Cost of living comparison

 Netherlands
compared to
 North Carolina, USA
North Carolina vs. Netherlands Cost of Living Summary

North Carolina is 12.6% more expensive than Netherlands overall.

Restaurants
pay 19.9% less in North Carolina
Groceries
pay 47.3% more in North Carolina
Transportation
pay 27.5% less in North Carolina
Housing
pay 19.8% more in North Carolina
Childcare
pay 77.3% more in North Carolina
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.1% more in North Carolina
Clothing
pay 14.0% less in North Carolina

The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in North Carolina are more expensive than in Netherlands. Expenses including transportation, restaurants, and clothing are lower in North Carolina. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Netherlands Cost Breakdown

If you lived in North Carolina instead of Netherlands, you would:

pay 19.9% less for restaurants

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $18.74
€16.23
$16.06
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$12.22
€10.58
$10.06
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.94
€2.55
$2.31
 

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pay 47.3% more for groceries

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Bread
1 loaf
$1.79
€1.55
$3.48
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.20
€5.37
$6.25
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.40
€3.81
$3.46
 

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pay 27.5% less for transportation

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.80
€6.75
$3.19
 
Monthly public transit pass $95.88
€83.02
$53.89
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,938.58
€27,653.63
$34,400.31
 

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pay 19.8% more for housing

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$43.11
€37.33
$72.47
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,289.16
€1,116.21
$1,527.81
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,051.87
€910.75
$1,294.23
 

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pay 77.3% more for childcare

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,627.96
€1,409.55
$1,254.70
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,050.97
€7,836.68
$25,128.75
 

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pay 5.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.55
€4.80
$5.09
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.60
€3.12
$4.89
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$11.52
€9.98
$7.33
 

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pay 14.0% less for clothing

 
Netherlands
North Carolina
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$84.34
€73.03
$49.88
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$38.25
€33.12
$37.28
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$92.60
€80.18
$86.65
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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