if it's true then yes 500 euro extra, but atleast wehre I leave thigns are really expensive.
There is a difference if you're near the country's capital (Roma, Amsteram, Brussels) or in a rural territory. (Southern IT, southern NL outside Maastricht/Heerlen, or Limburg (BE))
Depending on where you live, prices will be accordingly. Of course Rome is expensive. It's the nation's capital. So is the "Randstad" (western part of the Netherlands, aka Holland) and Belgian Brabant (Brussels area, both linguistic areas).
And border areas are also more expensive, as the population is easilly tempted to cross the border to live there. For example Dutch/Belgian border, from Voeren/Fourons to Knokke, from Neu/Nouveau Moresnet to Arlon.
So... you can't really compare that.
And I don't know the prices in Maastricht, but it's not one of the cheapest in NL, but most certainly not the most expensive either! That'll be Amsterdam and The Hague (as residential "capital" of NL)