Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Leiden

For one person, living costs are similar in The Hague and in Leiden: $2,727 and $2,844 a month, rent and utilities included.

132

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
Learn more

The Hague Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
Learn more

Leiden Living Index

Jump to prices

The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,727

/mo nomad

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,727 in The Hague versus $2,844 in Leiden.

The Hague $2,727
Leiden $2,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,085 in The Hague versus $3,968 in Leiden.

The Hague $4,085
Leiden $3,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,443 in The Hague versus $5,092 in Leiden.

The Hague $5,443
Leiden $5,092

Living in The Hague costs roughly 4% less than in Leiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Hague 101% above, Leiden 110% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.76

$19.80 €17.61

12.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €79.4

$89.4 €79.6

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 €13.38

$13.23 €11.77

13.68%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$3.87 €3.44

12.40%

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

$4.15 €3.70

$3.44 €3.06

20.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 €3.81

$3.00 €2.67

42.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.38

$7.91 €7.04

-9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 €6.85

$5.11 €4.54

50.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.30 €1.16

16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.96

$2.25 €2.00

-1.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.48 €2.20

-0.40%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.01

$4.73 €4.21

-4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 €13.29

$14.55 €12.94

2.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.87 €11.45

$14.43 €12.83

-10.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.53 €17.38

$16.05 €14.28

21.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.37

$2.89 €2.57

-7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.32 €2.06

-5.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.89 €1.68

8.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 €3.27

$5.00 €4.44

-26.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.79 €1.59

-25.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.97 €1.75

-31.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 €1.21

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.74 €0.66

27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.34 €12.76

$13.31 €11.84

7.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 €5.38

$6.89 €6.13

-12.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.51 €1.34

-13.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.58 €2.29

-23.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.38 €3.90

$2.78 €2.47

57.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.1 €83.7

$129 €115

-26.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 €4.10

$3.40 €3.03

35.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.35 €2.98

-0.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$22.23 €19.77

49.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.46 €2.18

2.85%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$42.3K €37.6K

-1.07%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$39.5K €35.1K

-1.79%

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

$283 €252

$280 €249

1.22%

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

$28.32 €25.19

$15.46 €13.75

83.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 €48.09

$49.67 €44.19

8.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €45.96

$45.75 €40.69

12.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.96 €21.31

$11.60 €10.31

106.55%

Cinema Ticket

$16.01 €14.24

$14.39 €12.80

11.26%

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

$2,402 €2,137

$1,744 €1,551

37.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$13.0K €11.6K

-9.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €85.9

$115 €102

-16.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 €38.18

$47.05 €41.85

-8.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.8

$119 €106

-11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €125

$140 €124

0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 €1,472

$1,711 €1,522

-3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 €1,139

$1,416 €1,259

-9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,769 €2,463

$2,538 €2,258

9.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,244 €1,996

$1,934 €1,720

16.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,171 €5,489

$7,646 €6,801

-19.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,415 €3,927

$5,706 €5,075

-22.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,128 €3,672

$3,992 €3,551

3.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

2.8

21.43%

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

Last update for The Hague: October 18, 2026

Last update for Leiden: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Hague

$1.3K 47%

Leiden

$1.4K 49.8% 10.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$365 13.4%

Leiden

$345 12.1% 5.7% $21

Eating Out

The Hague

$360 13.2%

Leiden

$320 11.3% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$331 12.1%

Leiden

$339 11.9% 2.5% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$173 6.4%

Leiden

$189 6.7% 9.2% $16

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Leiden

$160 5.6% 20.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Leiden

$75 2.6% 10.9% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,655 in The Hague and $1,711 in Leiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Hague pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89.0 in The Hague vs $89.0 in Leiden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $339 per month, with The Hague cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇳🇱 Leiden

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

127,089

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

The Hague Leiden 18 km

From you

The Hague
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

The Hague vs Leiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 3% higher in The Hague, 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: $1,655 in The Hague 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 Leiden. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in The Hague – a meal for two runs $89.0 versus $89.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. The Hague 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 The Hague delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,727 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes The Hague hard to pass up.

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