost.
We live close to the German border. We go once a month to Germany for a a restock of certain groceries. It saves us around 25% total on our groceries.
The grocery prices have gone insane in the Netherlands last few years.
Hi, tnx for the recap. The "Trash Tax" is not really a tax: is the cost for a service provided by, more and more privatized, collecting compagnies. What you are not taking intto account are "Town Tax" (quite exspensive in A'dam i believe?) and "Waterschapslasten". To keep our feets dry. I guess they could add up to something like 800+300, €1100,- /yr ( €90,-- month).
"Town Tax" includs OZB - tax, the house-tax, wich differ for home owners vs renters.
Now she is a house owner, she will get the bill.
It is based on the estimated value of your house and goes up when house prices rise.
What i think she meant with "trash tax"is: the tax for trash collecting, waterschapsbelasting and the costs of being connected to the water/gas/electricity and waste water (riool)
At least that's what i think, it's gemeentelijke belastingen (without WOZ because we use the example of someone who is renting) and the costs of trash collection.
Groceries, that is € 225,-…..per week (including soap for clothing, dishwasher, toothpaste etc)
It is possible to do your groceries for about 50-60 Euros a week, but you'd have to be extremely mindful as to what you buy and always have to choose the budget options. Realistically, I spend about 150 - 170 Euros a week on my personal groceries (I live by myself).
You can do weekly groceries for €80-€120 for a two person household.
@@palantir135Yes you can, but what you get for that money is outrageous. I simply think people who spend that money on groceries deserve better. The guts of Dutch supermarkets to ask those prices.
We go to Germany each month to stock on many things, a lot of things are there for the normal prices we were used to a few years ago (some things are more expensive there). It's good for your wallet, but even more important, you are not filling the pockets of our supermarkets and tax office and letting them get away with this.
@@teqfreak if you buy (locally grown) vegetables and fruits that are in season so to say, so there’s plenty of them usually, then prices will be quite low.
Dutch buyers are addicted to Bonus/bargains and supermarkets of course create these ‘bargains’ by normally asking a high price and then regularly sell products for a fake bargain. Those products then have the normal price like in Germany. The only way to shop for normal prices is to hunt for Bonus/bargains.
@@palantir135 Yeah, I have no time for and fon't feel like hunting for bargains. So Germany it is. We make a trip each month and stock up for the whole month. And then we go to a dutch supermarket halfway the month to restock on some things you want fresh and for the things that are cheaper in the Netherlands.
Frankfurt cost-of surviving = 2760€
... Fixed Expense [ € 2570 ]
1355€ Warm rent in Frankfurt for 55sqm
355€ Private health Insurance
480€ Groceries
90€ Electricity and internet
80€ Gym membership and supplements
20€ Radio Tax
... Variable Expense [ € 190 ]
90€ Various insurances (private liability, supplemental dental etc.)
100€ Surprise expenses
Thanks for your fun videos. one tip you may want to check if it is possible to set the white balance of your camera to one setting. Now the clouds passing outside cause the camera to automatically change the white balance setting resulting in a color changing of your videos.
In the Netherlands is a big shortage of social housing for affordable prices. And we are overpopulated. Groceries and food are usually the closing item in expenses after all your fixed charges are paid for. If you do not have a large income, you have to really cut down on these expenses. It is possible, but then you cannot eat what you want anymore. I could live with 7 euro's a day for food, but it would not be easy, I usually spend a little more money on food.
I can relate with your comment, except for one point. We have more than enough social housing (rent control up to €1,000), namely 34%, Austria (nr. 2) has 25%, Denmark (nr. 3) has 19%. We have almost twice the amount of social housing than nr. 3 on the list. The problem must be somewhere else, no one is moving to a bigger and more expensive home as soon as their salary allows it. Once in social housing you stay in social housing. One because there is hardly any mid-rent housing, two because they’re used to relatively low rent and don’t want to pay more for slightly bigger housing, three because hardly anyone wants to move to another town, city or neighborhood and four because if you stay in social housing, rent is controlled and by moving out, the controlled rent starts again at market value. We have 34% social rent homes and only 8% mid-rent and free rental homes. People are occupying social housing when they earn enough for mid-rent or free rent homes because there is hardly any alternative and no need to move out and you can’t be forced out. So housing corporations are selling social housing homes in order to build new ones instead of giving tenants an alternative. Our housing market is over-regulated by government.
@@RealConstructor You make very good points indeed.
One of the main reasons, in my opinion, is expats, immigrants, tourists and international students overpopulating the big cities that causes a chain reaction to other areas.
Secondly, the influx of asylum seekers, economical and war refugees, free out of jail people, have priorities for housing, like someone mentioned here.
Thirdly, there are a minimum of elderly people that are moving and too many stay in their houses, often in a house that is far beyond their needs (for the reasons you mention as well), also overloading the ambulant healthcare sector. There is actually a nice (brainstorm) article in het Brabants Dagblad (I believe) about this that makes a lot of very good points outside of the usual "government is failing" indoctrination.
There is an outcry in the article to bring back old folk homes and centralize their needs in 1 spot instead of spreading them over neighborhoods. We centralize healthcare and hospitals but chase those with rollators all through the city.
I do not agree with overregulation at all.
The alternative is a free market and a free market needs increasing prices to be able to function. Part of the problems now is that social housing started to sell of their stock to make financial room to built new housing and see what happened to the market prices of those sold houses and apartments that ended up on the free market and are no longer affordable for many. same with the free rental sector that normal folks can't afford.
The good thing in The Netherlands is that our government regulates so much. Yep!
