Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and Diest

For one person, living is cheaper in Diest: $2,088 a month against $2,237 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Leuven outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index

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Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,237

/mo nomad

Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leuven and in Diest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Leuven and in Diest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,237 in Leuven versus $2,088 in Diest.

Leuven $2,237
Diest $2,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,310 in Leuven versus $3,070 in Diest.

Leuven $3,310
Diest $3,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,382 in Leuven versus $4,052 in Diest.

Leuven $4,382
Diest $4,052

Living in Leuven is roughly 7% more expensive than in Diest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leuven 65% above, Diest 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.45 €20.00

$21.93 €19.53

2.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 €68.5

$85.0 €75.7

-9.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.89

$11.89 €10.59

12.20%

Cappuccino

$4.20 €3.74

$3.54 €3.15

18.64%

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

$2.81 €2.51

$2.94 €2.62

-4.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.80 €2.50

4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$5.38 €4.79

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$4.35 €3.87

5.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.26 €1.12

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.25 €2.00

-8.89%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.38

$3.93 €3.50

-3.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 €10.10

$15.20 €13.54

-25.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.16 €10.83

$11.87 €10.57

2.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.14 €17.05

$18.91 €16.84

1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.78 €2.48

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.25 €2.01

-0.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.61 €2.32

-18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.93 €2.61

-20.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.18 €1.94

0.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.72 €1.54

1.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$1.02 €0.91

-7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.58 €12.10

$13.13 €11.69

3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 €6.58

$8.44 €7.52

-12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.95 €1.74

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.68

$2.05 €1.82

-8.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.91

$3.07 €2.74

6.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.71 €41.60

$54.4 €48.47

-14.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 €9.92

$5.69 €5.07

95.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.47 €2.20

25.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.55 €44.14

$30.18 €26.89

64.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.07 €1.84

-1.93%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$36.0K €32.1K

-2.79%

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

$36.9K €32.9K

$36.1K €32.1K

2.42%

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

$214 €191

$209 €186

2.81%

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

$18.38 €16.37

$20.59 €18.34

-10.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.1 €46.40

$51.4 €45.77

1.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.54 €36.11

$36.60 €32.60

10.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.79 €17.62

$19.94 €17.76

-0.75%

Cinema Ticket

$14.54 €12.95

$14.29 €12.73

1.75%

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

$707 €630

$781 €696

-9.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.1K

$19.3K €17.2K

-6.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 €87.5

$103 €91.9

-4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.68 €22.87

$48.33 €43.05

-46.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 €78.9

$106 €94.8

-16.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$147 €131

-2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 €979

$938 €836

17.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 €878

$825 €735

19.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,991 €1,774

$1,367 €1,217

45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 €1,406

$1,168 €1,040

35.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,096 €4,539

$4,180 €3,723

21.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,650 €3,251

$2,949 €2,627

23.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 €3,357

$2,138 €1,905

76.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.53

-0.28%

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

Last update for Leuven: November 1, 2026

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leuven

$986 44.1%

Diest

$825 39.5% 16.3% $161

Eating Out

Leuven

$329 14.7%

Diest

$312 15% 5.3% $17

Groceries & Markets

Leuven

$320 14.3%

Diest

$338 16.2% 5.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leuven

$285 12.7%

Diest

$281 13.4% 1.5% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Leuven

$160 7.2%

Diest

$182 8.7% 13.8% $22

Getting Around

Leuven

$86 3.9%

Diest

$85 4.1% 2% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Leuven

$70 3.1%

Diest

$65 3.1% 6.4% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,099 in Leuven and $938 in Diest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Leuven vs $85 in Diest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $338 per month, with Leuven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Leuven

🇧🇪 Diest

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

Same time as Leuven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,275

22,516

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leuven Diest 28 km

From you

Leuven
Diest

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

Leuven vs Diest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 76% higher in Leuven, 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: $1,099 in Leuven versus $938 in Diest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Leuven runs roughly 14% less than in Diest. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $707 in Leuven versus $781 in Diest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Diest 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, Leuven and Diest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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