Amsterdam

Quality of life in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the most bike-friendly cities on the planet: It has more bikes than people and 63% of its residents use them for their daily commute. It is also one of the best cities in Europe for starting and operating a business. With its clean environment, cultural diversity and well-developed infrastructure, Amsterdam is a great place to live.

Amsterdam is one of the top ten city matches for 20.1% of Teleport users.

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Life quality score

City ranking

Housing

3
239/265
Details
Large apartment$2400.00
Medium apartment$2000.00
Rent index [score]0.31
Small apartment$1600.00

Cost of Living

4
228/248
Details
5km taxi ride$15.00
A Cappuccino$3.90
A beer$2.10
A kilogram of Apples$2.90
Bread$1.20
Inflation [score]0.38
Lunch$18.00
Monthly fitness club membership$49.00
Monthly public transport$100.00
Movie ticket$15.00
Price of a meal at a restaurant$90.73

Startups

8
27/264
Details
Average monthly increase in number of startups25
Average monthly increase in number of startups [score]0.74
Coworking spaces [score]0.67
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co83
Meetups [score]0.82
Meetups groups198
Meetups members175896
Number of investors197
Number of startup events in the last 12 months901
Number of upcoming meetup events264
Startup climate scene [score]0.79
Startup events249
Startup events [score]0.81
Startups [score]0.86
Total number of startups1083

Venture Capital

6
31/192
Details
Funding accelerator namesRockstart Accelerator, Startupbootcamp Amsterdam / NFC & Contactless
Number of funding accelerators2
Venture capital [score]0.61

Travel Connectivity

8
5/266
Details
Airport hub237
Airport hub [score]0.98
Intercity train connectivity [score]0.68

Commute

6
12/255
Details
Human city pagehttp://cities.human.co/details/Netherlands/Amsterdam
Traffic handling [score]0.91

Business Freedom

9
64/264
Details
Business freedom80.00
Business freedom [score]0.77
Freedom from corruption83.00
Freedom from corruption [score]0.92
Lack of labor restrictions64.00
Lack of labor restrictions [score]0.52
Time to open a business4.00
Time to open a business [score]0.97

Safety

9
55/266
Details
Crime rate [score]0.72
Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year1
Guns per 100 residents4
Lack of gun related deaths [score]0.99
Lack of guns [score]0.98
Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score]0.98

Healthcare

9
42/265
Details
Healthcare expenditure [score]0.90
Healthcare quality [score]0.86
Life expectancy (years)81.86
Life expectancy [score]0.91

Education

6
30/240
Details
Best university in rankingUniversity of Amsterdam
Best university ranking63
Country mean scores in PISA math test531.84
Country mean scores in PISA reading test511.23
Country mean scores in PISA science test522.06
PISA math ranking (high school)10
PISA ranking10
PISA ranking (high school) [score]0.86
PISA reading (high school)12
PISA science (high school)13
Percent of happy students0.81
Percent of low performers in PISA math test0.15
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test0.14
Percent of low performers in PISA science test0.13
Percent of top performers in PISA math test0.19
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test0.10
Percent of top performers in PISA science test0.12
University quality [score]0.37

Environmental Quality

8
81/266
Details
Air quality [score]0.76
Cleanliness [score]0.63
Drinking water quality [score]0.93
Urban greenery [score]0.72

Economy

5
147/263
Details
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area0.85
Currency for urban areaEUR
GDP growth rate0.01
GDP growth rate [score]0.25
GDP per capita$47354.53
GDP per capita [score]0.76

Taxation

5
106/266
Details
Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score]0.61
Income tax level [score]0.38
Profit tax (% of profit)0.40
Time overhead to file company taxes119
VAT (Sales Tax)0.21

Internet Access

5
179/266
Details
Download speed (Mbps)30.98
Internet access (download) [score]0.48
Internet access (upload) [score]0.42
Upload speed (Mbps)9.46

Leisure & Culture

9
16/264
Details
Art galleries284
Art galleries [score]0.81
Cinemas155
Cinemas [score]0.69
Comedy clubs117
Comedy clubs [score]0.86
Concert venues339
Concerts [score]0.81
Historical sites261
Historical sites [score]0.80
Museums187
Museums [score]0.97
Performing art venues324
Performing arts [score]0.79
Sport venues154
Sports [score]0.77
Zoos48
Zoos [score]0.88

Tolerance

8
49/266
Details
LGBT Equality Index97.37
LGBT Equality Index [score]1.00
LGBT adoption rights✔ Legal
LGBT age of consent✔ Equal
LGBT blood donation regulations✖ Banned (1-year deferral)
LGBT conversion therapy regulations✔ Banned
LGBT discrimination legality✔ Illegal
LGBT employment discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT gender changing rights✔ Legal, surgery not required
LGBT homosexuality rights✔ Legal
LGBT housing discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT marriage rights✔ Legal
Tolerance towards minorities [score]0.67

Outdoors

5
93/266
Details
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score]0.11
Median peak in meters57.90
Seaside access1.00
Urban area elevation (meters)11.00
Water access [score]0.95
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Cost of living

Costs of living in Amsterdam are in the most expensive 10 percent of all 248 Teleport cities and the most expensive in Netherlands. Average living expenses are significantly higher compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Moving to Amsterdam will very likely increase your daily costs of living. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international  cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.