I live in Asia and see what happens there and daily on CNN, where the housing market is free, there is no price cap on medicine, hospital and clinics are private, insurance is through the roof, doctors have become medicine sellers, gambling (even in a Muslim country) is out of control. Ambulances need to pay first and hospitals won't admit you if you can't proof you are able to pay the bill. You gamble. less than 20% is paid out as well.
Regulation of all these things is a necessity. If you put everything in a free market, you start a new ratrace alike globalization that can never, ever work and is nothing more (or less) than a dinosaur theory where they get bigger and bigger and have nothing left to eat and die. First rule of a economical market is that money has to go around. When profits end up with already fortunate shareholders, the average Joe spends less in the local bakery or hardware shop.
Hence, the banking crises in the US where Clinton (and later adopted by Bush) left it to the banks how much credit they could provide and created a house of cards. I always explain that as a bathtub full of water with no plug in it. Production relocated to China mainly, where they need cars, houses, roads, skyscrapers as well and the abroad investment never return and therefore the economy in the US did not go around any longer. It was leaking big time.
The unregulated banking sector for years managed to cover it up by providing more credit, basically pouring buckets and buckets of water in the tub to keep up the level till people would borrow so much they defaulted on their payments and the house of cards came down just like that because then the banks started to default to each other as well.
What the government immediately SHOULD start to regulate is a total stop of housing above a certain amount and instead built houses where it is needed till the problem is resolved.
Rich(er) or better off people can just as easy do with a few bathrooms less and no swimming pool. There are already so many choices for them and they can always move smaller but we cannot move bigger. No need to built more.
Like in Den Bosch where they built a whole new neighborhood, right next to the old inner city (old hospital grounds) and most houses/apartments are touching or are well over 1 million or they built a new Theatre while the old one was more than good enough, while making excuse after excuse for years now why there are no affordable houses appearing.
That is a perfect example of very bad governance. But that can never be a reason to ditch regulation. We just have to make regulation work better and get rid of the career politicians that talk and talk, get nothing done, ignore obvious needs or refuse to correct wrongs, sell all national identities off to the highest bidder, forget about residents but try to profile themselves internationally to end up in places like NATO eventually. We are just the pun of their joke and not the subject of their concern. There, I gave you my 2 cents...
And maybe we just should bring back (high-rise) flats for the time being. Maybe a litter lower in a more appealing environment, like a resort setup of some sort, or like they do in other countries a lot with condo's inclusive of gyms, swimming pools and common (party) areas to attract the single yuppy's and only practicing young couples.
Some valid points made, but good riddance, you guys love hearing yourself as the "I know the solution". It is a tough subject for which we don't need to insert all the populist hallmark comments.
I agree there is a shortage of social housing, but we , as a country, are not overpopulated; the 'Randstad' is overpopulated, because too many people (including expats) think they can only live Dutch life in Amsterdam. How about looking at f.i. the north of the country?
In my youth in the sixties, when we were with 11 million, the general feeling was that the Netherlands were 'full'. Now we are with almost 18 million, and the general feeling is still that the Netherlands are 'full'. Shouldn't we have had a major crisis since then?
We are one of the richest nations in the world. Let's stop whining and live up to our Judeo- Christian values!
@@joostvanlinge263 Very well said, although there are more cities that experience the same problems.
Damn Jan Modaal earns a lot more than I expected. And a lot more than me
Do you know how our governent institutes came up with that number? They had a higher echelon employee whoes name was Jan Modaal and they took his paygrade!
You must consider Jan Modaal is already 20 years into his carrier (on average)
Jan eet verse vis en geen frietje mayo lijkt het...
@@AlexK-yr2th Dat zal dan binnenkort geen vers vis maar import zijn gezien hoe het overheidsbeleid onze vissers het land uit naar Noorwegen jaagt.
You earn on the lower end of the scale, your neighbor has a top salary, add the two together and divide it by 2 and there he is, Jan Modaal, an average person who in reality doesn't exist even though a lot of people get close.
As someone living in Utrecht too (Vogelenbuurt actually, based on your older content I believe pretty close to where you used to live) I see some big differences.
Groceries: I spent nearly double on this. Granted I am slightly taller than even the average Dutch guy, go to the gym often, have some additional dietary requirements and use HelloFresh a lot. But still it seems very low for Jan Modaal.
Water/Gas/Electricity: My utility bills are almost half the amount you mentioned. Possible related to the previous subject; I don't require a lot of heat, 18.5 degrees inside is perfectly fine for me.
Also I'm still paying the 2 year old prices but I don't think updated with todays tariffs I would go much higher than 110 euro's a month.
Internet: I work in IT, work from home a lot and need decent internet. Having said that I can get the mid-tear Ziggo subscription for ~50 euro's and that's probably more than enough for most.
Trash Tax: I'm going to assume these are all municipality taxes and for me these are 40 euro's, might be lower outside of big cities.
Gym: the biggest expense not mentioned but that I do have is a gym membership. It's 85 euro's a month and there are plenty of (mostly crossfit) gym's that cost more.
Hairdresser: Not related to me personally but I have some female, expat friends who rather wait until they travel back home to get a fresh cut (and coloring) than pay the prices here.
You would expect that AVA knows better after living in the Netherlands for some years. No way someone can live on 7 euro a day on groceries. And it is close to impossible to get ANY place unless you pay through the nose. Waiting lists for social renting are mostly way over 10 years.
Good points. Social housing prices though are capped at just over 800/month. Many folks just don't depart .... as the next quality of home is a big jump up in price. Still, Amsterdam is inexpensive compared to London or Paris.
