According to a recent study conducted by Compare the Market, the Netherlands is one of the most expensive countries in the world when it comes to public transport, coming in second place behind Switzerland. 

World Public Transport Cost Index 2023 

For its World Public Transport Cost Index, the UK-based price comparison website Compare the Market used data from the international cost of living database Numbeo to analyse public transport ticket prices in 407 cities across 99 countries around the world. 

In order to create the index, the national average one-way adult fare and the national average monthly pass were each given a score out of 10. These two scores were then averaged together to create an equally weighted index score out of 10 for each of the 99 countries included in the study. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Switzerland - a country known for its high cost of living - claimed the top spot in the ranking. Compare the Market found that the cost of a one-way ticket averaged at 3,97 US dollars (3,64 euros). Sri Lanka, meanwhile, was found to have the cheapest public transportation; here, a one-way ticket costs an average of just 0,17 US dollars (0,16 euros). 

Dutch public transport system one of the most expensive in the world

The Netherlands is known for its high prices and above-average cost of living - a reputation that hasn’t been helped by the recent record-breaking inflation rates. It’s therefore likely unsurprising that the country claimed one of the top spots in the ranking, with Compare the Market reporting that the Netherlands has the second most expensive public transport in the world. 

According to the index, the Netherlands has the second-most expensive one-way average fares (3,65 US dollars, or 3,35 euros), and the sixth-most expensive monthly pass (87,51 US dollars, or 80,31 euros). “Maybe this is why so many Dutch people prefer to travel by bicycle?”, Compare the Market asks. 

Three Dutch cities also nabbed spots in the top 10 of the city ranking, with Eindhoven - not Amsterdam! - coming in second place behind Zurich. The Hague and Rotterdam came in third and fourth place respectively.

Cheapest and priciest countries for public transport

According to the World Public Transport Cost Index 2023, the five most expensive countries in the world for public transport are:

1. Switzerland
2. The Netherlands
3. Australia
4. Norway
5. Ireland

Meanwhile, the five cheapest countries are: 

1. Sri Lanka
2. Pakistan
3. Nepal
4. Algeria
5. Uzbekistan

For more information about the ranking, visit the Compare the Market website.

Thumb: T.W. van Urk via Shutterstock.com.