Can a Research Scientist afford to live in Amsterdam?

Comfortable21% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Research Scientist · Amsterdam
$94,139
Income tax (~41% effective)
Netherlands
– $38,803
Take-home pay
$4,611/mo
$55,336
Living costs (1 person)
$3,640/mo · derived
– $43,680
Savings potential
$971/mo · 21% of take-home
$11,656

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Amsterdam? →Compare Amsterdam with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: OECD 2024 median for Research Scientist, adjusted for Amsterdam.

• Tax: Netherlands single-filer effective rate (~41%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.