Cost of Living in Leiden, Netherlands

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How Much Does It Cost to Live In Leiden?

Leiden is a very peaceful city in the Netherlands where students tend to study and live in.

Leiden is the typical student city – small, densely populated, but relatively quiet and isn’t for anyone who’s into nightlife and clubs.

There are also many nice, beautiful spots (parks, canals, cafes, etc.) where you can go to if you need some refreshing after studying.

The amount of money you spend in Leiden really depends on your preferences and how much money you are willing to spend.

It has ways of showing you a good time if you have money, and if you don’t – you can live just fine there, too.

RESTAURANTS

Depending on where you’re going, you can either save a lot of money or pay a little more if you wonder off to a more touristy restaurant. Even though it’s one of the cheaper cities in the Netherlands, the cost of living in Leiden is still high, and eating a meal out could cost you around 20$ – even at an inexpensive restaurant.

MARKETS

If you’re super smart about your groceries, you can save a huge chunk of money by buying your food in supermarkets instead of eating out. A good piece of advice is that shopping in stores like Lidl or Aldi would save you a huge amount. Most basic ingredients cost around a dollar but if you want to save a significant amount of money you should remain thrifty when grocery shopping.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation is rather simple in Leiden because hardly anyone drives a car or uses public transportation – they usually use bikes or go on foot. Still, you can get a one-way ticket for public transport that costs around 3$ and a monthly pass for all forms of public transport that is rather expensive but useful, costing around 90$.

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Utilities are much less expensive in Leiden than in, for instance, Amsterdam. Those living in a bit bigger apartments (like 85m2) will have to pay bills for all basic utilities like electricity, water, heating and cooling, that cost around 200$. Internet isn’t as expensive, amounting up to around 50$ a month – and that’s for a high speed internet, too.

SPORTS & LEISURE

Fitness and sports are not as expensive in Leiden as in other Netherlands’ cities. If you want to go to a fitness club in Leiden, you will have to pay around 37$ a month (which is actually less than the country’s average), or 24$ for an hour of renting a tennis court. If you want to watch a movie here, expect it to cost around 13$.

CLOTHING & SHOES

Shopping for clothes in Leiden is as expensive as you would expect it to be in a country of such high standards – still, keep your mind focused and maybe you can find a piece of clothing for a smaller amount of money. Usually, jeans of good quality cost around 90$, as do quality sneakers, while lighter pieces of clothing are around 30$. Watch out for the discounts!

RENT PER MONTH

As mentioned many times, rent is the most expensive aspect of living in the Netherlands, and this goes for Leiden, too. Though you would expect it because it’s a university city, rent actually isn’t cheap compared to the rest of the Netherlands. In this city, you cannot find an apartment to rent for less than 880$ if you’re looking for one located outside of the city center and 1000$ for one in the city center.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Leiden

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Leiden?

Rent is very expensive in Leiden, so it only makes sense that the biggest part of one’s salary gets spent on it.

The rent is still extremely expensive in the Netherlands,but almost as much money gets spent in markets, shopping for food and necessities.

Transportation and restaurants take up the next chunk of expenses on the list, since they are also pretty costly, given the fact that even the inexpensive restaurants don’t serve food for less than 15$ and you’ll need around 100$ to just be able to move around Leiden using public transport.

Average Costs Breakdown

Leiden: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

Salaries in Leiden are very high taking into consideration their expenses, but their general standard of living is high – a typical standard of the Netherlands as a whole.

With a minimum wage reaching above 1500$, a citizen of Leiden can live in this country and cover all their expenses.

However, those that are renting have a harder time paying the bills and their monthly rent, but it is possible.

The average salary is well above 2000$ so an average citizen of Leiden should have no problems living here, considering expenses in this city.

Cost of Living by City in Leiden