# Rotterdam — relocation profile

Rotterdam, Netherlands · Full democracy · livability 76/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Netherlands
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $4,105/month
- **Livability score:** 76 / 100 (rank 23 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 89 / 100 (rank 14 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 49% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Startup Cities, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Family-Friendly Cities, English-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Free Societies, Strong Democracy, Tech Settler, Queer Settlers, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,805 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $1,509 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $3,106 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $4,198 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$4,105** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $10,059.

Reference point: 23% cheaper than Amsterdam.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 9.0
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 0.7 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 5 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 5 years
- **English proficiency:** Very High (EF EPI 624)
- **Main languages:** Dutch

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 12–21°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 1–7°C
- **Internet speed:** 140.57 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 86.8
- **Natural features:** sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $86,174 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 3.3% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 3.9% (2025)
- **Population:** 655,000

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Copenhagen | Denmark | $1,970 | $4,234 | /cities/copenhagen |
| Brighton | United Kingdom | $1,894 | $4,174 | /cities/brighton |
| Bern | Switzerland | $1,960 | $4,662 | /cities/bern |
| Hamburg | Germany | $1,359 | $3,416 | /cities/hamburg |
| Munich | Germany | $1,678 | $3,977 | /cities/munich |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/rotterdam
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/rotterdam/visa

---

Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/rotterdam) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.