I spend 225 euro's a month on groceries (little over 7 euro's a day), that's including cleaning supplies, toothpaste etc.. I order take-out or go out for lunch/coffee a little under once a week I think. It's not hard, I could cut costs quite easily if I had to by going out less, replacing my breakfast and lunch with simpler sandwiches and eating less meat and watch which vegetables are cheap when planning dinners.
Well, in 2023, I spend €4.40 a day on groceries. Despite inflation, my spending on groceries has remained constant since 2012, when I started tracking my spending. It looks like I won't spend more this year either. And I do eat well: plenty of fruit and vegetables.
I managed to do that by doing the vast majority of my shopping at cheaper supermarkets and paying close attention to discounts. And I don’t eat meat very often (just 2 or 3 times a week). That also helps to control costs.
@@Malaila17 yeah it's doable.
But you have to make use of sales (like 1+1 gratis) and not buy the A-merk (big brand) products.
Those A-merk peoducts are just not worth the premium prices they ask.
@@ChristiaanHW Sure, but with my budget I don't even always pay that close attention. I buy some A-merk stuff (for the expensive stuff like toothpaste and detergent I watch sales, but not always other stuff) and I have the opportunity to eat out once in a while. It's not like you can buy absolutely whatever you want on a 7 euro a day budget without thinking ever. But stating there is "no way" someone in NL can live of that budget (like the original comment) is ridiculous. It's a realistic budget for people that watch their spending a little, want to eat healthy and treat themselves to some luxury every now and then.
I make less than €1000 and have a 50m2 appartment and am able to drive a car and buy everything I need. Never had to worry about my bills.
Lucky to live in the same social appartment for the last 13 year in a smaller town and being Dutch I get 'toeslagen' for rent and health insurance.
Living in a bigger city is more expensive. Better to get something cheaper somewhere else if you do not make 'modaal' income or want to spend your money on better things.
Totally agree. I live in a small city near The Hague and living is good here. I have The Hague's public transport, and a small shopping center just a 5 mins walk away from home. With my state pension AOW) I can manage (can't afford a car, but I never needed one in Holland).
I have healthcare- and housing allowances. I can put some money aside for eventualities.
The current housing shortage, however, will force immigrants to accept the unregulated housing, with its high prices. And it will take them some time to find their way in the web of allowances, if they are 'low income'. High income immigrants/residents usually will not qualify for any state or local allowances.
And zero pension. Good luck when your older.
@@laurensa.1803 True. But the AOW is a lot higher then I am able to make now or what you get when on welfare.
Great vid!
I do think that NIBUD needs to update their 'groceries' figure to a more realistic figure. 225 a month is not really realistic these days... I'd make it 350 at least.
Unfortunately, the income of those who have to survive on benefits or the minimum wage will not rise as fast as prices. For many, that amount is still realistic.
a week you mean lol
No, people like you who need 350 euro a month for food and drinks are the problem themselves.
@@HermanWillems
Herman zak lekker in de stront met je kut humeur. Ik heb 3 kinderen en die hebben honger lullo. Mensen met jou persoonlijkheid zijn het probleem.
85m2 appartement, and I pay 850€, and I get some money (huurtoeslag) back. It is Energy A label.
But I live in a small Frisian village, but close to towns with everything.
Don't forget service costs for the place you rent, water taxes, repayment study loan. Height depends on location and study programme of course. And if you have been able to buy a house (congrats! that's very hard at the moment) you pay extra taxes based on the value of your house (WOZ, determined by your municipality). Healthcare insurance is great, unless you need certain medicine, treatment or if dental costs are not covered in your package. You start paying up until €385 ("eigen risico") per year and if certain costs will not be prepaid or refunded you also have to pay "eigen bijdrage". Conclusion: Stick to the norm, stay healthy, try and search for places outside the big cities and you will be fine here in the Netherlands.
IDK if this is something non-Dutch people get, but currently the government is paying a little less than half of my rent in rent benefit. The amount of rent benefit you can get is highly dependent on your income, total rent cost, and even your age.
250 for groceries? Nope. But you did add 300 for going out so I'm at about 500 euro per month as an old guy for groceries and beverages, who doesn't go out that much.
ayoooo another upload i was yearning for it lol
I think most people don't go out to diner once a week or travel as much. Most people can't afford that if they also want to be clothed, contribute to birthday presents, get a haircut and watch some streaming service(s). Also, saving up some money for unforseen events like the washing machine breaking down. It's a pretty tight budget to be on for most people.
Thanks Ava for your videos and for the effort to dig out the information, i really appreciate that. If I may add my own view to help others, in my personal experience here, 7 euros of groceries is unrealistic, unless you stick to bread, cheese and potatoes all the time (buying on cheap stores that might be far away from you). If you want to have a diverse and nutritional food, it is way more expensive. Also rent of 1300 in Utrecht, i think it is very far from the city and very modest places. Just trying to help with a different experience. Veel succes!!
Very useful video Ava but you are comparing apples with oranges, or rocks. You should not compare at face value or look at individual components like "trashtax" which is not a tax but a service. And comparing costs of living only on the surface gives a completely wrong outcome, just as you cannot compare the public transport here with the overly used car and lack of public transport in the US, just as you when you compare the prices in the TOP5 in The Netherlands with the average in the US. You should compare the costs of owning and using a car for the same purpose you use public transport for here and then compare the delays with the jams and car service for that matter. You are looking too much at your personal circumstances and Jan and Ava must be neighbors for sure... and out of pocket expenses without considering the size of the wallet, whether the wallet has a debit or credit card and/or medical card and unforeseen circumstances that are covered within.
