Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and London

For one person, living costs are similar in Leuven and in London: $2,216 and $2,300 a month, rent and utilities included.

107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
Learn more

Leuven Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index

Jump to prices

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,216

/mo nomad

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leuven and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,216 in Leuven versus $2,300 in London.

Leuven $2,216
London $2,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Leuven versus $3,321 in London.

Leuven $3,275
London $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,334 in Leuven versus $4,341 in London.

Leuven $4,334
London $4,341

Living in Leuven costs roughly 4% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leuven 64% above, London 70% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$20.81 CA$29.42

7.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.3

$62.0 CA$87.7

25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 €9.79

$12.35 CA$17.47

-10.85%

Cappuccino

$4.46 €3.97

$3.82 CA$5.41

16.75%

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

$2.86 €2.54

$2.10 CA$2.98

36.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.15 CA$3.04

34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.59

$6.39 CA$9.03

-19.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 €3.86

$6.21 CA$8.77

-30.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.86 CA$2.63

-27.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.57 CA$3.64

8.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$4.00 CA$5.65

-50.75%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.46

$3.67 CA$5.19

5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 €10.42

$10.08 CA$14.25

16.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.30 €10.94

$11.45 CA$16.19

7.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.27 €17.14

$14.74 CA$20.84

30.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$4.31 CA$6.09

-35.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.17 CA$1.66

80.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$3.77 CA$5.33

-41.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$4.06 CA$5.74

-45.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.16 CA$4.46

-28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.06 CA$4.33

-45.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.49 CA$3.52

-38.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.47 CA$2.08

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.31 €11.84

$12.08 CA$17.08

10.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 €6.47

$12.41 CA$17.55

-41.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.46 CA$3.48

-17.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.78 CA$3.93

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.34 CA$3.30

41.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 €34.29

$79.0 CA$112

-51.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 €9.03

$2.42 CA$3.42

319.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.67 CA$2.36

44.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.21 €22.43

$22.36 CA$31.61

12.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.19 CA$1.68

72.27%

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

$35.5K €31.5K

$27.4K CA$38.7K

29.42%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$22.9K CA$32.4K

45.65%

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

$207 €184

$138 CA$195

49.86%

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

$18.01 €16.02

$39.00 CA$55.1

-53.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 €47.65

$55.7 CA$78.8

-3.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 €36.50

$37.53 CA$53.1

9.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 €17.25

$28.91 CA$40.87

-32.93%

Cinema Ticket

$14.24 €12.67

$10.40 CA$14.70

36.92%

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

$700 €622

$410 CA$580

70.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$20.4K CA$28.8K

-20.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 €88.1

$52.8 CA$74.6

87.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.01 €23.13

$38.41 CA$54.3

-32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 €78.4

$82.2 CA$116

7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$88.7 CA$125

63.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €989

$1,241 CA$1,754

-10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 €880

$1,125 CA$1,590

-12.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 €1,744

$2,042 CA$2,887

-4.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 €1,388

$1,700 CA$2,404

-8.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,519 €4,909

$3,473 CA$4,910

58.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,677 €3,271

$3,551 CA$5,020

3.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,761 €3,345

$2,866 CA$4,051

31.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

4.72

-25.42%

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

Last update for Leuven: October 13, 2026

Last update for London: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leuven

$989 44.6%

London

$1.1K 48.9% 13.8% $136

Eating Out

Leuven

$323 14.6%

London

$311 13.5% 3.7% $12

Groceries & Markets

Leuven

$321 14.5%

London

$357 15.5% 10.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leuven

$278 12.6%

London

$233 10.1% 16.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Leuven

$161 7.3%

London

$118 5.1% 26.9% $43

Getting Around

Leuven

$74 3.3%

London

$99 4.3% 34% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Leuven

$70 3.1%

London

$58 2.5% 16.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,111 in Leuven and $1,241 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven 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: $78.0 in Leuven vs $62.0 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $321 vs $357, with Leuven cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Leuven

🇨🇦 London

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

07:44 7:44 AM

6 h behind Leuven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,275

383,822

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leuven London 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Leuven
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 31% 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: $1,111 in Leuven versus $1,241 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Leuven – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $62.0 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,216 in Leuven versus $2,300 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Leuven but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Leuven the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leuven delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,216 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leuven hard to pass up.

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