Total your monthly costs and compare that figure with your net income
If you are a newcomer renting in the Netherlands, what you spend each month depends on your household, your address and your contracts. Include fixed bills, day-to-day spending and money you put aside for yearly costs. Then compare that sum with net income you have confirmed, so you can see what remains each month. Deposits and moving costs should stay separate. Only include benefits once you have checked whether you qualify and worked out the amount.
Give every amount a label: rule, reference or quote.
Official limits create rules. Nibud (Dutch household-budget institute) releases reference figures for particular households and dates. A quote comes from a landlord, insurer, supplier or childcare provider. Before you use any amount, write down its source, date, place, household and what it covers.
1. Put together your monthly budget
Carry out these six steps in sequence.
- Note the household, town, housing type and the month the budget covers.
- Take the monthly amounts from your lease, insurance policy, energy account, water account, subscriptions and childcare contract.
- Include variable spending based on recent receipts or on a reference household that is clearly labelled.
- To set up monthly reserves, divide yearly bills by 12 and quarterly bills by 3.
- Place deposits, advance payments and one-off moving costs into a separate total for move-in cash.
- Set monthly spending against net pay and other income you have confirmed. Put provisional benefits on their own line.
Monthly spending equals fixed costs plus everyday spending plus savings for later bills. Monthly margin equals confirmed income minus monthly spending. These five lines keep apart spending, the cash you need to move in and income that depends on conditions.
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| Budget line | What belongs there | What to use |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed monthly costs | Rent, service charges, insurance premiums, utility advances and subscriptions | Add the actual monthly contract amount |
| Variable monthly spending | Food, transport, clothing, personal care and leisure | Add a recent average or a dated, matching reference |
| Savings for later bills | Annual local taxes, possible health deductible and annual memberships | Divide the expected bill by the months left before payment |
| Held or one-off cash | Rental deposit, first payment timing, furniture and moving | Keep outside monthly spending; include in move-in cash |
| Income with conditions | Benefits and employer reimbursements | Add only after checking the conditions and amount |
Record all regular costs in euros per month. If bills are included in the rent, count them only once, and leave a refundable deposit out of spending. When planning for a whole year, divide yearly bills by 12. If a bill is due sooner and you have not saved anything for it, divide it by the number of months remaining before payment.
2. Keep monthly rent separate from move-in cash
Take the exact kale huur (bare rent, without service charges) from your lease. Add servicekosten (service charges) on their own. Check if energy, water, heating, furniture or internet is included. For every rent quote, keep its date, town, home size, furnishings and included services.
These thresholds are for self-contained homes with tenancies that begin in 2026. They describe rent control, not the homes that are available in your town. Rijksoverheid (Dutch central government) publishes the figures.
You can move wide tables sideways by scrolling.
| 2026 rent segment | Starting bare rent per month | Rent limit |
|---|---|---|
| Social housing | €932.93 or less | The points system sets the maximum rent |
| Middenhuur (middle rent) | Above €932.93, up to €1,228.07 | 144–186 points; a rent limit applies |
| Vrije sector (free sector) | Above €1,228.07 | 187 points or more; no starting-rent limit |
A home with 144–186 points remains under middle-rent rules even when its starting rent is above €1,228.07. Rooms remain regulated through a separate points system. If you have an older contract or a disputed rent, use the rent limits and points-system guide.
Huurtoeslag (rent benefit) changed in 2026. A high rent by itself no longer makes you ineligible. The calculation uses bare rent only, up to €932.93. The usual limit is €498.20 if the oldest person in the household is under 21. Income, assets, household, residence status and a self-contained home still count. Check the huurtoeslag eligibility and application guide before you add an amount.
There are exceptions to the under-21 limit. If everyone is under 21 and a household member’s disability means a more expensive home is needed, ask Dienst Toeslagen (benefits service) to assess your case. If you become the tenant of your parents’ or guardian’s home after their death, contact Dienst Toeslagen about the special rule.
Warning
Keep the deposit within move-in cash
For tenancy agreements starting on or after 1 July 2023, the deposit cannot be more than 2 months of bare rent. Your landlord has to return it within 14 days after the tenancy ends. If there are lawful deductions, the landlord must return the remaining balance within 30 days and provide a written breakdown of costs. Keep this money in your move-in total, not in monthly spending.
3. Plan for health insurance and possible care bills
Start by checking whether Dutch basic insurance applies to you. If it does, every adult needs a policy, and children must be registered with an insurer. The figures below apply in 2026. Eigen risico (compulsory deductible) is separate from your monthly premium.
