Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Leuven

For one person, living is cheaper in Diest: $2,088 a month against $2,237 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Leuven outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Diest and in Leuven

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Diest and in Leuven actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Diest versus $2,237 in Leuven.

Diest $2,088
Leuven $2,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Diest versus $3,310 in Leuven.

Diest $3,070
Leuven $3,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,052 in Diest versus $4,382 in Leuven.

Diest $4,052
Leuven $4,382

Living in Diest costs roughly 7% less than in Leuven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Diest 54% above, Leuven 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 €19.53

$22.45 €20.00

-2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.7

$76.9 €68.5

10.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.59

$13.34 €11.89

-10.87%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$4.20 €3.74

-15.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.81 €2.51

4.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$2.92 €2.60

-4.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$5.46 €4.86

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$4.58 €4.08

-5.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.35 €1.20

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.05 €1.83

9.76%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.50

$3.80 €3.38

3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$11.33 €10.10

34.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$12.16 €10.83

-2.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$19.14 €17.05

-1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.80 €2.49

-0.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.23 €1.99

0.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.13 €1.90

22.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.32 €2.07

26.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.19 €1.95

-0.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.74 €1.55

-1.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.94 €0.83

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 €11.69

$13.58 €12.10

-3.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.52

$7.39 €6.58

14.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.08 €1.85

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.88 €1.68

9.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.74

$3.27 €2.91

-6.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.47

$46.71 €41.60

16.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.07

$11.13 €9.92

-48.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.20

$3.10 €2.76

-20.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 €26.89

$49.55 €44.14

-39.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.03 €1.81

1.97%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K €32.1K

$35.0K €31.2K

2.88%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.1K €32.1K

$36.9K €32.9K

-2.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$209 €186

$214 €191

-2.73%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.59 €18.34

$18.38 €16.37

12.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.77

$52.1 €46.40

-1.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 €32.60

$40.54 €36.11

-9.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 €17.76

$19.79 €17.62

0.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 €12.73

$14.54 €12.95

-1.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$781 €696

$707 €630

10.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$18.1K €16.1K

6.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$98.2 €87.5

5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.33 €43.05

$25.68 €22.87

88.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$88.6 €78.9

20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$144 €128

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €836

$1,099 €979

-14.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €735

$986 €878

-16.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,217

$1,991 €1,774

-31.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,040

$1,578 €1,406

-25.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,723

$5,096 €4,539

-17.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 €2,627

$3,650 €3,251

-19.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,138 €1,905

$3,768 €3,357

-43.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.52

0.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Leuven: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Diest

$825 39.5%

Leuven

$986 44.1% 19.5% $161

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$338 16.2%

Leuven

$320 14.3% 5.2% $17

Eating Out

Diest

$312 15%

Leuven

$329 14.7% 5.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$281 13.4%

Leuven

$285 12.7% 1.5% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$182 8.7%

Leuven

$160 7.2% 12.1% $22

Getting Around

Diest

$85 4.1%

Leuven

$86 3.9% 2% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$65 3.1%

Leuven

$70 3.1% 6.8% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Diest and $1,099 in Leuven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Diest vs $77 in Leuven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $320 per month, with Leuven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

Same time as Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

102,275

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Diest Leuven 28 km

From you

Diest
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Diest vs Leuven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Diest wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Leuven. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Diest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Diest. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $938 in Diest versus $1,099 in Leuven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Leuven runs roughly 14% less than in Diest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $781 in Diest versus $707 in Leuven. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Diest is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Diest and Leuven are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Diest wins on affordability, Leuven on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.