The cost of living in Maastricht (2026): What to expect

Find out the realistic living expenses in Maastricht for students, working expats, and families based on rent, utilities, groceries, restaurants, public transport, leisure, insurance, education, and childcare costs.

Shreya

7 minute read

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Updated on 10 Mar 2026

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Living

Expat families and students who want to move to The Netherlands are drawn to Maastricht because it has a relatively cheaper cost of living compared to other Dutch cities such as Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

Located in the South of The Netherlands, Maastricht is a city for those who want to experience an affordable lifestyle full of fun experiences, good food, and extravagance. The city draws people due to its strategic position in Europe, its international and youthful community, its historic squares, artistic corners, culinary delights, and its nature that stands out from the rest of The Netherlands. What’s not to love about Maastricht?

If you’re planning to move to Maastricht, it’s a good idea to get familiar with the cost of living in Maastricht. Below you can find out the realistic living expenses in Maastricht for students, working expats, and families based on rent, utilities, groceries, restaurants, public transport, leisure, insurance, education, and childcare costs.

Living in Maastricht is a great decision for those who want to stretch their budget. With an average monthly net salary of €2,662 and an average living cost (excluding rent) of €1,023, you’ll be able to live comfortably in Maastricht.

Living in Maastricht will save you money on the biggest expense per month- rent. Based on the HousingAnywhere Rent Index, the rent in Maastricht is lower than in the Dutch capital. Which is why plenty of internationals choose to live in smaller cities like Maastricht after exploring homes for rent in Amsterdam or after searching for Rotterdam's houses for rent.

If you still haven't found the perfect place for you in Maastricht, be sure to check out our guide to the best neighborhoods in Maastricht to get some inspiration. If you've got a sense of your budget, the next step is figuring out which Maastricht neighborhood you like that fits there because areas vary more than you'd expect. You can search for homes for rent in Maastricht and filter it by neighborhoods.

Check whether you qualify for Dutch rent allowance (huurtoeslag) to further reduce your monthly costs.

Utility bills in Maastricht will cost you €323 per month on average.

The average monthly cost of doing groceries in Maastricht is €200-€300.

If you shop at local weekly markets, your monthly expenses could be lower. If you shop for international products or organic and biological products, your costs will be more than the average.

Maastricht has a reputation for being the culinary capital of The Netherlands. At every corner, you’ll be caught up in the aromas of the cafes, bakeries, and restaurants. Luckily, you don’t need to have a lot to enjoy a lot in Maastricht. Given Maastricht’s reputation as a student city, dining out costs are generally not too high.

But that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy a fancy meal once in a while. Maastricht also has a few Michelin Star restaurants to serve your palette some high-quality, delicious tastes.

Once in Maastricht, you have to try the famous Limburgse Vlaai (pie) and head over to the unique vineyards to try the local wines.

Due to the city’s small size and top-notch infrastructure, Maastricht is known to be a walking and bike-friendly city.

You can easily rent a shared bicycle in the city. The OV public transport bicycles cost €4.80 per ride for up to 24 hours of usage. Alternatively, you can use Arriva’s shared bikes which costs €1.50 for the first 30 minutes and €9.00 for a whole day.

You can also use Arriva busses within Maastricht or De Lijn or TEC busses to and from Belgium. A one-way travel ticket within Maastricht will cost you €2.50-€4.00. If you plan to use the busses more frequently, you can opt for the discount subscription plans offered by Arriva.

For longer distances, travelling by train is the quickest and most efficient way.

If you need to use public transport frequently, get a personalised OV chipkaart that lets you use any public transport across The Netherlands. The card costs €7.50 or is free if you add an NS season ticket at the time of purchase.

To enjoy discounts on your train travel costs, pick an annual or monthly season ticket that matches your frequency and time of travel.

You can even use your OV chipkaart to travel within the Euregio Meuse-Rhine region and visit Aachen in Germany in under an hour.

There's plenty to do in Maastricht and the entire Limburg region in general. On any given day, you can indulge yourself at one of the many restaurants, enjoy a comedy or live music night at one of the bars, visit the cinema or the museums, and much more!

In the summers, you can cycle to the many vineyards and taste some local wines and produce. In winter too there're various festive occassions, such as the famous Carnival, Sinterklaas or the magical Maastricht Christmas market.

If you want to live in Maastricht while studying or working, you need to get mandatory health insurance. All working expats or interns need to take out basic Dutch public health insurance. This health insurance will cost you approximately €159 per month. You can apply for healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag) which will help you cover the costs of health insurance.

International students need to take out private health insurance during their stay, like AON. The costs can differ based on where you come from, any pre-existing conditions, how long you need it for, etc. But on average, this can cost anywhere between €16 to over €50 per month.

If you’re an EU/EEA student, then your tuition costs for a regular full-time degree in Maastricht will cost you €2,694. For a regular part-time degree, this will cost you €1,572 per year.

International students in Maastricht need to pay between €9,000 and €20,000 for a regular Bachelor’s degree and between €12,000 and €30,000 for a regular Master’s degree.

The cost of living for students in Maastricht also includes costs for any study materials. On average, students should budget €350 per semester for study materials.

Maastricht is also a top destination for exchange students. This guide to why Maastricht works so well for exchange students lays out exactly what to expect from student life here. For a broader picture of tuition structures and what life looks like across the country, the full guide to studying in the Netherlands is a solid next read.

Expat parents who’ve got a school going child can save a lot of money by sending their children to a Dutch public school. You’ll only need to pay approximately €100-€150 for per year at Dutch public schools for voluntary contribution to cover extra-curricular activities, school trips, and lunch supervision. If you want to send your child to an international school in Maastricht, be prepared to pay at least €7,890 on average per year and €790 one-time admin fee.

Expats in The Netherlands can send their children to daycare.

On average, you can expect a private daycare/pre-school to cost €9.83 to €11.83 per hour. That is around €1,200–€2,800/month gross for full-time care per child.

However, childcare costs in The Netherlands are subsidized. This subsidy is dependent on your working status, income, number of children, and how many days you want to enroll your child for. With the subsidy, you could be paying around €450–600/month per month for full-day daycare per child.

The average monthly cost of living in Maastricht is €1,682 for a single person, €2,970 for a couple, €2,660 for a family of 3, and €1,588 for an international student (without tuition fees).

Want to live in this beautiful and affordable Dutch town? Discover rental homes in Maastricht and start the next chapter of your life today! Don't forget to use this Netherlands arrival checklist to sort your BSN, registration, and banking to make sure everything is in place before you move.