Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Leuven

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

112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
Learn more

Leuven Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,300

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Leuven

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

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

London $2,300
Leuven $2,216

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

London $3,321
Leuven $3,275

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

London $4,341
Leuven $4,334

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 CA$29.42

$22.35 €19.88

-6.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 CA$87.7

$77.9 €69.3

-20.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 CA$17.47

$11.01 €9.79

12.17%

Cappuccino

$3.82 CA$5.41

$4.46 €3.97

-14.35%

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

$2.10 CA$2.98

$2.86 €2.54

-26.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.90 €2.58

-25.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.39 CA$9.03

$5.17 €4.59

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.77

$4.34 €3.86

43.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 CA$2.63

$1.34 €1.19

38.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.78 €2.47

-7.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$1.97 €1.75

103.05%

Eggs

$3.67 CA$5.19

$3.89 €3.46

-5.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 CA$14.25

$11.71 €10.42

-13.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 CA$16.19

$12.30 €10.94

-6.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.74 CA$20.84

$19.27 €17.14

-23.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 CA$6.09

$2.78 €2.47

55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$2.11 €1.87

-44.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$2.22 €1.97

69.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.74

$2.22 €1.97

82.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.46

$2.26 €2.01

39.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.66 €1.48

84.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$1.53 €1.36

62.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$0.93 €0.83

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.08 CA$17.08

$13.31 €11.84

-9.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 CA$17.55

$7.27 €6.47

70.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.02 €1.80

21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$1.85 €1.65

50.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.30

$3.30 €2.94

-29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.0 CA$112

$38.55 €34.29

104.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$10.15 €9.03

-76.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 CA$2.36

$2.42 €2.15

-30.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.36 CA$31.61

$25.21 €22.43

-11.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$2.05 €1.82

-41.95%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$35.5K €31.5K

-22.73%

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

$22.9K CA$32.4K

$33.4K €29.7K

-31.34%

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

$138 CA$195

$207 €184

-33.27%

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

$39.00 CA$55.1

$18.01 €16.02

116.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$53.6 €47.65

4.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.53 CA$53.1

$41.03 €36.50

-8.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 CA$40.87

$19.39 €17.25

49.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 CA$14.70

$14.24 €12.67

-26.97%

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

$410 CA$580

$700 €622

-41.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K CA$28.8K

$16.1K €14.4K

26.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$99.1 €88.1

-46.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.41 CA$54.3

$26.01 €23.13

47.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$116

$88.1 €78.4

-6.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 CA$125

$145 €129

-39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 CA$1,754

$1,111 €989

11.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 CA$1,590

$989 €880

13.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$1,960 €1,744

4.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 CA$2,404

$1,560 €1,388

8.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,473 CA$4,910

$5,519 €4,909

-37.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 CA$5,020

$3,677 €3,271

-3.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,866 CA$4,051

$3,761 €3,345

-23.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

3.52

34.09%

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

Last update for London: October 12, 2026

Last update for Leuven: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.1K 48.9%

Leuven

$989 44.6% 12.1% $136

Groceries & Markets

London

$357 15.5%

Leuven

$321 14.5% 9.9% $35

Eating Out

London

$311 13.5%

Leuven

$323 14.6% 3.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$233 10.1%

Leuven

$278 12.6% 19.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

London

$118 5.1%

Leuven

$161 7.3% 36.8% $43

Getting Around

London

$99 4.3%

Leuven

$74 3.3% 25.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Leuven

$70 3.1% 19.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,241 in London and $1,111 in Leuven. 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: $62.0 in London vs $78.0 in Leuven. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $321, with Leuven cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

6 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

102,275

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Leuven 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Leuven

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

London vs Leuven: 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.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Leuven. 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: $1,241 in London versus $1,111 in Leuven. 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, London and Leuven 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.