Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,824 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,824 in Leiden versus $1,806 in Athens.

Leiden $2,824
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,929 in Leiden versus $2,731 in Athens.

Leiden $3,929
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Leiden versus $3,656 in Athens.

Leiden $5,034
Athens $3,656

Living in Leiden is roughly 56% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 111% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.66

$16.66 €14.87

18.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €80.8

$66.2 €59.1

36.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.23

$11.06 €9.87

23.96%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.50

$4.14 €3.69

-5.31%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$2.80 €2.50

27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.57 €0.51

424.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.04

$5.64 €5.03

39.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$5.46 €4.87

-8.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.96 €1.75

-36.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.41 €1.26

59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.83 €2.53

-13.07%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$5.04 €4.50

-7.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.32

$15.35 €13.70

-2.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.67 €13.09

$10.34 €9.23

41.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$18.97 €16.93

-16.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$2.17 €1.93

31.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.91 €1.70

21.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.38 €1.23

43.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.45

$2.20 €1.96

126.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.10 €0.98

59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.13 €1.00

69.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.10 €0.99

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.83 €0.74

-9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 €12.05

$5.60 €4.99

141.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$10.19 €9.09

-29.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.18 €1.95

-30.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.45 €2.19

10.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.58

$1.38 €1.23

109.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$30.87 €27.55

314.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$4.37 €3.90

-22.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.93

$1.04 €0.93

215.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.26

$17.11 €15.27

32.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.31 €2.07

6.93%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

48.86%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

39.35%

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

$276 €246

$210 €187

31.57%

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

$15.21 €13.57

$26.70 €23.83

-43.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 €44.75

$30.13 €26.89

66.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.83

$54.6 €48.72

-16.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 €10.59

$26.03 €23.23

-54.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.07

$10.78 €9.62

35.81%

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

$1,749 €1,561

$575 €513

204.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$13.1K €11.7K

0.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$93.2 €83.1

26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 €42.60

$40.68 €36.30

17.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$104 €92.9

12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$128 €115

8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,513

$756 €674

124.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,257

$652 €582

115.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 €2,240

$1,294 €1,154

94.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 €1,762

$1,163 €1,038

69.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,402 €6,605

$4,008 €3,577

84.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,788 €5,165

$3,452 €3,081

67.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 €3,659

$1,243 €1,110

229.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

4.48

-37.50%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Athens

$652 36.5% 53.7% $756

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$341 12%

Athens

$267 14.9% 21.9% $75

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$341 12%

Athens

$315 17.6% 7.8% $26

Eating Out

Leiden

$322 11.4%

Athens

$269 15% 16.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$190 6.7%

Athens

$165 9.2% 13.1% $25

Getting Around

Leiden

$159 5.6%

Athens

$46 2.6% 71.2% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Athens

$76 4.3% 1.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,696 in Leiden and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays 230% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Leiden vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

09:34 9:34 AM

1 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Leiden Athens 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
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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

Leiden vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Leiden. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 230% higher in Leiden, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,696 in Leiden versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $91.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,824 per month in Leiden versus $1,806 in Athens – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,824 in Leiden, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Leiden. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leiden and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.