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| Health-budget line | 2026 amount | Budget treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Basic premium per adult | €157 per month on average | Use the actual policy premium; the average is only a reference |
| Compulsory deductible per adult | Up to €385 per year | Optional savings of €32.08 per month; you spend it only if care uses the deductible |
| Child under 18 | €0 basic premium and €0 deductible | Register the child with an insurer; do not add an adult premium |
The average premium in 2026 is €157 per month, but insurers and policies vary. General-practitioner care is exempt from the compulsory deductible. The health-insurance enrolment guide covers who needs insurance and how to enrol. The eigen risico guide explains which care counts toward the deductible.
4. Choose food figures that match your household
Nibud publishes minimum amounts for a healthy diet prepared at home, not average grocery spending. The figures below were calculated in July 2026. The size of your household changes the cost per person.
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| Household | Monthly food reference (July 2026) |
|---|---|
| One adult | €272.52 |
| Couple | €495.48 |
| Couple with children aged 8 and 13 | Use your receipts; the source figures conflict |
Nibud gives €743.38 per month for the family row, yet its worked example gives €20.83 per day for that household. The figures do not agree on a monthly basis. For this household, use your receipts until the source makes the amount clear.
Use the matching food figure as a starting point. After one to three months, replace it with your own average grocery spending. Medical diets, eating out, delivery, food waste and personal choices can change what you spend. Keep exceptional meals separate.
5. Include utilities and set money aside for local taxes
First check if your rent includes energy, water or shared heating. If not, use your actual termijnbedrag (monthly energy advance) and water bill. The advance covers estimated use. Later, your supplier compares it with actual costs in the annual bill. The utilities contract and annual-bill guide explains contracts, meter readings and the settlement.
See Nibud’s energy and water references. Gas and electricity use June 2026 prices; water uses January 2026 prices. The homes have gas central heating and no solar panels.
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| Monthly reference | One person in a flat | Four people in a terraced house |
|---|---|---|
| Gas (June 2026) | €114.00 | €142.00 |
| Electricity (June 2026) | €29.50 | €69.50 |
| Drinking water (January 2026) | €17.70 | €32.25 |
| Calculated total | €161.20 | €243.75 |
How much gas you use is mostly determined by the kind of home you live in. Electricity and water consumption are mostly determined by how many people are in your household. Your contract, insulation, heating system, solar panels and your usage can also change the cost. Once your own bills arrive, base your figures on those.
Each year your gemeente (municipality) decides its own local tax rates. These charges can include afvalstoffenheffing (waste charge) and rioolheffing (sewer charge). Your waterschap (regional water board) also levies taxes for water management. Look up the 2026 amounts for your address, then divide them by 12.
When paying is hard, ask your municipality or water board about kwijtschelding (tax waiver). The assessment looks at income, assets and necessary expenses. You may also ask if a payment plan is possible; the authority makes the decision. The municipal and water-board taxes guide explains the bills.
6. Write down quotes for transport, phone and childcare
For every one of these costs, keep a quote with a date or recent receipts. Work out the complete monthly price before you subtract benefits or payments from an employer.
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| Budget line | Evidence to save | Monthly calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Public transport or car | Route, travel days, fare or full car costs, and quote date | Cost per trip × trips, plus fixed monthly costs |
| Phone and internet | Address, contract term, monthly price, device and installation fees | Ongoing monthly price; keep one-off fees outside it |
| Childcare | Registered provider, care type, hours, hourly quote and contract date | Hours × provider rate before any benefit |
| Other variable spending | Recent receipts for clothing, care, leisure and household items | Total for the period ÷ number of months |
Travel costs may be reimbursed by an employer. For private transport, the maximum tax-free travel reimbursement in 2026 is €0.25 per kilometre. Instead, an employer may cover the actual costs of public transport. Use the amount that your contract or cao (collective labour agreement) promises. The public-transport fares and payment guide can help you work out the price of a route.
7. Put costs next to take-home pay
Take the net amount shown on a recent payslip, along with the hours you think you will work. Gross pay is the amount before wage tax and social-insurance deductions are taken out. What actually arrives in your account can change because of tax credits, pension deductions, different hours and pay dates.
For workers who are 21 or older, the 2026 minimum hourly wage is €14.99 gross per hour starting 1 July 2026. The examples average a fixed weekly schedule over 52 weeks and do not include holiday allowance. The law sets an hourly rate; the examples shown are calculated monthly averages.
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| Weekly hours | Calculation | Average gross per month |
|---|---|---|
| 32 hours | €14.99 × 32 × 52 ÷ 12 | €2,078.61 |
| 36 hours | €14.99 × 36 × 52 ÷ 12 | €2,338.44 |
| 40 hours | €14.99 × 40 × 52 ÷ 12 | €2,598.27 |
Pay at the minimum wage includes vakantiegeld (holiday allowance) of at least 8%. This is paid at least once every year, usually in May or June. Follow the payment schedule in your contract or cao. If you receive it once a year, do not count it as part of your normal monthly income.
