Cost of living in the Netherlands: build your monthly budget

Follow these six steps in order.

1. Write down the household, town, housing type and budget month.
2. Copy monthly amounts from the lease, insurance policy, energy account, water account, subscriptions and childcare contract.
3. Add variable spending from recent receipts or a clearly labelled reference household.
4. Divide annual bills by 12 and quarterly bills by 3 to create monthly reserves.
5. Put deposits, advance payments and one-off moving costs in a separate move-in cash total.
6. Compare monthly spending with net pay and other confirmed income. Keep provisional benefits on a separate line.

Monthly spending = fixed costs + everyday spending + savings for later bills. Monthly margin = confirmed income minus monthly spending. These five lines separate spending, cash needed to move in and income that depends on conditions.

Keep all regular costs in euros per month. Count bills included in rent only once, and keep a refundable deposit outside spending. For a full year of planning, divide annual bills by 12. If a bill is due sooner and you have saved nothing for it, divide it by the months left before payment.

Use the exact kale huur (bare rent, without service charges) from your lease. Add servicekosten (service charges) separately. Check whether energy, water, heating, furniture or internet is included. Save each rent quote with its date, town, home size, furnishings and included services.

These thresholds apply to self-contained homes with tenancies starting in 2026. They describe rent control rather than homes available in your town. Rijksoverheid (External site, opens in a new tab) (Dutch central government) publishes the figures.

A home with 144–186 points stays under middle-rent rules even if its starting rent exceeds €1,228.07. Rooms stay regulated under a separate points system. For older contracts or a disputed rent, use the rent limits and points-system guide.

Huurtoeslag (rent benefit) changed in 2026. A high rent alone no longer disqualifies you. The calculation uses bare rent only, up to €932.93. The usual limit is €498.20 when the oldest household member is under 21. Income, assets, household, residence status and a self-contained home still matter. Check the huurtoeslag eligibility and application guide before adding an amount.

The under-21 limit has exceptions. If everyone is under 21 and a household member’s disability requires a more expensive home, ask Dienst Toeslagen (External site, opens in a new tab) (benefits service) to assess your case. If you become the tenant of your parents’ or guardian’s home after their death, contact Dienst Toeslagen about the special rule.

First check whether Dutch basic insurance applies to you. When it does, each adult needs a policy and children must be registered with an insurer. The figures below apply in 2026. Eigen risico (compulsory deductible) is separate from your monthly premium.

The 2026 average premium is €157 a month, but insurers and policies differ. General-practitioner care is exempt from the compulsory deductible. The health-insurance enrolment guide covers who needs insurance and how to enrol. The eigen risico guide explains which care counts toward the deductible.

Nibud publishes minimum amounts for a healthy diet cooked at home, rather than average grocery spending. The figures below were calculated in July 2026. Household size changes the cost per person.

Nibud gives €743.38 per month for the family row, but its worked example gives €20.83 per day for that household. The figures do not match on a monthly basis. Use your receipts for this household until the source clarifies the amount.

Treat the matching food figure as a starting point. After one to three months, replace it with your own grocery average. Medical diets, eating out, delivery, food waste and personal choices can change spending. Keep exceptional meals separate.

First check whether rent includes energy, water or shared heating. Otherwise use your actual termijnbedrag (monthly energy advance) and water bill. The advance covers estimated use. Your supplier later compares it with actual costs in the annual bill. The utilities contract and annual-bill guide explains contracts, meter readings and the settlement.

See Nibud’s energy and water references (External site, opens in a new tab). Gas and electricity use June 2026 prices; water uses January 2026 prices. The homes use gas central heating and have no solar panels.

Gas use depends mainly on home type; electricity and water use depend mainly on household size. Your contract, insulation, heating system, solar panels and use can change the cost. Use your own bills when they become available.

Your gemeente (municipality) sets its local tax rates each year. Charges may include afvalstoffenheffing (waste charge) and rioolheffing (sewer charge). Your waterschap (regional water board) also charges taxes for water management. Find the 2026 amounts for your address and divide them by 12.

