Americans traveling to Europe typically find things to be expensive relative to home. With the conversion rate currently $1.30 for 1 Euro, the exchange isn't all that favorable. To gauge the relative level of cost, I compare the cost of a Big Mac Combo at McDonald's. The Golden Arches are universal around the world, and if there's one thing they do well, it's the consistency of their product around the world. This is the best apples to apples comparison I can find. The current price of a Big Mac combo in Amsterdam is 5.95 euros. Converting to dollars, this equates to $7.78 -- probably what you'd pay at an airport in the U.S.
Gas on the other hand is a different story. It's not a good comparison because of taxes and other factors. The current price per liter in Amsterdam is around 1.80 euros. When you convert liters to gallons and apply the exchange rate, it comes to $8.96 per gallon. This is probably why everyone rides bikes.
At the grocery store, you can buy really good bottled beer individually (you don't have to buy a six-pack) for 70 euro cents which is less than a dollar -- about 91 cents per bottle. I guess it's not so bad.
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