Jan 24
Living in San Francisco vs. Amsterdam
The ultimate guide comparing costs of living, job opportunities, work-life balance, education, healthcare, travel, and more!
Want to make a ridiculous amount of money and accelerate your career? Go to San Francisco. Want to have balance and still grow your career? Go to Amsterdam.
It’s fruitless to compare two cities, but I will do it anyway.
In this guide, I will cover:
- Cost of Living
- Job Opportunities
- Work-life Balance
- Weather
- Food
- Entertainment
- Nature & Outdoors
- Public Transportation
- Education
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Safety & Crime
- Diversity
About me: I grew up in San Francisco, studied Economics at UCLA, and worked in Finance and Tech (LA and San Francisco) before moving to Europe to get a Master’s degree in the Netherlands in 2018. I currently work for a cybersecurity company in Amsterdam.
Overview
San Francisco and Amsterdam are two of the most popular cities in the world due to job opportunities, the international vibe, and their progressive cultures.
Amsterdam was founded in 1276, while San Francisco was founded in 1776.
Living in Amsterdam feels like you’ve been transported back in time with its 17th-century canal houses, canals, boathouses, and cobblestoned streets. San Francisco is a mix of Victorian and modern-day architecture combined with 21st-century techies and hipsters.
San Francisco has hills, while Amsterdam sits 7 meters below sea level. Bicycles crowd the streets of Amsterdam, while techies and Ubers crowd the streets of San Francisco.
Let’s get started…
1. Cost of Living
Both cities are extremely expensive. According to Mercer’s Cost of Living City Ranking (2021), San Francisco is the 25th most expensive city to live in, while Amsterdam takes 44th place.
Have you ever felt poor making six figures? Well if you earn less than $82,200 per year (single) or $117,400 (family) in San Francisco, you are considered “low income” in San Francisco.
Want to buy a home? You’ll need around $1.5 million to buy a home in San Francisco (compared to $460K in Amsterdam).
While both cities are almost unaffordable for the average citizen, San Francisco takes the cake. It’s really difficult to be poor in America without a social safety net.
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
2. Job Opportunities
If you want to make a ridiculous amount of money while still feeling poor, San Francisco might be for you (see: Twitter engineer vents about making ends meet on a $160K salary).
But if your career is in technology—San Francisco is the Mecca. Take a look below at the median salary for a software engineer in San Francisco compared to the Netherlands.
The San Francisco job market is one of the hottest markets in the world and home to many of the global tech giants including Facebook, Apple, Netflix, and Google.
The Netherlands is an emerging tech hub in Europe and home to tech companies such as Booking, Adyen, and Mollie. Moreover, the Netherlands is also home to global conglomerates such as Unilever, ING, Royal Dutch Shell, and Philips.
But overall, you can’t beat a job market like San Francisco with top global talent and abundant venture capital.
🏆 Winner: San Francisco
3. Work-life Balance
While you may easily make a six-figure salary in San Francisco, you will most likely be working more. I’ve asked a few HR professionals whose companies have offices in both San Francisco and Amsterdam, “what’s the biggest difference?”
“People work more in our San Francisco office.”
When the clock hits 5:00 pm in Amsterdam, the office clears out. In San Francisco, it’s rare to see an empty office at 5:00 pm.
You work to live in Amsterdam, while you live to work in San Francisco.
What about vacation? Europeans get a lot more vacation days, and they take them. Each employee in the Netherlands is guaranteed 20 vacation days, but there is no guaranteed minimum in the US.
And even if you get 5 weeks of vacation in the US, most employees will not take them all. In fact, Americans have the most unused vacation days at the end of the year.
Why? Well, it goes back to the culture. Let me explain.
I currently have 5 weeks of vacation with my company in the Netherlands, and I take all of them per year because everyone takes them—it’s part of the culture. I also had 5 weeks of vacation working in San Francisco, but I only took 2 to 3 weeks per year—I thought there was just too much work, and no one else was taking that much time off.
