Living in Amsterdam is not cheap, because of the house prices, the amount of Expats, but also the tiny city Amsterdam is. Don’t expect that Amsterdam will be a cheap city to live in. In this article, we will tell you more about the cost of living in Amsterdam.

If we could choose again, we would definitely move back to Amsterdam without a question. The quality of life is high and there is always something to do in the city. Skip the red light district and all other spots, go for local options and your Amsterdam experience will be much better!

What does the rent cost in Amsterdam?

In Amsterdam, most houses are still in the ‘Social Housing Plan’. The estimation for Amsterdam is a total of 450.000 houses, where 185.000 houses are owned by Social housing corporations. You can already guess that this is a lot! Social housing is only available for lower incomes or unfortunate situations. The rent is €752,- each month in 2022. The houses are barely accessible for Expats or international students in Amsterdam because the current waiting list in Amsterdam is 12 years!

We figured out what the current prices are (in 2022):

Social Housing €752,- (Probably not accessible for an Expat)

A bedroom in a shared apartment (shared Bathroom) €500 to €1000 euro

A studio with private bathroom €800 to €1400 euro

1 bedroom apartment €1000 to €1800 euro

2 bedroom apartment €1400 to €2800 euro

If you are looking more in the suburbs of Amsterdam, it very depends on where you look and what the prices will be. Expect that Amstelveen, Buitenveldert and Haarlem will be more expensive than Nieuw-West, Holendrecht, Slotervaart and Amsterdam-Bijlmer.

Can I buy a house in Amsterdam?

As an Expat, you can buy a house in the Netherlands. You need to get a mortgage to make a good bid on the house you would like. Currently in 2022, the house prices skyrocketed after Covid is slowly disappearing, so take into account that bidding above the asking price is more than normal and expected if you want to have the winning bid!

The Mortgage rules in the Netherlands are different from most European Countries. Take into account that you can lend up to 100% of the asking price, which means you often don’t have to make a payment upfront. To get a better understanding of how Mortgages work in the Netherlands, read this article.

A great website to start looking for a property in Amsterdam (or the Netherlands) is funda.nl, which is also available in English. Based on their own research, the average square meter price in Amsterdam (City Center) is currently € 7,804. Obviously, the more you go look inside the city center the more expensive it becomes.

How much do utilities cost in Amsterdam? 

With the current status in 2022, you can expect between 150 and 450 euro per month for all utilities. It very much depends on your needs how much it will cost you, but compared to other European Countries, it’s more expensive.

Due to the large spikes that we see due to the fastly developing news in all of Europe (and beyond), it’s hard to give you specifics. We will try to give you a shot at how much living in Amsterdam will cost in 2022.

*Due to the war in Ukraine, the prices are changing daily..

Cost of water in Amsterdam

This is quite easy, you have two options (depending on where you live). The water meter or a general cost. If you have a water meter, you pay for the water you use by each cubic meter of water and a monthly fee. If you don’t use the meter or don’t have a meter, you pay between 20 and 35 euro in 2022.

Gas and electricity in Amsterdam 

Depending on where you live in Amsterdam, you can expect that gas will be used in your household. Most houses in Amsterdam are still reliant on gas, compared to other part of the Netherlands. Where in 2021, both gas and electricity for an Expat Household (a couple) would be around 100 to 150 euro, this could be doubled in 2022. To give you the latest prices, look at our Utilities page to understand the latest prices.

If you are new to Amsterdam, you may find the gas and electricity billing system a little strange. You will probably be charged a flat rate per month based on the average usage forecast for your home and population. Once a year, in April, you can get back the money you overpaid for using, or you may have to return the surplus you consumed.

Remember that the amount you pay each month may not be a real expense. However, the estimated costs are adjusted annually based on your actual usage.