What does emigrating to Bonaire cost?
Answer four questions and you get an honest range for your situation. For every item it says whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. The paperwork stays under four hundred euros here. The money is in the crossing and in the first months on an import island, where the rents are in dollars.
Looking for the whole route to Bonaire, not just the costs? See the steps, the order and the paperwork →
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 3.000 – € 7.700
Where does that difference come from?
- The first months€ 2.500 – € 6.500
Below you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 150 – € 250
- De verhuizing
- € 350 – € 900
- De eerste maanden
- € 2.500 – € 6.500
Every item, one by onePer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Declaration of admission by operation of law€ 150 – € 200
- Certificates and sédulas(estimate)€ 25 – € 55
De verhuizing
- Travel(estimate)€ 350 – € 900
A flight, one way Amsterdam-Kralendijk. Three airlines fly direct: KLM, TUI and, since late 2024, Corendon too. That competition keeps the price down outside the high season. There is no alternative by road: this is the overseas destination.
De eerste maanden
- The first months(estimate)€ 2.500 – € 6.500
Housing is the largest item. Supply is scarce: a home with two or three bedrooms easily costs 2,000 dollars a month, and the usual deposit is one to two months. On top of that come the connection fees and advance payments of WEB, the water and energy company. Electricity costs well over 50 dollar cents per kilowatt hour there, and the air conditioning is the silent heavy user. Groceries also sit well above the Dutch level, because it is an import island. In the first weeks without a local bank account you pay with your Dutch card, with foreign transaction fees each time.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 6 to 8% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 15.000 to € 20.000.
On an existing home you pay 5% transfer tax. On a new build, 8% ABB applies instead, the general spending tax (the VAT of the Caribbean Netherlands). Notary fees are between 1 and 1.5%, and the land registry entry around 0.5%. One point really makes a difference: no transfer tax is due on movable goods, such as furniture. So it pays to list them separately in the negotiation. The range of 6 to 8% assumes an existing home: 5% transfer tax plus notary and land registry. On a new build the ABB makes it higher.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 23 August 2026.
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One thing you can sort out today
Closing down the Netherlands is the same work for everyone, wherever you're going. With the letter pack you enter your details once, and every cancellation and notification letter is ready: health insurance, rent, employer, bank, pension fund. Each comes with the date by which it has to go out. € 49 one-off, and it's also included in every plan.
In Vertrekklaar you get the complete picture of your own costs, with your route, your documents and your deadlines.
From range to your own budget
The calculator above works with four questions. The journey itself knows more. In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates on your real situation: who's coming, which household contents, and whether the car comes along. And it watches the deadlines: two months for the IND declaration, five days for the registration, and the twelve-month rule for the car. A one-off € 299, no subscription.
Leaving with AOW or a pension? Compare how countries tax your pension
Every step on one list, free
Not ready to start yet? Then you get the departure checklist for Bonaire: every step in order, to print and tick off. With it, five mails in a week and a half about the pitfalls and the real costs. If the rules for Bonaire change, you'll hear about it. After that we ask once where your plans stand, send one offer, and now and then one thing that fits your moment. No newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
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