Cost of living in the Netherlands: build your monthly budget

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

This method prevents three common errors: counting an included bill twice, treating a refundable deposit as spending, and relying on support that has not been awarded. Keep the calculation in one unit: euros per month.

Use the exact bare rent (kale huur, rent without service costs) from the lease. Add service costs (servicekosten) separately and check whether energy, water, heating, furniture or internet is included. For a market quote, save the date, municipality, size, furnishing and included services. The statutory segment thresholds below describe rent control; they do not predict what homes are available in your town.

Rent benefit (huurtoeslag) changed in 2026. A high rent by itself no longer disqualifies you. The calculation uses bare rent only. It stops increasing at €932.93, or €498.20 when the oldest resident is under 21. Income, assets, household, residence status and a self-contained home still matter. Use the rent-benefit guide before adding an amount.

First check whether Dutch basic insurance applies to your situation. When it does, each adult needs a policy. The 2026 average premium is €157 a month, but insurers and policies differ. The compulsory deductible (eigen risico) is €385 for care that counts toward it; general-practitioner care is exempt. The health-insurance guide covers enrolment, and eigen risico explained covers the reserve and bills.

Nibud's 2026 food figures are minimum amounts for a healthy diet cooked at home, not supermarket quotes or average spending. Household size changes the per-person amount. Medical diets, eating out, delivery, waste and personal choices can change the result.

Use the matching row only as a starting point. After one to three months, replace it with your own grocery average and keep exceptional meals separate.

Check first whether energy, water or collective heating is included in the rent. Otherwise use the actual monthly energy advance (termijnbedrag) and water bill. The advance is not a final price: the supplier later settles it against actual use. The utilities guide explains the contract, readings and annual settlement.

The table uses Nibud's January 2026 references, not supplier offers. Gas depends mainly on home type; electricity and water depend mainly on household size. Contract rates, insulation, heating system, solar panels and behaviour can move your actual amount sharply.

Each municipality and water board sets its own annual charges. A municipality (gemeente) may charge a waste charge (afvalstoffenheffing) and sewer charge (rioolheffing). A regional water board (waterschap) sends separate water-board taxes. Find the 2026 annual amounts for your address and divide them by 12. If payment is difficult, ask the charging authority whether a waiver (kwijtschelding) or payment plan is possible; income, assets and expenses affect the decision. The municipal-taxes guide explains each bill.

An employer may reimburse travel, but it is not automatic. In 2026 the tax-free maximum for private transport is €0.25 per kilometre; an employer may instead reimburse actual public-transport costs. Use only the amount promised in your employment contract or collective labour agreement (CAO). The public-transport guide helps you price a route.

Use the net amount on a recent payslip and the hours you actually expect. Gross pay is before wage tax and social-insurance withholding. Tax credits, pension deductions, irregular hours and payroll timing change the amount that reaches your account.

The statutory minimum for workers aged 21 and over is €14.99 gross per hour from 1 July 2026. There is no statutory monthly minimum. The table averages a constant weekly schedule across 52 weeks and excludes holiday allowance. Minimum-wage pay carries at least 8% holiday allowance (vakantiegeld), usually paid separately. Budget it according to the payment schedule in your contract or CAO, not as monthly cash when it arrives once a year.

Income-related benefits (toeslagen) depend on the exact benefit, household, income, assets, residence status and cost. The amounts are provisional. Use the official calculator. Keep the result on a separate income line. Update it when work, rent, childcare or household changes.

For childcare in 2026, benefit is calculated over at most €11.23 per hour for day care, €9.98 for out-of-school care and €8.49 for a childminder. A provider may charge more; the difference above the cap is entirely yours. Reimbursement percentage and eligible hours depend on the rules and your situation, so do not subtract a generic percentage from a quote.

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

First correct missing or duplicate lines. Then check benefit eligibility, local tax waiver, employer travel reimbursement and whether an energy advance matches use. If confirmed income still does not cover unavoidable costs, contact the creditor and your municipality early. The debt-help guide explains free municipal help and payment arrangements.

The minimum wage changes each January and July. Health premiums, benefit limits, rent thresholds, childcare caps and Nibud references are annual. Local taxes and market quotes also change by year and place. This guide uses rules and sources checked in August 2026; replace each input when its date or your circumstances change.

Save the finished budget with the lease, quotes and calculation results. The first 90 days checklist helps place the bills in arrival order.