India techie relocates to Amsterdam, compares life to Bengaluru

A Bengaluru native and technology professional, Pratim Bhosale, took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to share her transition from her life in India’s Silicon Valley to the vibrant cityscape of Amsterdam.

In a candid and insightful thread, Bhosale detailed the cultural, professional, and personal nuances of her six months in the Netherlands, comparing them to her life in Bengaluru. Bhosale’s posts delve into the everyday realities of living in Amsterdam, from navigating the local transport system to engaging with Dutch work culture.

Here’s a list of her experience covering rent, food, groceries, transport and other daily essentials:

It’s officially 6 months since I moved to Amsterdam.

Here’s a non exhaustive list of things that have changed in my quality of life and are different from my life in Bengaluru, India

Might be helpful if you’re planning to move to Amsterdam.

🧵 pic.twitter.com/3vSAjd9VWF

— Pratim🥑 (@BhosalePratim) April 10, 2025

Renting:
-    The rent is approximately €2k per month for a one-bedroom apartment in a decent area. Lower would mean no furniture and a newer area.
-    It is extremely hard (Hunger Games level) to find a rental apartment. Easier to buy.
-    There are actual tenant laws which landlords follow. (Unlike in India )

Groceries and Food

- Two big supermarkets across Netherlands: Jumbo and Albert Heijn
- Absolute joy to roam around if you love groceries shopping. Fresh produce. I don’t miss Zepto or Swiggy AT all. 
- Monthly grocery bill for me and my plus is around €500. (We eat royally. Only good high quality whole foods) 
- Whole food is approximately 3 times more expensive than Bengaluru. 
- Better produce. Here organic means organic. 
- A generic rule to understand cost of living is multiple Bengaluru (not India) cost of living into 3.
- Weekend farmers markets are across the city. Pricier than supermarkets but a joy to visit.

Restaurants
- €50 for two for a decent meal
- A sandwich, fries, single takeaway meals around €7-15
- Fancy restaurants > € 80
- Amazing International cuisine except Indian. Basic and touristy menu in Indian restaurants. 
- Cafes have same rates as BLR (Paid €13 for two desserts and two teas ) 
- Desserts are much better anywhere in EU.

Travel (My favourite part)
- If you're coming from India like me where public transport is overall crap (ah memories of overcrowded buses and men groping women coming back ) Amsterdam is a BLESSING. 
- Cleaner, regular buses, trams and metros. 
- A separate biking lane
- A separate parking for bikes
- 98% of people follow traffic and city rules. 
- Bikes > Pedestrians > Bus > Car priority 
- Free ferries. Now that I have a bike I take the ferry. A beautiful scenic early morning cardio routine. 
- Renting a car for a day is cheaper and a much better experience. 
- The city is kid, pregnant women and old people friendly

Healthcare
- I will be going to India for all my treatments. 
- You can find help ONLY if you're dying or seriously injured 
- No concept of preventative healthcare and checkups 
- Insurance is much more expensive 
- Insanely slow
Indian private healthcare is 10x better as long as you reach the hospital on time and don't get stuck in traffic.

Quality of air, Parks, Nature (One of the major reasons for me to move to EU)
- There are parks everywhere 
- Parks are clean and well maintained 
- Move civic sense in people using public amenities 
- Better air quality.

Jobs
- Lesser job opportunities compared to Bengaluru
- Okayish pay even in Tech. Rare to go above €100k
- Two types of job contracts: Permanent and Yearly
- Layoffs are not dependent on performance. Blanket layoffs to keep diversity
- I found people to be more passionate. Doing it for the “art” than the “money” 
- Laws are employee-friendly but bad for business