Housing costs (USD)

$1,300$1,900
$1600
Median rent for
apartments in city center

Daily living costs (USD)

Monthly fitness club membership$49
Movie ticket$15
Broadband internet connection$28
Monthly public transport$100
Lunch$18
-14%
compared to
San Francisco
See more prices and detailed cost of living data in Amsterdam

Job salary calculator

Software Engineer salaries in Amsterdam are above average. For this job type, Amsterdam ranks 96th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Amsterdam.

Estimated annual salary (in USD)

$51,656
Median salary
See more details and salary rankings for all job types in Amsterdam

Locals review Amsterdam

Do locals recommend living in Amsterdam?

What could Amsterdam do better?#improveAmsterdam

How could Amsterdam improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of Amsterdam - Eberhard van der Laan
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something that can be improved about your city.

What makes Amsterdam a special place?#praiseAmsterdam

Is Amsterdam a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something nice about your city.

Taxation

Personal taxation

Effective income tax rate

14%
For annual salary of $40000
30%
For annual salary of $80000

Value added tax (VAT)

21%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.

Compared to other cities

137/266

Corporate taxation

Compared to other cities

93/263
See more details on taxation in Amsterdam
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Safety

Gun crimes & Ownership

3.90
Guns per 100 people
0.58
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
HIGH GUN CRIMELOW GUN CRIMEFEW GUNSMANY GUNS
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania

Overall crime rate city ranking

The overall crime rate puts Amsterdam in position 83 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.

WORSTBEST
See more details on gun crime and safety in Amsterdam

Visa

For visits up to 90 days

Required with citizenship of

Startup Visa

Residence permit for startups
Investment requiredFunding providedDuration
NoNo1 year
Get more information about visas in Amsterdam here
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Explore the streets of Amsterdam

People in Amsterdam

Population of Amsterdam

2,628,100
1,240 /km²
106/264
Density (people per unit of area)
3%
Growth in 2015-2020
Amsterdam

Demographics of Netherlands

Median age
43
Elderly people
18%
Life expectancy at birth
81
GDP per capita (in USD)
$47,355
81/263
Unemployment
6%
150/264

Languages

English proficiency score
72
99/228
Common spoken languages
Dutch

Friends living in Amsterdam

Find out which of your friends are living in Amsterdam. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉

Teleport Users  X  Amsterdam

Teleport users who are      Amsterdam

Work in:

Software Engineer
12.23%
Marketing Manager
5.49%
Founder
5.02%
Web Developer
4.36%
Product Manager
3.11%
Graphic Designer
3.11%
Project Manager
2.97%
Other
63.71%

Come from:

Climate

Average day length (hours)

12.9

Climate type

Marine West Coast

Average daily maximum temperature

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Impressions from Amsterdam

1:42 Amsterdam, a great place to work

A video by Amsterdam Economic Board

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On living in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Netherlands' capital and financial, cultural, and creative center, with more than a million citizens. Amsterdam is known for the canals that criss-cross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. The city has a heritage back to the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, as well as a diverse art scene, and a bustling nightlife.

Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important trading centers in the world during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. The city's small medieval center rapidly expanded as the Jordaan and the Canal District were constructed; the latter's cultural significance was acknowledged when it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded in all directions, with many new neighborhoods and suburbs designed in modernist styles.

Amsterdam is not the seat of the government, which is in The Hague. Partly because of this, the city has an informal atmosphere unlike other capital cities its size. In fact, Amsterdam has a history of non-conformism, tolerance and progressivism, all of which come together in its liberal policies concerning cannabis and prostitution. Attractions include the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Magere Brug, Albert Cuyp Market and the Vondelpark.

Read more

Good Country Index

Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.

Overall ranking

Netherlands
3rd from a total of 163 countries

World Order

4th

Refugees hosted

Refugees generated

Charity giving

Birth rate

UN Treaties signed

International Peace & Security

42nd

Dues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets

International violent conflict

Peacekeeping troops

Arms exports

Internet security (2014)

Planet & Climate

15th

Ecological footprint

Reforestation since 1992

Hazardous pesticides exports

CO2 emissions

Ozone

Prosperity & Equality

10th

Development assistance

FDI outflows

Fairtrade market size

UN volunteers abroad

Open trading

Culture

5th

Freedom of movement

Press freedom

Creative services exports

UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution

Creative goods exports

Science & Technology

15th

Nobel prizes

Patents

Journal exports

International publications

International Students

Health & Wellbeing

10th

Pharmaceutical exports

Voluntary excess donations to the WHO

Food aid

Humanitarian aid donations

International Health Regulations Compliance

See details ▽

Still have questions?

Further research