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
4. Weather
Ok, this is an easy one. No one moves to Amsterdam for the weather. People move to California for the sunshine. The Dutch also love complaining about the weather—it’s a national pastime.
On average, San Francisco gets 260 days of sun per year compared to 177 days in Amsterdam.
Unless you love the rain, wind, and the cold…San Francisco wins hands down.
🏆 Winner: San Francisco
5. Food
No one moves to Amsterdam for the food either. A typical Dutch lunch is two slices of bread and a single slice of cheese—a sandwich. To be fair, bitterballen (Dutch meatballs) is amazing. And to be fairer, Amsterdam has quite a diverse, international food scene, but the food scene is still in its infancy compared to San Francisco.
San Francisco is well known for its eclectic food scene. Mexican burritos. Chinese dim sum. Hipster cafes. Michelin Star restaurants. Fresh crab and seafood. Sourdough bread. I’m drooling already.
Plus, the San Francisco weather allows for outdoor dining year-round.
🏆 Winner: San Francisco
6. Entertainment
San Francisco was named the “World’s Best City” by Time Out magazine. From Golden Gate Park to Fisherman’s Wharf to all the different museums and the Golden Gate Bridge, there is something to do for everyone. And if you venture a bit outside of San Francisco, you can sip wine in Napa or visit the redwoods in Muir Woods.
Amsterdam was named #2 in Time Out’s “World’s Best City” rankings, and there’s nothing wrong with second place. From its museum scene to canal tours to coffeeshops to biking, there is plenty to do in the land below sea level. And if you’re a music lover, Amsterdam is world-renowned for its festival scene—in fact, Amsterdam normally hosts over 300 festivals per year.
Amsterdam is great for music lovers. San Francisco is great for outdoor lovers.
🏆 Winner: Tie
7. Nature & Outdoors
From beaches to national parks, California is one of the best places to be in the world for outdoor enthusiasts. Within the city, you can hike along the coast in Lands End or take a stroll in Golden Gate Park. And just outside San Francisco. you can hike amongst the redwoods in Mount Tamalpais. Ski and snowboard at Lake Tahoe. And visit Yosemite National Park—one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Amsterdam is below sea level, so there really isn’t any hiking, but my favorite place in Amsterdam to get away is the Amsterdam Forest (bigger than New York’s Central Park). Similarly, you can cycle through nearby Dutch villages, which is a unique experience.
But for nature lovers…
🏆 Winner: San Francisco
8. Public Transportation
Did you know there are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands?
Cycling is the main mode of transportation in the Netherlands—great for the body and the environment. Bike lanes crisscross the country, and it seems like a rite of passage to be able to ride a bike. Don’t feel like biking? There is a metro, tram, and bus network that connects the city. The NS trains connect the country and are efficient and clean—you can get to Utrecht in 30 minutes and Maastricht (bottom of the country) in 2.5 hours. Having a car in Amsterdam can be a hassle.
Cycling in San Francisco can be dangerous, especially downtown (imagine crisscrossing between cars, buses, motorcyclists, and other cyclists). Ridesharing is a thing, and it seems like every other car is either an Uber or Lyft. The MUNI metro and buses connect the city along with BART (though taking the bus in San Francisco can be a wild ride). Having a car in San Francisco is nice to have (for weekend getaways).
Get your shoes ready though—what I love about Amsterdam and San Francisco is that both cities are walkable. Whether it’s strolling along the canals in Amsterdam or walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, both cities are nice to walk around.
But when it comes to public transportation…
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
9. Education
Dutch kids are the happiest children in the world. In my opinion, a lot of that is the result of how children are raised and socialized in the Netherlands. Children are brought up to be free and independent. Schools in the Netherlands give homework sparingly, and as my Dutch classmates told me…
“We didn’t experience stress until university.”
Lucky them! Because high school was one of the most stressful experiences of my life in San Francisco. Achieving good grades. Studying for the SATs (standardized exam). Participating in extracurriculars. It was a competition to get into a (good) college in the US.