Of course prices are the highest in the Top5, specially with the overflow of expats and immigrants in those cities, driving the prices up enormously in these American territories. Not fare to compare these spots with prices back home while one is the main cause of making them expensive. The Netherlands has 2.500 cities (92 with city rights officially) and 4000 villages where most, if not all, are a lot cheaper to live in outside the TOP5.
Haarlem, Groningen and Den Haag for example (among a lot of others) are officially not a city but a "gemeente" (municipality) because they never received city rights. That model has long been abandoned since we do not give city rights any longer. Vernacularly, we call it a city when there are over 50,000 residents. By law, Amsterdam is only the capital since 1983 btw. Just some useless facts I want to throw in...
For a mortgage or social housing, up to 40% of your income is approved to spend on housing as rule of thumb. In your example, Jan is living above his means at 45% on rent. He should not spend more on rent (or mortgage) than € 1,160, which would make a total spending of € 2,360 only and he would have savings of € 540 every month which is 18.6% of his net income. There is a reason the Dutch "poldermodel" works. In comparison to his gross income of € 3.615, that would make 15%. And that is without Credit cards.... if you know what I mean so there is no immense deterioration in savings because of useless sneakers, baseball caps and figurines or other impulse things one don't really need. Dutch are frugal, we save first before we spend it, if and when we can afford it. Well, most do...
The best comparison what you can do with your money is simply look at the exchange rate (just as we Dutch look at the coffee prices and not the stock market (another idea we came up with btw) how the Economy is doing, to exclude speculation aspects).
What is 1 euro worth in The Netherlands (although that goes a bit astray with an European currency but no different with a federal market like the US really) and what can you do with 1 Dollar in the US. With an exchange rate of 0.92, the simple conclusion is you can do 8% less with your money in the US without looking at the individual aspects. Taking into consideration that the income difference in the US is far wider (deviation) than in The Netherlands, means that most of people in the US have a lot less to spend. About 6,4% in the Netherlands is considered to receive a low income (according to OESO). In The US that is 24.1% and that's an astonishing factor 4. Altogether, 24.1% of the US population are over 80 million people and that is over 4½x more than the total Dutch population, according to OESO, that receive a low income. Notwithstanding the people that live below the poverty line that is basically eliminated in The Netherlands (although it often doesn't feel like that) while the American poor live in cars, trailers and on the streets in the US. We are a lot more medium in The Netherlands...
The average (or medium) income in the US is € 5,070 and in The Netherlands it is € 4,181 (net € 3,181) but in the US, the Gini-index (in 2018) shows that 41.2% in the US makes less than average (different than low income) and that number in the Netherlands is 28.1%. When you extrapolate those numbers means 26% (28.1 divided by 1.08) of The Netherlands makes less than average statistically by comparison because our coin has more value. Introduce the inflation numbers on that and you go haywire (in 2023 is was 4.1% in the US and 3.8% here, almost 8% higher there as well) and the 26% would become 24.1%. In short, in The Netherlands we have about 71% less people making less than average in comparison to the US. It is not that bad at all here although it appears so, like your example, but at a superficial glance.
Another point is that you mention that Jan is an average Joe (should be John) but he makes € 2,900 net (€ 3.615 gross) in your example, while the average in The Netherlands is €3,181 net. If Jan and Joe would live in the same place and have the same lifestyle, he would save € 821 monthly, a whopping 26%. I did not consider here that when the average Jan's income is higher, his rent could be higher as well, hence he would save less. But some numbers one can do themselves I assume.
So single Jan spends € 2,500 per month in your example on basically everything that is considered living a decent, average life (including holidays, eating out, healthcare, etc. with all the things we have here that you cannot even dream of there) that, in comparison to the US, are 58.4% more people here that can afford this lifestyle. And that all in 1 job without a second or third one, usually close to 50 days off a year without the fear of bankruptcy when one falls ill. Just to make a correct point, based on your hypothesis. Notwithstanding that if Jan finds a Bertha or Johannes, primary costs are divided into 2, exactly those that make Dutch living extremely expensive and, secondly, there is a majority of people that make a lot less than average in The Netherlands as well. We are a social welfare state and tend to look bottom up, not top down and statistics and averages as a justification is not who we are.
Sorry, but everything is relative Ava... and you have to weigh the correct factors in the fruit bowl. Mentioning that there are even more expensive places than the Top5, you should mention at least that most of the Netherlands is a lot cheaper and places you rent are bigger than in the Top5, with a lot more places of leisure that are way cheaper, closer or free altogether than where you and Jan live.
On a minimum income in this same country :
2 Person household
Net income : 1740
Rent 75m2 : 390
Groceries : 435
Insurance : 20
Water, gas, electricity : 165
Internet : 50
Phone (x2) €5, so 10 (Just need unlimited national phone calls and don't care about MB's)
Health insurance : €158 for me, €172 wife
Transport : Everything below 20 KM distance by bicycle of 20 years old : zero euro
Going out : 50
Misc 50
Total : 1500
Remaining 240 to savings account.
Holiday : No holidays for the last 24 years.
I'm not complaining, we could use our savings for holidays, however we prefer to have 2 powerful gaming desktop systems, very recently 2 new systems at a total of €6200 (the previous systems were from 2014)
Priorities..
Nice video on some expected cost. I would suggest a couple of improvements and/or clarifications.
1. Average grossery prices are significantly higher and don't include goods like detergents etc.
2. The municipality taxes are incomplete with just the trash tax, because there are others too.
3. Your phone plan is very low when looking at the general public. I would expect more in the realm of 20 - 25 and even more if a phone is purchased through the subscription.
