- By Joey
- 18 September 2021
The Big 7 Living Expenses In The Netherlands
1. Rent
To live in the Netherlands, I think it’s common that you want a roof over your head. Therefore, renting a room/studio is going to be your highest expense. Not only do you need to rent your house but, Sometimes, it can happen that you will not have a furnished room. In that case, you will also need to buy stuff for your place. Things that are most commonly bought are: a bed, desk, pans, plates, etc. these are usually bought at IKEA
2. Groceries
Next to renting a place, you also need to eat. On average in the Netherlands students spend around €200 a month on groceries. The most famous supermarkets are Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, and Aldi. These can be found all over the Netherlands. So, you don’t have to worry what you cant find one. What would be very useful for students is to use the application allefolder.nl This is an application that provides all the discounts there are in a particular week.
3. Social Life
As Students, we know that social life is very important, especially now after what we have been through and still dealing with. Luckily, the situation is getting better, and more activities are starting again. More information can be found on covid-19 and restrictions. Social life comes at a price as well. Going for drinks and parties on average a student’s expenses are between €60 – €100 a month.
4. University
Studying in the Netherlands as an EU citizen is fairly cheap compared to the United States. School tuition fees are between €800 – €2.200 a year. In the Netherlands, we have an option to pay it in terms, if you cannot pay it in full. This gives students some air to breathe. Next to the Tuition fees, you will need to buy books and study materials, this differentiates between schools. These prices are around €300 – €500 a year. Usually, the first year is the most expensive, in terms of books and study materials, because some books you will need in the future again. Read this blog on how to finance your study in The Netherlands.
5. Traveling
You as internationals, Love to travel and explore the world. Traveling in the Netherlands is pretty expensive, as an average trip of 30 min costs around €10. For example, you live 1 hour away from school. Imagine the price you will have to pay just for going to school and not even exploring the country you came to study. However, The Netherlands provides a student travel card, to keep the costs as low as possible for their students. Please find here all the benefits of the OV chipcard here.
6. Clothing
After you have arrived in the Netherlands you brought some clothes with you from your home country. But everyone wants to wear new clothes when needed. Due to season change or the clothes are just dirty and need to be thrown in the bin. In the Netherlands, there will be your favorite brand to buy your clothes from, Either from the website or the physical store.
7. Sport
As an adventurous student, you might want to work out, do a team sport, or do wall climbing. Getting a fitness subscription is pretty cheap. It costs around €20 to go to Fit For Free or Basicfit. Prices differ between gyms, the main reason for this is because some gyms have a swimming pool or a SPA, you can imagine that these kinds of gyms are more expensive than others. There is a Gym in Breda which is called ‘BRESS’ this is a gym for only €8,33 a month or €100 a year. BRESS is powered by Avans and BUAS.
Conclusion
As you already thought, it’s not cheap to get around abroad. After reading this you have more knowledge about the way money will be spent, as a student, in the Netherlands. We strongly advise you to work next to your study, this will help you build more connections with others and you can also do nice things next to it. If you don’t know what to do for work you can check out one of our blogs about Work, Or directly look at our Vacancy page to find the best suitable job.
What are expenses you have that are not in the big 7? Let it know in the comments.