Furthermore, student debt is a big part of American culture. The average 4-year tuition cost of an American university ranges from $10,000 to $35,000. In the Netherlands, the 4-year tuition cost for EU students ranges is around €8,000.
That’s why I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in the Netherlands. I paid $16,000 in tuition costs for a 1-year program compared to $80,000 for a 2-year program in the US. Furthermore, I even received free healthcare allowance from the Dutch government (zorgtoeslag) to pay for my health insurance.
Student debt is debilitating.
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
10. Healthcare
Similar to the education system, the US is also not world-renowned for its healthcare system as well.
50% of all Americans carry medical debt. And it can be expensive. Vox did a study comparing America’s health prices to other countries’ systems, and this is what they found:
I won’t go into detail, but please read “A CT scan costs $1,100 in the US — and $140 in Holland”
Healthcare is regulated by the government in the Netherlands, and prices are standardized (eg. there are standardized prices for teeth cleanings so no need to price shop).
However, getting treated in the Netherlands can be a nightmare—well, you have to be dying to get treated. The Dutch simply do not go to the hospital for “regular checkups,” and doctors will not treat you unless it is an emergency.
For example, I got bit by a pit bull in a park in Amsterdam and was refused a tetanus shot at the local hospital (it wasn’t serious enough)—they told me to go to my general practitioner (doctor) to get the shot. It infuriated me. This is a common complaint amongst expats in the Netherlands—you need to pretend you’re “dying” to get treated in the Netherlands.
But once you get in, healthcare is great and inexpensive in the Netherlands. Because it can be very expensive to be sick in the US.
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
11. Travel
If you travel 3 hours by car from San Francisco, you’ll reach Fresno, California. If you travel 3 hours by car from Amsterdam, you’ll reach Brussels, Belgium.
Amsterdam is centrally located in Europe with Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport being the #2 hub in the world. The infrastructure in Europe is built for traveling. You can fly from Amsterdam to Spain in 3 hours or London in 2 hours—you can get anywhere in Europe within a 3-hour flight. Flights can also be dirt cheap if you fly with a budget airline like Ryanair or easyJet.
One of the biggest reasons I moved to Amsterdam was due to this reason—travel.
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
12. Safety & Crime
I have never felt unsafe in the Netherlands. But in a big American city, you do have to worry about safety and crime.
The Netherlands is a very safe country with a low crime rate and a small homeless population (due to its welfare system). Your bike will probably get stolen at least once though, but you can live with that.
Crime is rising in San Francisco with some of the highest rates of larcenies, burglaries, arsons, and car thefts in California. Homelessness is also a big problem. It’s probably one of the biggest shocks for most tourists to see the stark contrast between downtown San Francisco’s two biggest populations—the techies and the homeless.
🏆 Winner: Amsterdam
13. Diversity
Both cities are world-renowned for their multicultural, progressive, and open culture. When one thinks about the most liberal city in Europe—Amsterdam comes to mind. And in the US—San Francisco.
Amsterdam claims to have over 180 nationalities, whereas 33% of San Francisco is foreign-born.
Amsterdam’s major ethnic groups include the Dutch, Indonesians, Turks, Moroccans, Surinamese, and other Europeans. In San Francisco, White (Non-Hispanic), Hispanics, Asians, and Blacks are the dominant ethnic groups.
While both cities are extremely multicultural, it seems like everyone in San Francisco works in tech (it wasn’t like this 20 years ago), while you will meet people from all walks of life in Amsterdam.
🏆 Winner: Tie
Final thoughts
The best city for you depends on what you are looking for.
Coming from San Francisco, I wanted to experience the European way of life. I’ve also met Europeans who moved to San Francisco and said the same thing.
While I do miss the great outdoors of California, I can hop on a plane and get to the Swiss or French Alps in a few hours. I can’t have my cake and eat it too—but there are workarounds!
I hope you found this comparison helpful.
Thoughts? Feel free to reach out or let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!