4. I gues this single person is also taking things like subscriptions for netflix, the gym, etc.
And don't forget that you've calculated for a net income where the holiday pay is included. In practice this is not the case, but will be paid on a yearly basis. This will affect your purchase power during typical months.
I live in nieuwegein, a suburb of utrecht. i pay 1100 for 70 m2, i'm on 52K per year, and supporting a dependent (can't work due to mental illness). it's not comfortable but we're making it work. When i moved out everything had to be on a shoestring budget and more so when we moved in together, but one thing that helped stretch the budget is investing in durable goods when something breaks if at all possible. it's over time significantly lowered my annual mainance costs. in and around the house
no you were right the first time- unless you're renting for a family, 60 m² is definitely huge in central amsterdam. I'd even say it's pretty large here in Utrecht!
I've seen single rooms being rented out for 800...
But you're absolutely right that the differences between different parts of the city are huge. Especially utrecht and amsterdam which contain awkwardly located parts that don't have good connections to the inner city.
Sigh
I need to get away from my Amsterdam rental. I’m starting to look for a place to buy. My rent is going north of 2000 in July.
Lol, and I feel bad for charging 1100 for each of the two brand-new appartments in De Bilt, also close to a major city. 😆
So, what about the car? Insurance, maintenance & 'APK', tax, fuel?
The thing is Amsterdam is insane, even within an insane housing market. More about that at the end.
If you want to live decently, move away from the big cities and main public transport hubs. If there's a train station with a direct city connection, prices skyrocket. If you need to cycle a long way or go by car, prices drop. If it's cycle-only due to bad traffic, prices really plummet. To name an example Muiden is closer to central Amsterdam than Purmerend. But it's cheaper because Purmerend has a direct-connection train line and Muiden takes several bus rides or 40 minutes by bicycle.
If you want cheap, go into car-only countryside in the periphery. My house costs 500K. That buys me a tiny 1 bedroom flat in Amsterdam, 1 decent family home in the village where I live 30 km away from there, or a massive mansion with an acre of garden in Friesland or Zeeland.
I once lost a bet to a customer who bet me that if he took the price of an Amsterdam appartment and raised it x5 (so +400%) that he would still find a tenant. Quoting the guy: "And it'll probably be one of those crazy expats". Three weeks later I owed him a bottle of wine as there was a (foreigner's) signature underneath a rent contract that says € 3400 a month for a 37 m² appartment with shared kitchen.
The price for eating out in the US has gone up and it's similar
Think anywhere between 400-650 for groceries is more realistic if you want to at least eat and cook decent healthy meals + buying soaps/ cleaning stuff / oil etc.. Car costs are also not included in this overview xD That would blow the budget massively! 100-200 gas, 120 road tax, 100 upkeep (avg), 100 insurance. Perhaps about 400-500 per month.
the amount of people using cars in the Netherlands is minimal 😊
@@ennaa2577 well according to the CBS there are 9 million cars on the road, quite a lot and increasing every year. Roughly 500 per 1000 inhabitants. Considering many cars in NL are used by two people that means that almost every family has at least 1 car or there are families with multiple cars to compensate for students/kids/ very elderly etc. Go on the highway in peak traffic - there are definitely a TON of cars xD NL also has one of the most interconnected road networks in europe so this statement isn't entirely true im afraid ;) We do love are bikes also though :)
don't know where you get your information from but when you go through a housing corporation you are likely in the balparc of 500 to 800 euro's but you got to go outside the cities and more south my rent is 580a month
Thank you for your brilliant take down now here’s mine:
Income 4309
Rent 1890
Groceries 400
Insurance 70
Energy 220
Phone 20
Internet 75
Health 220
Trash / community 50
Transport 1000
Going out 400
Misc 500
Now let me calculate that…
4845 Je moet dus bezuinigen.
Opschepper. Ik ken jou en jij hebt een uitkering
Netto of bruto
Table at 1:19 minutes says 35091 net per year and 2924 net per month for Jan Modaal
I make 3.000€ netto in the Netherlands, North Brabant. I work 4 days a week and if I do overtime I can make up to 3.600€. Married, no kids. I do not go out. I can save precisely 50% of my salary per month. It is possible!, just avoid Amsterdam and Rotterdam rents.
Not sure if I expected this. 400 Euro per month to save. Housing is a big one, but other things like groceries are very, very cheap. Especially knowing the quality of groceries you get in the Netherlands. It does seem like you better be a couple. That's the biggest cost saver there. Then you have a very healthy saving at the end of the month.
Note: If trains have a delay of more than 30 minutes you are entitled to money back, depending on how you travel (which card, which reduction etc.) this is up to 50% form 30-60 minutes delay and 100% if the delay i more than 60 minutes.
How expensive is Netherland for an expat, well depends where you come from, what job you'll have, if is uqualified or qualified etc. But basically for people come from place like US or UK they would find Netherlands quite cheap, comparing to their home. But if you come from way cheaper countries would like "Holly fuck", but also income is way bigger than average salary from Eastern Europe for example.
Like having a netto salary of 1200€ when I came here for first time for me was like a divine hand put on my had, considering that minimum wage in my country at that time been 350 -60€ net. Well in my particular case back then worked unemployed for 100€ per month due had a free house to live in my own village and been near to my family. So back then I was like, ok , at least I am home. When came here and received weekly 283€ , I was like "I don't belive" now having my own rent and other shit around, plus driving school , I can say that 20000€ near not enough for me. That way I have a second job as deliver guy for Flink in week-ends.
