Cost of Living: Rotterdam vs Stuttgart (2026)

Netherlands vs Germany — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Rotterdam

Stuttgart

$1,805/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$1,157/mo

$28k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$17k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

30% Ruling (expatriateregeling)

Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

—

Freelance setup

ZZP'er

VAT-free under €20k
5.3% social
€1200/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Freiberufler

VAT-free under €25k
€1200/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated June 2026

TL;DRStuttgart is 36% cheaper on rent ($1,157/mo vs $1,805/mo). Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.

Stuttgart edges ahead 85 to 76. Rotterdam isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

How the livability score breaks down

Rotterdam

Stuttgart

11.5/25

💰 Affordability

17.7/25

14.3/15

🔒 Violent Crime

14.7/15

7.4/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

6.6/10

10.5/15

⚡ Internet

15/15

13.5/15

🗳️ Democracy

13.1/15

9.1/10

🗣️ English

8.8/10

7.8/10

☀️ Climate

9.7/10

6.7/10

📊 Stability

7.7/10

9.8/10

🚗 Road Safety

9.8/10

8/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

7.9/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇩🇪 Stuttgart

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

Munich vs Stuttgart

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Rotterdam

Metric

Stuttgart

$888/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$829/mo✓

$7,746

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

—

89 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

88 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.3 / 100k✓

3.4 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

3.3 / 100k

✓74 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

66 / 100

70°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

75°F

34°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

32°F

141 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

224 Mbps✓

11.4 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

9.2 μg/m³✓

87 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

85 / 100

9.0 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.7 / 10

7.5 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

7.1 / 9

59 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

66 / 100✓

76/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

73/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$74k

3.3% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.3% · Boringly steady✓

94/100 — Reliable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

98/100 — Reliable

97/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

95/100

A median Software Engineer in Rotterdam takes home $6,417/mo under Standard employee. In Stuttgart: $4,519/mo under Standard employee.

$1,898/mo more in Rotterdam

🎯 Rotterdam's 30% Ruling (expatriateregeling) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $8,212/mo instead.

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$128k

💰

Gross income

$95k

−$39k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$22k

−$12k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$18k

✓$77k/yr

$6k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$54k/yr

$5k/mo

−$49k

🏠

Cost of living

−$38k

✓$28k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$17k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated June 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Stuttgart

$647/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Stuttgart

0.3 homicides per 100k

☀️

Weather

—

70°F vs 75°F summers

🗣️

English

Rotterdam

higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

45% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

37% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

7.8h

Shortest day

Dec

8.3h

16.7h

Longest day

Jun

16.1h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

improving ↑

Inflation trend

—

logisticspetrochemicalsmaritimecleantech

Industries

—

active

Startup ecosystem

—

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Complex

RU visa

Complex

Easy

UA visa

Moderate

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

—

Recognized

geregistreerd partnerschap / samenwonend

Partner pathway

Not recognized

eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft (now: Ehe)

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

24 wk

Gestational limit

12 wk

On request up to 24 weeks. 5-day reflection period removed in 2023.

Not punishable within 12 weeks with mandatory counseling and 3-day waiting period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Rotterdam vs Stuttgart — Common Questions

Is Rotterdam cheaper than Stuttgart?▾

Stuttgart is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1157/month there vs $1805/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Rotterdam or Stuttgart?▾

Stuttgart is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Rotterdam has a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 and Stuttgart has 0.33 per 100,000.

Should I move to Rotterdam or Stuttgart?▾

Stuttgart edges ahead 85 to 76. Rotterdam isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Rotterdam or Stuttgart?▾

Rotterdam: Netherlands Highly Skilled Migrant (complex process, Up to 5 years). Stuttgart: no specific remote work visa. See each city's profile page for full requirements.

Which has better weather, Rotterdam or Stuttgart?▾

Stuttgart is warmer in summer (75°F vs 70°F). Rotterdam has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

What's the cost of rent in Rotterdam vs Stuttgart?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1157/month in Stuttgart, $1805/month in Rotterdam (Numbeo). That's 36% cheaper rent in Stuttgart.