Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Rotterdam

For one person, living is cheaper in Leiden: $2,844 a month against $3,047 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,844

/mo nomad

Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,047

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in Rotterdam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,844 in Leiden versus $3,047 in Rotterdam.

Leiden $2,844
Rotterdam $3,047

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,968 in Leiden versus $4,256 in Rotterdam.

Leiden $3,968
Rotterdam $4,256

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,092 in Leiden versus $5,466 in Rotterdam.

Leiden $5,092
Rotterdam $5,466

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 110% above, Rotterdam 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$20.91 €18.60

-5.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.4 €79.6

$83.4 €74.2

7.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.77

$13.20 €11.74

0.23%

Cappuccino

$3.87 €3.44

$4.37 €3.89

-11.44%

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

$3.44 €3.06

$3.89 €3.46

-11.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$3.51 €3.12

-14.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 €7.04

$7.25 €6.45

9.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 €4.54

$5.98 €5.32

-14.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.47 €1.31

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.30 €2.05

-2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.96 €2.64

-16.22%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$5.24 €4.66

-9.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.55 €12.94

$12.22 €10.87

19.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 €12.83

$13.37 €11.90

7.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 €14.28

$18.62 €16.56

-13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$3.38 €3.01

-14.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.53 €2.25

-8.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.56 €2.28

-26.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 €4.44

$3.51 €3.13

42.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.70 €1.51

5.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.47 €1.31

34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.47 €1.31

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$1.29 €1.14

-42.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.31 €11.84

$14.61 €12.99

-8.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$6.67 €5.93

3.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.47 €1.30

2.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.29

$2.52 €2.24

2.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$4.40 €3.92

-36.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 €115

$111 €98.6

16.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$4.73 €4.21

-28.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 €2.98

$3.48 €3.10

-3.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.23 €19.77

$68.4 €60.9

-67.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.18

$2.59 €2.31

-5.02%

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

$42.3K €37.6K

0.06%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$39.4K €35.0K

0.34%

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

$280 €249

$297 €264

-5.99%

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

$15.46 €13.75

$21.43 €19.06

-27.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.19

$55.6 €49.49

-10.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.69

$47.98 €42.68

-4.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 €10.31

$29.31 €26.07

-60.42%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 €12.80

$15.40 €13.69

-6.56%

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

$1,744 €1,551

$2,677 €2,381

-34.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.6K

$12.8K €11.4K

1.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €102

$95.3 €84.7

20.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.05 €41.85

$39.44 €35.08

19.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$110 €98.2

7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$139 €124

0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 €1,522

$1,968 €1,750

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 €1,259

$1,588 €1,412

-10.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 €2,258

$3,116 €2,771

-18.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 €1,720

$2,281 €2,029

-15.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,646 €6,801

$5,925 €5,271

29.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,706 €5,075

$3,979 €3,539

43.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,992 €3,551

$4,135 €3,678

-3.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.49

-19.77%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rotterdam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.8%

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52.1% 12.2% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.1%

Rotterdam

$374 12.3% 8.6% $30

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$339 11.9%

Rotterdam

$345 11.3% 1.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

Rotterdam

$337 11.1% 5.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$189 6.7%

Rotterdam

$173 5.7% 8.7% $17

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

Rotterdam

$151 4.9% 5.9% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Rotterdam

$79 2.6% 5.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,711 in Leiden and $1,968 in Rotterdam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 4% 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: $89.0 in Leiden vs $83.0 in Rotterdam. Groceries flip the comparison at $339 vs $345, with Leiden cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

Same time as Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

572,392

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Leiden Rotterdam 26 km

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Leiden
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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 Rotterdam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Rotterdam. 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: $1,711 in Leiden versus $1,968 in Rotterdam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Rotterdam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Leiden – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $83.0 in Rotterdam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Leiden 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 Leiden delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,844 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leiden hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leiden and Rotterdam 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 Leiden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.