Great video. However those average housing prices are a mix of social and more well off people paying the full price for the rent. Someone that makes 44k euros would have a lower rent. Yes there is a shortage but once you get a place they usually stay a long time in it. The prices that are quoted are if you make way more than the average
Thank you for the positivity 🍀😄
water/gas/ electricity for 170 is a little bit low, same as health insurance 170, we wish it would be that low
All roads inside lead to a numberjungle, babylon is in DenHaag
So DenHaag is responsible for all the housing problems in the whole wide world? :) You are so FUNNY. (and wrong)
Is 7 euro per day possible? Perhaps, but not easy. You can cook a meal forceerde euro’s per person. Add 1 for breakfast and 1.5 for lunch?
That leaves very little for everything else. Coffee and tea, a nicer drink or some snacks
Only groceries? It is doable, because I spend less. Just a matter of buying basic products...
We live in Netherlands, from 2 years ago,the rent my husband is paying for a house with 3 rooms ,in Leek near to Groningen is almost 1000 without utilities
Nobody want's to life there, because there is hardly work.
So when buying in Amsterdam city center, there is over a €1000 surplus for every yard you get closer the Amstelplein. So 200 yards closer, €200,000 on top of the already high prices. But then again, who would want to live inside an amusement park?
People complain.... but they only complain about Amsterdam & Utrecht and talk like houses are expensive everywhere. It's a myth, houses are affordable, you just have to get out of the big cities. That's it... problem SOLVED. But people want to live in the big cities and want it cheap.
For young people it's virtually impossible to find an affordable place to live.
Additional taxes are Sewer (riool) tax and Water authority (waterschap) tax, and it is definitely not necessary to pay 70 euro / month for internet, for 40 or 50 euros a month you have an acceptable connection.
Amsterdam though has 50% social housing, max about 800/mnth... there is also rental-cost support (tax credit), income based. Child support, energy price caps for small usage ... and potentially tax credits. So, lower wages get support, higher get less credits.
Rental-cost support? That comes with a max rental price! Go over the max and you get nothing. There is no way you can find a privately/commercially owned apartment in Amsterdam that is within the allowed price range.
@@vogel2280That's why we have social housing associations.
@vogel2280 True, or almost true. I know of a church which rents out apartments, but they typically sell out when the last renter departs. They rent for less. But Amsterdam has about 50% social housing! The people don't leave due to the large 'gap' with the next price range. An excellent example of successful social housing is Vienna. A major problem in Amsterdam is high demand vs low availability, however: good public transport with commuter cities. Like Almere. So, people should just accept that Amsterdam center has a higher cost of living, at least per square meter. For local employees though, specifically, social housing is relevant. Can't expect nurses, police officers, bus drivers all to live somewhere without nightly access to the city - a main problem. People often need a car and now the city is becoming very anti-parking. Then what? No employees? Exactly! Many organizations in Amsterdam have great difficulties in hiring professionals. It is a poorly managed city in that regard.
@@nas4apps Also can't expect minimum wage employees to travel to and from Amsterdam by public transport every day.
@@gert-janvanderlee5307That depends. In many collective agreements (CAO) the employer will pay all travel expenses to and from work as long as they are with public transport.
Omg in utrecht are the trashtaxes so cheap! I pay like double in brabant 😅
@@lotecque I always run away and flee during the carnival. 😅 But most of the "waste" money goes to the water works...
That is because in Brabant, we send the trash over there... hahahaha
So the groceries are a bit on the low side, but I do want to mention, that if you don't want to live in cities in the randstad, but choose a city in the north fi Leeuwarden, Assen , Drachten, etc , it is perfectly doable to find a place ( of around 60 m2 ) that you pay less then 800 euro's a month for. So that would give "Jan modaal" another 500 to spend . not everyone would like to live here, but it is way cheaper
Good luck finding a well paying job.
@@laurensa.1803 valid point, but also not impossible . but it does help to get the job first before hunting for a house
LOL 1600 per month for a little apartment....
I bought my house in Eindhoven 5 years ago for 300k. Costs me about 1000 per month for a 130m2 house with yard, 2 car garage etc etc.
Where you are is that Amsterdam or Utretch?
not sure I would recommend anyone moving to the netherlands to start out in amsterdam or utrecht. yes they are great cities, but when you are just starting out they are so expensive. If you need to work in amsterdam or Utrecht, you'r probably better off starting in a neighbouring town/village with a train connection. Once you are here you can register for social housing (takes a long time but price/quality is the best, you can also get priority if you have certain special circumstances like a child etc.) if you dont make that much, or you can look into buying a house (I know the market is terrible, but mortgages are so much lower than rent so it's still worth to see if you can buy)
All of this will depend on your salary ofcourse.
The rent prices you quote are those for the free market. If you are/become a permanent resident and register with woningnet (transitioning to the name DAK) you will qualify after a few years for a rental from the "woningbouw vereniging". I have a 3 bedroom appartment in Kanaleneiland Utrecht with a size of 85 square and pay around 800 a month (rounded up for simplicity). This register period might be longer if you do not have a Dutch partner (as they obviously have some "rules" going for them like time lived in a certain area, an existing registration period etc). If you plan on moving to the Netherlands always check the rules regarding this and register as soon as you are allowed. Just like everywhere else we have a housing crisis and a waiting list can easely take up to a decade if you start from 0.
And if you want to rent from the "woningbouw" , your not allowed to spend more than 1/3 of your salary on rent.. Once you're renting the place, the rent will not change when your salary changes.
So €2.900 would allow a max rent of €967 .
"after a few years"... yeah, make that after a decade.
That is only if you income isn't too high. After waiting for 8 years I don't have a house from the woningbouw vereniging and in the meanwhile I make too much money while "only" making an average income. Meanwhile this is too less for almost anything bigger than a studio (because they want you to make 4x the rent) and the once I could afford are gone almost immediately every time.