If payment is difficult, ask your municipality or water board about kwijtschelding (tax waiver). It assesses income, assets and necessary expenses. You can also ask whether a payment plan is possible; the authority decides. The municipal and water-board taxes guide explains the bills.

Save a dated quote or recent receipts for each of these costs. Calculate the full monthly price before subtracting benefits or employer payments.

An employer may reimburse travel. The maximum tax-free travel reimbursement in 2026 (External site, opens in a new tab) for private transport is €0.25 per kilometre. An employer may instead reimburse actual public-transport costs. Use the amount promised in your contract or cao (collective labour agreement). The public-transport fares and payment guide helps you price a route.

Use the net amount on a recent payslip and the hours you expect to work. Gross pay is before wage tax and social-insurance deductions. Tax credits, pension deductions, changing hours and pay dates affect what reaches your account.

The 2026 minimum hourly wage (External site, opens in a new tab) for workers aged 21 and over is €14.99 gross per hour from 1 July 2026. These examples average a fixed weekly schedule across 52 weeks and exclude holiday allowance. The law sets an hourly rate; these are calculated monthly averages.

Minimum-wage pay carries at least 8% vakantiegeld (holiday allowance). It is paid at least once a year, often in May or June. Use the payment schedule in your contract or cao. If it arrives once a year, keep it outside your regular monthly income.

If inburgering (civic integration) applies to you, check who pays for your lessons and exams. The inburgering costs, loans and fees guide explains the rules before you add those costs to your budget.

Toeslagen (income-related benefits) depend on the benefit, household, income, assets, residence status and relevant costs. Dienst Toeslagen pays them provisionally each month. It makes a final calculation later. Keep the amount on a separate income line and update it when work, rent, childcare or your household changes.

The rules below apply in 2026. Each row is a starting check, rather than a full eligibility test.

In 2026, childcare benefit uses at most €11.23 per hour for dagopvang (day care), €9.98 for buitenschoolse opvang (out-of-school care) and €8.49 for gastouderopvang (childminder care). If your provider charges less, the calculation uses that lower price. You pay the full difference above a cap yourself. The reimbursement percentage and eligible months depend on your situation. Check the childcare benefit eligibility and rates guide before subtracting a benefit from the quote.

Run the official proefberekening toeslagen (External site, opens in a new tab) with your 2026 household, annual income, bare rent and childcare contract. The tool excludes some special situations, including certain income, asset, care and living-abroad cases. Check the exclusions on its page before relying on the result.

For kindgebonden budget, receiving kinderbijslag (child benefit) is normally a condition. Some children aged 16 or 17 can qualify without it. Check the official conditions for your situation.

Check all five items before using the total.

• Add fixed costs, variable spending and reserves. Show the monthly total.
• Check that utilities or service costs included in rent appear only once.
• Check that annual local taxes and any chosen health reserve are included.
• Keep the deposit and one-off move costs outside the monthly total but inside move-in cash.
• Subtract monthly spending from confirmed net income. Show provisional benefits separately and test the result both with and without them.

For one adult in a flat, the food reference (€272.52), utilities (€161.20), average health premium (€157) and optional deductible savings (€32.08) total €622.80 a month. Add your actual rent, transport, phone, local-tax savings and other spending. This worked subtotal combines the dated references above; your bills may differ.

First correct missing or duplicate costs. Then check benefit eligibility, local tax waivers, employer travel reimbursement and whether your energy advance matches use. If confirmed income still cannot cover necessary costs, contact the person or organisation you owe and your municipality early. The debt-help guide explains free municipal help and payment arrangements.

Check minimum-wage rates each January and July. Review health premiums, benefit limits, rent thresholds, childcare caps and Nibud figures when new references appear. Check local taxes and renew quotes for your town and year. Replace each budget figure when its date or your situation changes.

Save your finished budget with the lease, quotes and calculation results. Choose any of these guides for your next task.

• First 90 days in the Netherlands: arrival checklist
• Toeslagen: choose the right benefit
• Moving to the Netherlands: costs and when cash is due