Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Leiden and in Melbourne: $2,832 and $2,821 a month, rent and utilities included.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,832

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,832 in Leiden versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Leiden $2,832
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Leiden versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Leiden $3,974
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Leiden versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Leiden $5,115
Melbourne $5,650

Monthly costs are close between Leiden and Melbourne; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 110% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.58

$17.43 A$25.04

13.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 €80.0

$84.6 A$121

6.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.10

$12.46 A$17.90

9.39%

Cappuccino

$3.81 €3.38

$4.11 A$5.90

-7.30%

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

$3.48 €3.09

$3.06 A$4.39

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.64

$2.52 A$3.62

18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €6.97

$9.80 A$14.08

-19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.56

$8.57 A$12.31

-40.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.48 A$2.13

-13.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.94 A$4.23

-23.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.66 A$3.82

-9.77%

Eggs

$4.70 €4.18

$5.54 A$7.96

-15.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.10

$10.51 A$15.10

40.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.47

$9.65 A$13.86

45.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.35

$15.22 A$21.87

6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$3.99 A$5.74

-27.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$3.02 A$4.34

-20.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.75

$3.10 A$4.46

-36.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$4.82 A$6.92

-2.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$3.03 A$4.35

-43.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.75

$2.44 A$3.51

-18.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.46 A$3.54

-45.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.63 A$2.34

-56.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 €11.69

$44.07 A$63.3

-70.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 €6.36

$12.70 A$18.25

-43.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$5.54 A$7.95

-72.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$5.23 A$7.51

-48.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 €2.49

$3.74 A$5.37

-24.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$138 A$198

-6.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.02

$4.51 A$6.49

-24.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.96

$1.36 A$1.95

144.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.48 €19.97

$30.45 A$43.74

-26.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.47 A$2.12

63.95%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$29.0K A$41.7K

43.52%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$26.5K A$38.0K

48.84%

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

$279 €248

$234 A$336

19.60%

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

$15.47 €13.74

$27.93 A$40.12

-44.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.11

$55.7 A$80.1

-10.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.36

$49.40 A$71.0

-8.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.38 €10.10

$21.48 A$30.86

-47.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 €12.95

$15.09 A$21.69

-3.38%

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

$1,769 €1,571

$2,371 A$3,407

-25.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$30.2K A$43.4K

-56.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$80.0 A$115

43.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 €41.75

$50.7 A$72.8

-7.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$121 A$173

-4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$130 A$187

6.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 €1,535

$1,759 A$2,527

-1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,251

$1,390 A$1,997

1.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 €2,235

$3,494 A$5,019

-27.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,745

$2,493 A$3,582

-21.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,369 €6,545

$6,926 A$9,951

6.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,856 €5,201

$6,445 A$9,259

-9.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 €3,538

$4,383 A$6,297

-9.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

5.9

-52.54%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 1.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 7.9% $27

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$337 11.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 13.9% $47

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 1.8% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$187 6.6%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 8.2% $15

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 2.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 6.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,728 in Leiden and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90.0 in Leiden vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $384, with Leiden cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

18:37 6:37 PM

9 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leiden Melbourne 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Melbourne. 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: $1,728 in Leiden versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,769 in Leiden versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $90.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Melbourne delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,821 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Melbourne hard to pass up.

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

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