City comparison
Cost of living in Paris vs Amsterdam
One person needs about €2,552 a month in Paris and €2,767 in Amsterdam, rent included — Paris is 8% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Amsterdam the way you live in Paris on €3,000, you need
€3,253/ month net
8% more than today (+€253)
- Paris today
- Basket €2,552 · left over €448 (15%)
- Amsterdam at the matched salary
- Basket €2,767 · left over €486 (15%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 181% over in Amsterdam (comfortable) vs 172% in Paris. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇫🇷 Paris
Dense, walkable and expensive — small flats are the price of central living.
Monthly budget: €2,552
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇳🇱 Amsterdam
High pay and a 30% ruling for expats, wiped out by one of Europe's tightest housing markets.
Monthly budget: €2,767
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Paris or Amsterdam?
On salary, Amsterdam pays more for tech roles (€5,000 versus €4,400 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,233 in Amsterdam at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,750 in Paris against €1,900 in Amsterdam. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Paris at 68 and Amsterdam at 70 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.