Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Solingen

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $2,832 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
Learn more

Leiden Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
Learn more

Solingen Living Index

Jump to prices

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,832

/mo nomad

Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in Solingen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,832 in Leiden versus $2,001 in Solingen.

Leiden $2,832
Solingen $2,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Leiden versus $3,003 in Solingen.

Leiden $3,974
Solingen $3,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Leiden versus $4,006 in Solingen.

Leiden $5,115
Solingen $4,006

Living in Leiden is roughly 42% more expensive than in Solingen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 110% above, Solingen 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$19.24 €17.11

2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 €80.2

$73.5 €65.4

22.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.12

$13.48 €11.99

1.11%

Cappuccino

$3.81 €3.39

$3.88 €3.45

-1.80%

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

$3.48 €3.10

$3.13 €2.78

11.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.92 €2.59

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €6.98

$5.11 €4.55

53.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$4.50 €4.00

14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.26 €1.12

1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.08 €1.85

8.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.96 €2.63

-18.92%

Eggs

$4.70 €4.18

$3.91 €3.48

20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.12

$16.36 €14.55

-9.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$12.79 €11.38

9.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.37

$22.56 €20.06

-28.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$3.12 €2.77

-7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.12 €1.88

13.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.13 €1.89

-7.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$3.89 €3.46

21.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.20 €1.06

42.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.30 €1.16

52.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.58 €1.41

-15.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.16 €1.04

-38.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 €11.70

$9.94 €8.84

32.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 €6.37

$5.64 €5.01

26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.05 €0.94

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.46 €1.30

84.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.43 €3.05

-18.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$65.1 €57.9

97.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.03

$5.01 €4.46

-31.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.97

$3.04 €2.71

9.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.48 €20.00

$38.45 €34.20

-41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.20 €1.96

9.55%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$33.4K €29.7K

24.56%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$37.6K €33.5K

4.72%

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

$279 €249

$330 €294

-15.35%

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

$15.47 €13.76

$19.79 €17.61

-21.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.18

$41.22 €36.66

20.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.43

$39.77 €35.37

14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.38 €10.12

$23.78 €21.15

-52.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 €12.97

$15.29 €13.60

-4.64%

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

$1,769 €1,574

$470 €418

276.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$9,286 €8,260

42.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$94.6 €84.2

20.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 €41.82

$41.74 €37.13

12.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$112 €99.2

3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$166 €148

-16.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 €1,537

$842 €749

105.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,253

$611 €543

130.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 €2,239

$1,372 €1,220

83.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$1,023 €910

92.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,369 €6,555

$4,992 €4,441

47.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,856 €5,209

$3,334 €2,966

75.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 €3,544

$5,206 €4,631

-23.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.95

-29.11%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 12, 2026

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Solingen

$611 30.5% 56.6% $798

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.2%

Solingen

$391 19.6% 13.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$337 11.9%

Solingen

$344 17.2% 2% $6.7

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

Solingen

$300 15% 6.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$187 6.6%

Solingen

$186 9.3% 0.5% $0.9

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

Solingen

$99 5% 37.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Solingen

$70 3.5% 5.7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,728 in Leiden and $842 in Solingen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90.0 in Leiden vs $73.0 in Solingen. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $344, with Leiden cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇩🇪 Solingen

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

164,205

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leiden Solingen 210 km

From you

Leiden
Solingen

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 Solingen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solingen wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Leiden. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Solingen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Solingen. 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 $842 in Solingen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leiden pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Solingen – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $90.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,832 in Leiden, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solingen but tight or insufficient in Leiden. The gap between the two cities makes Solingen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Solingen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Solingen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leiden and Solingen 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 Solingen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.