Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solingen and Leiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Solingen: $2,001 a month against $2,832 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
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Solingen Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index

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Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,832 in Leiden.

Solingen $2,001
Leiden $2,832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,003 in Solingen versus $3,974 in Leiden.

Solingen $3,003
Leiden $3,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Solingen versus $5,115 in Leiden.

Solingen $4,006
Leiden $5,115

Living in Solingen costs roughly 29% less than in Leiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Solingen 48% above, Leiden 110% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.11

$19.80 €17.61

-2.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 €65.4

$90.1 €80.2

-18.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$13.63 €12.12

-1.10%

Cappuccino

$3.88 €3.45

$3.81 €3.39

1.84%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$3.48 €3.10

-10.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.59

$2.98 €2.65

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$7.85 €6.98

-34.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$5.13 €4.57

-12.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.28 €1.14

-1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.25 €2.01

-7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.40 €2.13

23.33%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$4.70 €4.18

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.36 €14.55

$14.75 €13.12

10.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$14.04 €12.49

-8.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 €20.06

$16.16 €14.37

39.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.89 €2.57

7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.40 €2.13

-11.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.98 €1.76

7.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.46

$4.71 €4.19

-17.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.71 €1.52

-29.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.98 €1.76

-34.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.34 €1.19

17.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.71 €0.63

63.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.84

$13.16 €11.70

-24.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$7.16 €6.37

-21.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.50 €1.33

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.70 €2.40

-45.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.81 €2.50

22.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 €57.9

$128 €114

-49.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.46

$3.41 €3.03

46.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$3.33 €2.97

-8.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.45 €34.20

$22.48 €20.00

71.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.41 €2.15

-8.71%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$41.6K €37.0K

-19.72%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$39.4K €35.1K

-4.51%

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

$330 €294

$279 €249

18.13%

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

$19.79 €17.61

$15.47 €13.76

27.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.22 €36.66

$49.67 €44.18

-17.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.77 €35.37

$45.45 €40.43

-12.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.78 €21.15

$11.38 €10.12

108.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$14.58 €12.97

4.87%

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

$470 €418

$1,769 €1,574

-73.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,286 €8,260

$13.2K €11.7K

-29.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.2

$114 €102

-17.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €37.13

$47.01 €41.82

-11.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$115 €102

-3.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$139 €124

19.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$1,728 €1,537

-51.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €543

$1,409 €1,253

-56.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 €1,220

$2,517 €2,239

-45.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €910

$1,965 €1,748

-47.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 €4,441

$7,369 €6,555

-32.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,334 €2,966

$5,856 €5,209

-43.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,206 €4,631

$3,984 €3,544

30.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

2.8

41.07%

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

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Leiden: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solingen

$611 30.5%

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7% 131% $798

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solingen

$391 19.6%

Leiden

$345 12.2% 11.9% $47

Groceries & Markets

Solingen

$344 17.2%

Leiden

$337 11.9% 1.9% $6.7

Eating Out

Solingen

$300 15%

Leiden

$320 11.3% 6.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Solingen

$186 9.3%

Leiden

$187 6.6% 0.5% $0.9

Getting Around

Solingen

$99 5%

Leiden

$160 5.6% 61.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Solingen

$70 3.5%

Leiden

$75 2.6% 6.1% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $842 in Solingen and $1,728 in Leiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen 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: $73.0 in Solingen vs $90.0 in Leiden. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $337, with Leiden cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Solingen

🇳🇱 Leiden

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Solingen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,205

127,089

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Solingen Leiden 210 km

From you

Solingen
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

Solingen vs Leiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solingen wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Leiden. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Solingen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Solingen, 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: $842 in Solingen versus $1,728 in Leiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leiden pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Solingen – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $90.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,001 in Solingen versus $2,832 in Leiden, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Solingen but tight or insufficient in Leiden. The gap between the two cities makes Solingen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Solingen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,001 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Solingen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Solingen 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 Solingen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.