If you are a single median income household you are stuck.
@@CZcamsGetsWorseEveryUpdate That is where the "check the rules" part comes in :)
@@mavadelo Yes, you are right. Sorry, I'm a bit frustrated when it comes to housing here
Just like in the US people on a pension ( if they have one ) are way worse off then 2900 Euro’s . Someone on only a state pension ( AOW) has to manage on € 1166,11 a month. To make sure people don’t starve in their old age there is rent subsidy but only for social housing. If a person is married both partners get € 991,- each. Far less then Jan Modaal. There are quite a lot of people that have to manage on just that.
This pretty well explains how as a native from Amsterdam who migrated to another country I can never live again in my hometown, even if I'd wished
Same here I would never be able to move back either
You are better of now i asume
Why would you wanna go back? 😂
@@EGO0808 because at the end of the day it's your country and you have feelings for it. You ever lived 20 years abroad ?
@@EdwinSnippe more than 20 years. Never say never, but not plannig to go back ever.
You mention eating prices at restaurants. But you forget that we don't have tipping.
hmm..I'm considering some jobs as a single person in The Netherlands. One of them is around 36.000 Euros in Barneveld. I still didn't talk to them about the salary, but this video helps me think about it a little more, and do my own research. Thanks :)
Look at rent prices in and around Barneveld (Amersfoort, maybe Apeldoorn, Arnhem) , how public transport is to and from Barneveld (travel times).
There is a very big difference in rent prices between the 5 big cities and the somewhat smaller ones.
And about going out for dinner (€ 300,- a month), that's an option not a requirement.
About the groceries €7,- a day is a bit low, i would calculate it on €100, a week (as a single and self cooking), this includes things you don't need every week like washing powder, toiletpaper, shampoo, herbs and spices, maybe a bottle of wine or some beers, snacks that kind of things.
There are a lot of good video's on CZcams to find some sort of information.
@@erikaverink8418 thank you so much 🙏🙂
Crazy prices, ridiculous! I was born and raised in Amsterdam. In 1986 I paid 450 gulden (200 euro) a month for my 70 m2 apartment in Bos & Lommer. I moved and bought a house in Friesland that same year because of the 'tourists' invasion..Most of my family and friends moved to Almere, Purmerend and Lelystad. I guess there are not many 'real' Mokummers left in Amsterdam?
Sounds pretty accurate besides the groceries. Add another 100 euro to that :p
thank god we own our own house.
Metoo! Bought it 20 years ago and the mortgage is so low... cannot rent a tent for it now.
I thank god (so to speak) that I don't. If you can barely afford it, the costs of repairs or a paintjob can send you Into debt. Not to mention the misery if you have to sell it after you bought it when the prices were high (like now)and then the prices went down like after the financial crisis.
@@gert-janvanderlee5307 Yeah. Because the rent you spend every month comes back to you...
@@laurensa.1803 No, but also no unexpected costs I can't afford. If you have the money? Go ahead. But if you're struggling to pay the bills each month? It's a big gamble and might not be worth the extra stress.
Dear Ava, how are things? Over there, how have you been yourselves and your partner (and your miracle baby in wording?), I've been a great fan of all your vlogs, but please, would you do me a big favour? A tiny little bit slower would make me more Zennnn, thanks so much! By the way: Last weekend I've been promoting your channel to at least 3 expats living in The Neterlands (eastern part). So trust me, I'm all on your side!
Veel geluk tijdens de spannende tijden gedurende de zwangerschap, en ik wens jullie een hele spoedige bevalling (best wishes from al Single Mom, so yes, I know what I'm talking about, hahaha)
The trains are great as long as you’re traveling outside of spits and don’t need to be anywhere in time.
if we are american, we don't know what EUROS translates to USD.. you should say "euros" which equals X amount USD!
A nice house costs around 700,-/1000,- a month...
€8 per day seems a bit low. If you buy 2 chicken filets your already at or close to €8. Im single and I'm around €100 a week
Seems low maybe if you're rich. Seems high if you're poor.
I plan on moving there soon! This video is invaluable. Thank you soooo much. My main stress is about transporting my little anxious feline.
If I could move back I need about 3000 net and that is living in the east
Why should you spend so much money for rental in the big cities while you can find cheaper houses around those cities. Remember that our public transport system is good. If your income isn’t that good you could go for social housing. Remember that social housing here is quite different from the USA.
You can do groceries shopping for a two person household for about €80-120 a week.
Eindhoven will probably go up in price fast in the future.
Housing prices got out of control due to the neoliberal policies in the Netherlands over the previous 25 years. Basically housing was left to "the market", which needs a shortage to function. And if there is no shortage or a small shortage, the market wil create a big shortage so prices and profits can rise.. Government thus stopped stimulating building enough housing and so the shortage, currently running towards 400.000 houses/appartments, came to be..
Housing ought to be a right, not a priveledge.
The market doesn't need a shortage to function.
They don't want a surplus.
Then...
Do you have any idea how the left destroyed everything with taking in all those ,,refugees" ?
And how difficult it is to find room to build?
Very well said, specially that free market needs overpricing to function.
See my point on the overpopulation due to expats/immigrants in the Top5 she mentions as well.
@@AlexK-yr2th No, the free Market creates overpricing due to the shortages it creates. If there's enough supply driving up prices is very hard.
@@eddys.3524 Isn't that exactly what I tried to say with "free markets need overpricing to function"? A free market can only function on the outlook of profit, just as your boss likes to make a buck so (s)he is able to pay for your salary and have some left for themselves. Or didn't you get that?
