✦ Compare
Los Angeles vs
Rotterdam
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Los Angeles, CA vs Rotterdam, NL at a glance — Rotterdam, NL is 3% more expensive than Los Angeles, CA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,500/mo versus $2,400/mo. Top income tax: 49.5% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Rotterdam, NL, you'd need
$77,422 / year
Rotterdam, NL is 3% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Rotterdam, NL vs Los Angeles, CA)
- Housing-5%
- Food & groceries+16%
- Transport-19%
- Utilities+36%
- Healthcare+5%
- Goods & services+12%
Median 1-bed rent
$2,400 /mo
Los Angeles, CA overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,500 /mo
Rotterdam, NL overview →
◎ How Los Angeles, CA and Rotterdam, NL compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Los Angeles, CA | Rotterdam, NL | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 115 | 119 |
| Housing | 152 | 145 |
| Food | 95 | 110 |
| Transport | 114 | 92 |
| Utilities | 88 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 93 | 98 |
| Goods & services | 100 | 112 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $2,400/mo | $1,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,800/mo | $1,150/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $4,800/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $9,500 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $868 | $841 |
| Inexpensive meal | $20 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $100 | $100 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 49.5% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 21% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 25.8% |
| Capital gains | 20% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $3,100/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $86,977✓ | $80,136✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $2,710/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $73,684✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 3.3%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | High |
| Coworking spaces | 120 | 35 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 61 | 73 |
| Safety index | 42 | 62 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 60 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 170 Mbps |
| Walkability | 68 | 80 |
| Public transport | 55 | 82 |
| Family-friendly | 55 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $480/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 82 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +15 °C | +4 °C |
| July avg | +23 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 284 | 110 |
| Rainfall / year | 380 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Netherlands. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), US DOL (federal), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Los Angeles vs Rotterdam — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Los Angeles
Endless sun, entertainment and sprawl — you'll want a car, and traffic is a way of life.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-8
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 42/100
- Climate
- ❄ 15°C · ☀ 23°C · 284 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Silver Lake · Santa Monica · DTLA
Good to know before you move to Rotterdam
Europe's biggest port and the Netherlands' boldest architecture — a modern, design-driven city rebuilt after the war, noticeably cheaper and grittier than Amsterdam. Bike-first, international and well-connected, with the same flat, wet, windy weather.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Dutch
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 170 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ 4°C · ☀ 18°C · 110 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kop van Zuid · Kralingen · Cool District · Delfshaven
Plan your move to Los Angeles
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Rotterdam
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Los Angeles to Rotterdam: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Los Angeles to Rotterdam, your cost of living will be roughly 3% more expensive. Rotterdam’s cost-of-living index is 119 versus 115 for Los Angeles (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Los Angeles cheaper than Rotterdam?
Rotterdam is about 3% more expensive than Los Angeles overall — its cost-of-living index is 119 versus 115 for Los Angeles.
Which is more expensive, Los Angeles or Rotterdam?
Rotterdam is more expensive than Los Angeles. Its cost-of-living index is 119 vs 115 (US = 100) — about 3% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Los Angeles or Rotterdam?
Rent is cheaper in Rotterdam — about $1,500/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $2,400 in Los Angeles.
How much do you need to earn in Rotterdam to live like in Los Angeles?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Los Angeles is worth about $77,422 in Rotterdam. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Los Angeles or Rotterdam?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 49.5% in Netherlands.
◷ More comparisons from Los Angeles
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.