Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelona: $2,399 a month against $2,832 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,832

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,832 in Leiden versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Leiden $2,832
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Leiden versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Leiden $3,974
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Leiden versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Leiden $5,115
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Leiden is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 110% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$17.94 €15.96

10.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 €80.2

$68.1 €60.5

32.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.12

$13.28 €11.81

2.64%

Cappuccino

$3.81 €3.39

$3.25 €2.89

17.23%

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

$3.48 €3.10

$3.01 €2.67

15.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.87 €1.66

59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €6.98

$3.85 €3.42

103.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$4.48 €3.98

14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.29 €1.15

-0.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.04 €1.81

10.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.72 €1.53

39.53%

Eggs

$4.70 €4.18

$4.77 €4.24

-1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.12

$16.77 €14.91

-12.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$8.93 €7.94

57.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.37

$19.88 €17.68

-18.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.98 €2.65

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.03 €1.80

18.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.73 €2.43

-27.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$2.68 €2.38

75.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.10 €1.87

-18.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.08 €1.85

-4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.45 €1.29

-7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.89 €0.79

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 €11.70

$6.94 €6.17

89.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 €6.37

$7.78 €6.92

-7.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.45 €1.29

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.57 €2.29

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.99 €2.66

-6.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$25.20 €22.41

408.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.03

$3.12 €2.77

9.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.96

$1.44 €1.28

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.48 €20.00

$33.50 €29.80

-32.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.79 €1.59

34.64%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$34.6K €30.8K

20.18%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$30.1K €26.7K

31.05%

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

$279 €249

$178 €158

57.14%

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

$15.47 €13.76

$13.32 €11.85

16.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.17

$34.88 €31.02

42.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.42

$53.3 €47.36

-14.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.38 €10.12

$16.01 €14.24

-28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 €12.97

$11.06 €9.84

31.83%

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

$1,769 €1,573

$957 €851

84.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$16.6K €14.7K

-20.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$88.2 €78.4

29.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 €41.81

$39.49 €35.12

19.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$103 €91.4

12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$121 €108

14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 €1,537

$1,653 €1,470

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,253

$1,302 €1,158

8.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 €2,239

$2,557 €2,275

-1.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$1,915 €1,703

2.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,369 €6,554

$7,286 €6,480

1.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,856 €5,209

$5,080 €4,518

15.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 €3,544

$2,281 €2,028

74.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.28

-14.63%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 7.6% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.2%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 34.4% $119

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$337 11.9%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 5.1% $17

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 15.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$187 6.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 15.4% $29

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

Barcelona

$47 2% 70.2% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,728 in Leiden and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays 75% 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: $90.0 in Leiden vs $68.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $320 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

Same time as Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Leiden Barcelona 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leiden and Barcelona differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,832 vs $2,399 including rent). Barcelona is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% 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: $1,728 in Leiden versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,769 in Leiden versus $957 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Leiden. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona 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, Leiden and Barcelona 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 Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.