Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rotterdam and Leiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Leiden: $2,844 a month against $3,047 in Rotterdam, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Rotterdam
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Rotterdam Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index

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Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,047

/mo nomad

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rotterdam 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 Rotterdam and in Leiden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,047 in Rotterdam versus $2,844 in Leiden.

Rotterdam $3,047
Leiden $2,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,256 in Rotterdam versus $3,968 in Leiden.

Rotterdam $4,256
Leiden $3,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Rotterdam versus $5,092 in Leiden.

Rotterdam $5,466
Leiden $5,092

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rotterdam 125% above, Leiden 110% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.60

$19.80 €17.61

5.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 €74.2

$89.4 €79.6

-6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.74

$13.23 €11.77

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.89

$3.87 €3.44

12.92%

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

$3.89 €3.46

$3.44 €3.06

13.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.00 €2.67

17.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.25 €6.45

$7.91 €7.04

-8.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 €5.32

$5.11 €4.54

17.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.30 €1.16

13.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.25 €2.00

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.48 €2.20

19.35%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.66

$4.73 €4.21

10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$14.55 €12.94

-16.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.37 €11.90

$14.43 €12.83

-7.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.62 €16.56

$16.05 €14.28

16.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.89 €2.57

16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.32 €2.06

9.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.89 €1.68

35.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$5.00 €4.44

-29.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.79 €1.59

-5.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.97 €1.75

-25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.36 €1.21

8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.14

$0.74 €0.66

74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.61 €12.99

$13.31 €11.84

9.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 €5.93

$6.89 €6.13

-3.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.51 €1.34

-2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.58 €2.29

-2.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.40 €3.92

$2.78 €2.47

58.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €98.6

$129 €115

-13.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 €4.21

$3.40 €3.03

39.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.48 €3.10

$3.35 €2.98

3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$68.4 €60.9

$22.23 €19.77

207.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.46 €2.18

5.28%

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

$42.3K €37.6K

-0.06%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$39.5K €35.1K

-0.34%

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

$297 €264

$280 €249

6.37%

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

$21.43 €19.06

$15.46 €13.75

38.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.49

$49.67 €44.19

12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 €42.68

$45.75 €40.69

4.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.31 €26.07

$11.60 €10.31

152.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 €13.69

$14.39 €12.80

7.02%

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

$2,677 €2,381

$1,744 €1,551

53.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.4K

$13.0K €11.6K

-1.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.7

$115 €102

-17.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 €35.08

$47.05 €41.85

-16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.2

$119 €106

-7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$140 €124

-0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 €1,750

$1,711 €1,522

15.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,416 €1,259

12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,116 €2,771

$2,538 €2,258

22.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,934 €1,720

17.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,925 €5,271

$7,646 €6,801

-22.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,979 €3,539

$5,706 €5,075

-30.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 €3,678

$3,992 €3,551

3.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.49

2.8

24.64%

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

Last update for Rotterdam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Leiden: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rotterdam

$1.6K 52.1%

Leiden

$1.4K 49.8% 10.8% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rotterdam

$374 12.3%

Leiden

$345 12.1% 7.9% $30

Groceries & Markets

Rotterdam

$345 11.3%

Leiden

$339 11.9% 1.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Rotterdam

$337 11.1%

Leiden

$320 11.3% 5.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Rotterdam

$173 5.7%

Leiden

$189 6.7% 9.6% $17

Getting Around

Rotterdam

$151 4.9%

Leiden

$160 5.6% 6.3% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rotterdam

$79 2.6%

Leiden

$75 2.6% 5.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,968 in Rotterdam and $1,711 in Leiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rotterdam pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Rotterdam vs $89.0 in Leiden. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $339, with Leiden cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Rotterdam

🇳🇱 Leiden

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

Same time as Rotterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

572,392

127,089

💱 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

Rotterdam vs Leiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 4% higher in Rotterdam, 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: $1,968 in Rotterdam versus $1,711 in Leiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Leiden – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $83.0 in Rotterdam. 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 work as nomad bases, but Leiden delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,844 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leiden hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rotterdam and Leiden 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 Leiden gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Rotterdam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.