Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and The Hague

For one person, living costs are similar in Leiden and in The Hague: $2,844 and $2,727 a month, rent and utilities included.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,844

/mo nomad

The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leiden and in The Hague

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,844 in Leiden versus $2,727 in The Hague.

Leiden $2,844
The Hague $2,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,968 in Leiden versus $4,085 in The Hague.

Leiden $3,968
The Hague $4,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,092 in Leiden versus $5,443 in The Hague.

Leiden $5,092
The Hague $5,443

Living in Leiden is roughly 4% more expensive than in The Hague, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 110% above, The Hague 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$22.22 €19.76

-10.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.4 €79.6

$89.2 €79.4

0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.77

$15.04 €13.38

-12.03%

Cappuccino

$3.87 €3.44

$4.35 €3.87

-11.03%

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

$3.44 €3.06

$4.15 €3.70

-17.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.67

$4.28 €3.81

-29.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 €7.04

$7.17 €6.38

10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 €4.54

$7.70 €6.85

-33.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.52 €1.35

-14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.21 €1.96

1.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$2.47 €2.20

0.40%

Eggs

$4.73 €4.21

$4.51 €4.01

4.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.55 €12.94

$14.94 €13.29

-2.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 €12.83

$12.87 €11.45

12.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 €14.28

$19.53 €17.38

-17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.67 €2.37

8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.06

$2.20 €1.95

5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.06 €1.83

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 €4.44

$3.68 €3.27

35.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.33 €1.18

34.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.34 €1.19

47.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.12 €1.00

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.94 €0.84

-21.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.31 €11.84

$14.34 €12.76

-7.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$6.05 €5.38

13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.30 €1.15

16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.97 €1.75

30.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 €2.47

$4.38 €3.90

-36.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 €115

$94.1 €83.7

36.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$4.61 €4.10

-26.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.35 €2.98

$3.34 €2.97

0.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.23 €19.77

$33.19 €29.52

-33.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.18

$2.53 €2.25

-2.77%

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

$42.3K €37.6K

$41.8K €37.2K

1.08%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$38.8K €34.5K

1.82%

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

$280 €249

$283 €252

-1.21%

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

$15.46 €13.75

$28.32 €25.19

-45.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.19

$54.1 €48.09

-8.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.69

$51.7 €45.96

-11.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 €10.31

$23.96 €21.31

-51.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 €12.80

$16.01 €14.24

-10.12%

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

$1,744 €1,551

$2,402 €2,137

-27.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.6K

$11.8K €10.5K

10.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €102

$96.5 €85.9

19.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.05 €41.85

$42.92 €38.18

9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$105 €93.8

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €124

$140 €125

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 €1,522

$1,655 €1,472

3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 €1,259

$1,281 €1,139

10.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 €2,258

$2,769 €2,463

-8.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 €1,720

$2,244 €1,996

-13.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,646 €6,801

$6,171 €5,489

23.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,706 €5,075

$4,415 €3,927

29.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,992 €3,551

$4,128 €3,672

-3.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

3.4

-17.65%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 17, 2026

Last update for The Hague: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.8%

The Hague

$1.3K 47% 9.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.1%

The Hague

$365 13.4% 6% $21

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$339 11.9%

The Hague

$331 12.1% 2.4% $8.2

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

The Hague

$360 13.2% 12.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$189 6.7%

The Hague

$173 6.4% 8.4% $16

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

The Hague

$133 4.9% 17% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

The Hague

$84 3.1% 12.3% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,711 in Leiden and $1,655 in The Hague. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in Leiden vs $89.0 in The Hague. Groceries flip the comparison at $339 vs $331, with The Hague cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇳🇱 The Hague

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

Same time as Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

562,839

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 The Hague: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Hague wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Leiden. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making The Hague the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in The Hague. 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 $1,655 in The Hague. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. The Hague 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 The Hague delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,727 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes The Hague hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leiden and The Hague 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 The Hague gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.