When inburgering (civic integration) applies to you, find out who is responsible for paying for your lessons and exams. Before putting those costs in your budget, read the rules in the inburgering costs, loans and fees guide.
8. Verify benefits before treating them as income
Whether you can get toeslagen (income-related benefits) depends on the specific benefit, your household, income, assets, residence status and the relevant costs. Dienst Toeslagen pays them provisionally every month and makes a final calculation afterwards. Put the amount on its own income line, and update it if your work, rent, childcare or household changes.
These rules are for 2026. Each row is only an initial check, not a complete test of whether you qualify.
If a table is wide, you can scroll it sideways.
| Benefit | 2026 rule to check | What to put in your budget |
|---|---|---|
| Zorgtoeslag (healthcare benefit) | Annual toetsingsinkomen (income used to calculate benefits): at most €40,857 without a toeslagpartner (benefit partner), or €51,142 together | Use the calculator amount; check all other conditions |
| Huurtoeslag | Bare rent up to €932.93 in the calculation; usually €498.20 if the oldest household member is under 21 | Enter actual bare rent and household details |
| Kinderopvangtoeslag (childcare benefit) | Qualifying work or programme and registered paid care; up to 230 hours per child per eligible month | Use your care contract and check the conditions for both partners |
| Kindgebonden budget (child budget) | Children under 18; child-benefit, income, assets and residence conditions | Use the awarded or calculated amount |
In 2026, for childcare benefit the maximum hourly amounts are €11.23 for dagopvang (day care), €9.98 for buitenschoolse opvang (out-of-school care) and €8.49 for gastouderopvang (childminder care). When your provider charges less, the calculation uses the lower price. Any amount above a cap is paid entirely by you. The reimbursement percentage and number of eligible months depend on your situation. Look at the childcare benefit eligibility and rates guide before you subtract any benefit from the quote.
Use the official proefberekening toeslagen with your 2026 household details, annual income, bare rent and childcare contract. Some special situations are not covered by the tool, such as certain cases involving income, assets, care and living abroad. Before you rely on the outcome, check the exclusions listed on its page.
For kindgebonden budget, the usual requirement is that you receive kinderbijslag (child benefit). In some cases, children who are 16 or 17 can qualify even without it. Check the official conditions that apply to your situation.
Warning
Report changes so you do not have to repay too much benefit
If you receive too much benefit, you have to pay it back. Tell Dienst Toeslagen about changes in your situation within 4 weeks. Changes that affect how much benefit you get must be reported immediately. If you already reported a change to your municipality, for example a move, you do not need to report it again to Dienst Toeslagen.
9. Check the finished budget
Check all five items before you rely on the total.
- Add together fixed costs, variable spending and reserves. Then show the total for the month.
- Make sure utilities or service costs that are part of the rent are counted only once.
- Make sure the annual local taxes and any health reserve you chose are included.
- Leave the deposit and one-off moving costs out of the monthly total, but include them in the cash you need for moving in.
- Take your confirmed net income and subtract monthly spending from it. List provisional benefits separately, then test the result both with and without those benefits.
Work out a subtotal using the reference figures
For a single adult living in a flat, the food reference (€272.52), utilities (€161.20), average health premium (€157) and optional deductible savings (€32.08) come to €622.80 per month. Then add your real rent, transport, phone, local-tax savings and other spending. This example subtotal combines the dated references above; your own bills can be different.
Take action when your income does not cover your costs
Start by fixing any costs that are missing or counted twice. Then check whether you qualify for benefits, local tax waivers, employer travel reimbursement, and whether your energy advance matches your use. If your confirmed income still cannot cover necessary costs, contact the person or organisation you owe, and your municipality, early. The debt-help guide explains free help from the municipality and payment arrangements.
Update your figures when rates or your situation change
Look at minimum-wage rates every January and July. When new references come out, review health premiums, benefit limits, rent thresholds, childcare caps and Nibud figures. Check local taxes and get new quotes for your town and year. Whenever the date or your situation changes, replace the relevant budget figure.
Keep your completed budget together with the lease, quotes and calculation results. For your next task, pick any of these guides.