But your version is incorrect because free markets do not create shortages. It is the other way around. This would be market manipulation and is against the law.
Free markets are looking for profits, possible as high as they can get and that drives up the price and therefor people no longer can afford, hence less people will be interested or simply able. It does not affect the number of houses (offer) but the number of people that can come up with the money (demand).
Your argument is that a free market that somehow, magically, houses disappear and that is simply wrong. There is even a very good possibility that more houses come to market because with higher prices, more people want to sell their houses, specially elderly people that, with the opportunity to make more money, decide to sell and move to a smaller house or home.
Competition makes prices go down, not up.
How much would Jan have to pay for insurance and tax if they owned a car ?
Have a nice Sunday everyone😎.
Why would Jan Modaal own a car?
This depends on the car you drive and the city you live in. I pay less than 50 euro in total for all risk insurance and tax.
@@watidatga That sounds very reasonable. Thanks
@@jorgen8630 I car is still the best and cheapest way to get around if you do not live in a big city and want to visit places not close to public transport
@@jorgen8630 Jan’s like that. He also has 3 fiets and a dingy.
de salarissen zijn idd enorm laag vergeleken met andere landen, ben al 36 jaar weg uit Europa.
And being health insured is not a free choice. Its something you are forced to have. If you dont , you end up in jail. (Looking to america)
And you did forget the taxes for de waterschappen. And this depends if you rent or bought a house. But it's something you have to pay.
In our country the government actually succeeded in putting taxes on everything. There isn't anything what is not taxed.
Not really. You just get a fine that is less than you would've paid in health insurance.
Stop the silly fear mongering.
You do not go to jail if you don't have health insurance. You will however get a fine and the government will arrange health insurance for you. The costs will then be taken directly out of your salary and will be more expensive than getting insurence yourself. If you have medical expenses while uninsured, you will have to pay for them out of pocket.
@@carolientjejosefientje1684 do you know about how much money we are talking? People already without money can't afford such fines, and the forced up insurance.
Thus where do they end?
In jail.
@@atarvos8686 No. People don't go to jail for this. Stop making stuff up.
Think about it....
The factory produces products of which the ingredients they purchase, requires them to pay tax.
They sell it to your company, they pay tax.
When your company sells those, they pay tax.
From what's left, they pay your salary.
Then you pay income tax.
After that on everything you spend, your pay BTW.
Buy a house, you pay tax for that.
When rent, there is a forfeit.
And recently they wanted to put tax and what's left that you manage to save and suggested to tax that as well.
Just calculate how much and how many times the government receives tax over the same initial amount....
You forgot the zorgtoeslag and the huurtoeslag
I think that when you earn modaal you earn to much to get those benefits.
sadly at 2900 a month you no longer qualify for that
@1:20 you say 2925 per year instead of per month 🙂
Spreadsheet do not tell the story. Just go out and talk to people.
Specially when you apply them wrongly and live in your own bubble and think all is the same.
watching from toronto and thinking why is everything so cheap.
Sounds like your groceries are very cheap compared to Australia, what are the costs of running a car in the Netherlands? Your other costs are similar to here. A lot of people struggle with electricity costs here, they are so high, luckily I have solar and almost no cost. Yes inflation is high here too, rents have more then doubled in 3 years, we suddenly have more and more homeless living in their cars. Never saw it much before.
I live in the Netherlands. I pay about 500 euro's a month for groceries.
I literally live in the house just left of your face in the title shot, and have for 32 years. So yes. But I could not afford to buy it now...
€2924,33 per month....
Don’t forget expats get a huge tax benefit. I have a relatively well paid job, but I cannot afford living in Amsterdam.
The rental amount will grow even more,electricity and gas! So its not easy to live in this country
So the conclusion is that Jan should find himself a boyfriend or girlfriend and he can live very comfortable?
Jan has a last name you know; *Jan Shortlastname.* 😈
Hi Hugo!
Socially, of course, but, well, only if that friend earns money too and contributes it to the house hold as well...
And now compare this to New York. Which country is more expensive? You are talking about the Capital and the big cities. Offcourse it is expensive. Any 1st world country is expensive in the main cities.
You can't rent a place that's more than 900 euros with a 2900 net income. And that's already pushing it as most private sector landlords require you to make 4x, meaning Jan Modaal would only be able to rent a place for 725 or less. That's social housing. Social housing has a 10 year waitlist. Maybe more in any of the cities you mentioned. Jan Modaal is homeless and living illegally here (it's illegal to live on the street, I think?). If he were Jan non Dutch he'd be likely deported as he'd be unable to register with the Municipality. The Netherlands hates poor people and average ones too. They just assume you have to marry and add 2 incomes to get a single tiny 1 bedroom apartment. Jan Modaal can't even get a basic free sector apartment, let alone a modaal house. This is really sad. Thankfully I am not in such situation but only because I won the social housing lottery. Otherwise I'd be gone a very long time ago.
i wanna live in maastricht lol
My mortgage is €350,- so I bras alles op. Lol....
The average Jan owns a car, cost you 400 to 600 a month.
😅How do you spend that much? Write-off?
If you stick to Amsterdam, it's even worse. 😅
now what if Jan get himself a car.....
how in gods name do you get by on 225 euro per month for groceries, is he like trying to starve to death. does he go and begg for food and toilet paper like please explain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*cries in mortgage and three kids*
And all thanks for stopping building projects after the 2008 financial crisis.
Use dollar amounts also hipster!!
Huh, weird that how bigger and well known a city is, the more expensive it all is, it's almost as if people want to live there because they are well known cities..