Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Leiden

For one person, living costs are similar in Melbourne and in Leiden: $2,849 and $2,807 a month, rent and utilities included.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Leiden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,807 in Leiden.

Melbourne $2,849
Leiden $2,807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $4,042 in Leiden.

Melbourne $4,274
Leiden $4,042

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $5,276 in Leiden.

Melbourne $5,699
Leiden $5,276

Monthly costs are close between Melbourne and Leiden; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Leiden 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$19.86 €17.78

-11.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$89.2 €79.9

-5.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$13.25 €11.87

-8.15%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.84 €3.44

5.99%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.61 €3.23

-11.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$3.03 €2.72

-17.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$7.59 €6.80

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$5.08 €4.55

62.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.22 €1.09

22.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$2.16 €1.94

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.42 €2.16

10.74%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$4.78 €4.28

14.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$14.70 €13.16

-27.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$14.41 €12.90

-30.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.32

$16.09 €14.41

-6.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$2.93 €2.62

38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$2.41 €2.16

30.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.96 €1.75

59.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$4.85 €4.34

-2.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$1.79 €1.60

66.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$1.94 €1.74

28.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.32 €1.18

87.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.76 €0.68

110.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$13.22 €11.84

237.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$6.82 €6.11

85.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$1.49 €1.33

272.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$2.64 €2.37

96.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.84 €2.54

35.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$128 €115

8.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$3.41 €3.05

27.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$3.38 €3.02

-59.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.25

$22.64 €20.27

31.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$2.46 €2.20

-39.43%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$41.2K €36.9K

-29.41%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$39.8K €35.7K

-35.53%

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

$236 A$335

$280 €251

-15.81%

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

$28.01 A$39.82

$15.19 €13.61

84.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$49.70 €44.51

15.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$43.84 €39.26

10.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.51

$11.43 €10.24

87.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.11

$14.57 €13.04

21.28%

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

$2,461 A$3,498

$2,842 €2,546

-13.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$12.9K €11.5K

130.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$116 €104

-29.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$48.35 €43.30

1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$118 €106

1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$140 €125

-6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,420

$1,760 €1,576

-3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,382 €1,238

1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,969

$2,687 €2,407

30.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,591

$2,126 €1,904

18.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$7,824 €7,007

1.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,808

$5,723 €5,125

20.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,051

$4,103 €3,675

3.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.8

110.71%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Leiden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Leiden

$1.4K 49.2% 1.9% $27

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Leiden

$338 12.1% 12.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Leiden

$345 12.3% 7.4% $24

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Leiden

$319 11.4% 2.2% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Leiden

$190 6.8% 10.7% $18

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Leiden

$160 5.7% 3.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Leiden

$73 2.6% 12.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,760 in Leiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 4% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $89 in Leiden. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $338, with Leiden cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇳🇱 Leiden

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

10 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

127,089

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Leiden 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Leiden

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

Melbourne vs Leiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 4% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,760 in Leiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $2,842 in Leiden. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $84 versus $89 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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