- First 90 days in the Netherlands: arrival checklist
- Toeslagen: choose the right benefit
- Moving to the Netherlands: costs and when cash is due
Official Sources
- Rijksoverheid: Bedragen minimumloon 2026 (2026 minimum-wage amounts) - the gross minimum hourly wage of €14.99 from 1 July 2026 for workers aged 21 and over, the youth rates and the absence of a fixed statutory monthly amount
- Rijksoverheid: Hoe hoog is mijn vakantiegeld? - the minimum 8% holiday allowance on minimum-wage pay and the usual annual payment timing
- Government.nl: Standard health insurance - the standard-insurance obligation, the separate premium for adults and free standard cover for children under 18
- Rijksoverheid: Wat kost het om een zorgverzekering af te sluiten? (what does health insurance cost?) - the 2026 average basic premium of €1,884 a year or €157 a month and why an actual policy can cost a different amount
- Rijksoverheid: Wanneer betaal ik een eigen risico voor mijn zorg? - the €385 compulsory deductible in 2026, exempt care, no deductible under 18 and payment by instalments
- Dienst Toeslagen: Maximum income for healthcare benefit - the 2026 healthcare-benefit income limits of €40,857 without a benefit partner and €51,142 with one
- Dienst Toeslagen: Huurtoeslag verandert vanaf 2026 - the removal of the maximum qualifying rent, the €932.93 and €498.20 calculation caps and the use of bare rent only in 2026
- Government.nl: Step-by-step plan for tenants - the 2026 rent-control segments and points, the two-month deposit cap and the normal return deadlines
- Nibud: Huishoudelijke uitgaven - the July 2026 healthy-food references for one adult and a couple, and the conflicting monthly table and daily example for a couple with children aged 8 and 13
- Nibud: Kosten van energie en water - the June 2026 gas and electricity references, January 2026 water references, household profiles and price assumptions
- ACM (Authority for Consumers and Markets), ConsuWijzer (consumer information service): monthly energy advance - how a monthly energy advance is estimated and later settled against actual use
- Rijksoverheid: Welke belastingen heft de gemeente? - common municipal charges and why their types and annual rates differ by municipality
- Rijksoverheid: Taken van een waterschap - the separate duties and taxes of regional water boards
- Rijksoverheid: Kwijtschelding van gemeentelijke belastingen - how municipalities and water boards assess income, assets and expenses when deciding a tax waiver
- Rijksoverheid: Maximale reiskostenvergoeding - the 2026 tax-free maximum of €0.25 per kilometre and the option to reimburse actual public-transport costs
- Dienst Toeslagen: How do benefits work? - monthly provisional payments, the final calculation, change reporting and repayment of excess benefit
- Dienst Toeslagen: My child goes to a childcare centre - the work or qualifying-programme, registration, contract, payment and residence conditions for childcare benefit
- Rijksoverheid: Bedragen kinderopvangtoeslag 2026 - the 2026 maximum eligible hourly prices of €11.23, €9.98 and €8.49 and the limit of 230 hours per child per month
- Dienst Toeslagen: I have children up to the age of 18 - the child-budget conditions concerning children, income, assets and residence status
- Dienst Toeslagen: Proefberekening toeslagen - the official trial calculation and the special situations in which it may not give the right result
- Rijksoverheid: Social, middle-rent and free-sector housing - 2026 starting-rent thresholds, point conditions and the exception for an excessive advertised rent on a 144–186-point home
- Dienst Toeslagen: Voorwaarden voor huurtoeslag - rent-benefit conditions concerning income, assets, registration, residence status and home type, with links to exceptions
- Dienst Toeslagen: Voorwaarden voor zorgtoeslag - healthcare-benefit age, insurance, income and asset conditions, with links for residence and special situations
- Dienst Toeslagen: Kan ik kinderopvangtoeslag krijgen? - work or qualifying-programme conditions for both partners, registered care, own contribution and links to exceptions
- Dienst Toeslagen: Voorwaarden voor kindgebonden budget - child-budget age, income, assets and child-benefit conditions, including the exception for some children aged 16 or 17
- Dienst Toeslagen: Wijzigingen doorgeven voor uw toeslag - the four-week change-reporting deadline, immediate reporting of changes affecting the amount, and no duplicate report of a change already reported to the municipality
- Rijksoverheid: Hulp bij geldzorgen of schulden - free municipal debt help and the option to propose a payment arrangement to creditors
- Belastingdienst (Dutch tax authority): gross and net pay - gross pay, wage-tax and national-insurance deductions, and net pay received in your bank account
- Rijksoverheid: Arbeidsovereenkomst en loonstrookje (employment contract and payslip) - payslip information about gross pay, hours, pension and other deductions, and contractual pay timing
- Belastingdienst: Loonheffingskorting toepassen of stoppen (apply or stop payroll tax credits) - payroll tax credits shown on payslips and arranged through an employer, pension fund or benefit agency
- Dienst Toeslagen: Handicap en jonger dan 21 - the possible higher rent benefit when all household members are under 21 and disability requires a more expensive home
- Dienst Toeslagen: Thuis blijven wonen na overlijden ouders - the under-21 exception when a child becomes tenant of the home after parents or a guardian die; the change is not automatic
- Rijksoverheid: Waarborgsom en verrekening (deposit and deductions) - deposit caps and return deadlines, plus required written notification and a complete cost breakdown when a landlord makes deductions
- ACM: about the authority and ConsuWijzer - the English expansion of ACM and ConsuWijzer’s role as its consumer information service
- Belastingdienst: the Dutch tax authority - the English meaning of Belastingdienst used in the source-title gloss