Life in Amsterdam has become slightly cheaper for expats in the past year, according to a global benchmark by HR consultancy Mercer. Amsterdam is known as the most expensive Dutch city to live in, but expats often have very different considerations. They compare the cost of living here with that in other cities worldwide where they could settle. From that perspective, Amsterdam appears (relatively) attractive. In the latest ‘Cost of Living City Ranking’ by Mercer, Amsterdam is the 30th most expensive worldwide. This means that our capital has become slightly cheaper compared to other world cities: last year, Amsterdam occupied the 28th place.
To create the Index, Mercer mapped out how much money expats spend on 200 items, from housing and transport to food, clothing, household products and entertainment. The cost of living in Amsterdam has decreased slightly in relative terms. ‘Amsterdam has become a bit more attractive for expats to live and work in, because the cost of living has increased less than in other world cities. Rents remain high, but the costs of gas, water and electricity have dropped considerably,’ says Ellen van Arenthals, consultant at Mercer. Earlier research by Kearney showed that Amsterdam is in the top 20 of best cities to live and work in. Our capital also tops the list of most sustainable cities in the world.