Cost of Living in Belgium - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: Belgium
Address: BE

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $1,081 (excluding rent), and $2,157 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $2,799 (excluding rent), and $4,287 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.86 €19.41

$13.72 €11.65

$34.29 €29.11

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 €79.3

$70.0 €59.5

$152 €129

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.28 €10.42

$10.67 €9.06

$15.17 €12.88

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.42

$2.27 €1.92

$5.11 €4.34

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

$3.13 €2.66

$2.25 €1.91

$3.94 €3.34

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.45

$2.28 €1.94

$4.00 €3.40

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 €4.58

$3.52 €2.99

$7.04 €5.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €3.88

$3.42 €2.90

$6.84 €5.81

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.12

$0.93 €0.79

$2.13 €1.81

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.14

$1.29 €1.09

$4.58 €3.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 €2.10

$1.19 €1.01

$4.75 €4.03

Eggs

$4.00 €3.40

$2.06 €1.74

$6.18 €5.24

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.85 €12.61

$7.42 €6.30

$28.55 €24.24

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.28 €10.42

$8.23 €6.99

$16.46 €13.98

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 €15.87

$11.26 €9.56

$28.52 €24.21

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.46

$1.42 €1.21

$4.02 €3.41

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.06

$1.53 €1.30

$3.54 €3.01

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.25

$1.41 €1.20

$4.57 €3.88

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.52

$1.59 €1.35

$5.69 €4.83

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 €1.98

$0.88 €0.75

$3.52 €2.99

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.64

$0.95 €0.81

$2.97 €2.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.32

$1.06 €0.90

$2.36 €2.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.89

$0.47 €0.40

$2.11 €1.79

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.26 €10.41

$9.46 €8.03

$14.60 €12.40

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 €8.01

$5.93 €5.04

$14.23 €12.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.68

$1.16 €0.98

$3.56 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €1.98

$1.18 €1.00

$3.53 €3.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.41

$2.27 €1.93

$3.64 €3.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 €48.35

$36.32 €30.84

$63.9 €54.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 €5.85

$4.60 €3.91

$17.25 €14.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 €2.13

$2.05 €1.74

$3.58 €3.04

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.57 €37.84

$35.19 €29.87

$58.7 €49.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.68

$1.88 €1.60

$2.31 €1.96

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

$33.3K €28.2K

$28.1K €23.9K

$34.5K €29.3K

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

$33.4K €28.4K

$29.5K €25.0K

$38.9K €33.0K

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

$221 €188

$137 €116

$400 €339

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

$23.52 €19.97

$13.86 €11.77

$40.43 €34.32

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 €48.39

$40.48 €34.37

$81.0 €68.7

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 €32.21

$27.57 €23.41

$70.1 €59.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.79 €18.50

$11.46 €9.73

$28.67 €24.34

Cinema Ticket

$15.34 €13.02

$11.79 €10.01

$18.88 €16.03

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

$662 €562

$290 €247

$1,104 €937

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €13.6K

$8,220 €6,979

$29.4K €24.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €89.4

$57.9 €49.12

$139 €118

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 €38.68

$22.91 €19.45

$80.2 €68.1

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €94.1

$70.6 €59.9

$153 €130

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €121

$89.7 €76.1

$227 €193

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 €829

$779 €662

$1,396 €1,185

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €720

$691 €586

$1,151 €977

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 €1,289

$1,090 €925

$2,294 €1,948

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 €1,113

$998 €847

$1,995 €1,694

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,463 €3,789

$2,936 €2,493

$7,047 €5,983

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,213 €2,728

$2,367 €2,010

$4,143 €3,517

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,034 €2,576

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

2.5

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

Last update: April 11, 2026

By City in Belgium

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
1	Aalst	78271	110	$1,218	$2,175	$2,596	$4,144	172.88	262.6
2	Aarschot	-	96	$934	$1,952	$2,868	$3,775	133.18	227.68
3	Antwerp	525935	111	$1,171	$2,175	$3,073	$4,527	111.97	260.47
4	Arlon	28759	105	$990	$2,074	$2,351	$3,760	175.36	240.71
5	Beringen	43697	103	$1,109	$2,017	$2,645	$4,166	82.33	202.86
6	Beveren	20078	104	$1,214	$2,104	$2,765	$4,326	177.87	242.89
7	Braine-l'Alleud	38000	99	$985	$2,008	$2,448	$4,027	110.94	214.13
8	Brasschaat	37190	104	$1,179	$2,048	$3,258	$4,391	241	213.14
9	Brugge	117639	107	$1,117	$2,113	$2,932	$4,132	45.59	257.54
10	Brussels	188137	128	$1,218	$2,513	$3,059	$5,163	153.59	251.01
11	Charleroi	202730	95	$936	$1,926	$2,384	$3,581	23.09	313.05
12	Deinze	-	118	$1,148	$2,323	$3,468	$4,497	47.78	222.4
13	Dendermonde	44768	97	$867	$1,954	$2,666	$3,907	251.49	269.63
14	Diest	-	103	$1,183	$2,084	$2,503	$4,172	23.96	209.48
15	Dilbeek	-	105	$1,180	$2,121	$2,937	$4,109	100.99	184.75
16	Geel	40781	103	$1,052	$2,070	$2,444	$3,737	127.04	184.12
17	Genk	65321	101	$995	$2,033	$2,300	$3,991	379.8	210.48
18	Gent	237000	114	$1,137	$2,255	$2,984	$4,655	58.81	237.65
19	Geraardsbergen	33204	100	$1,002	$2,006	$2,945	$3,960	74.84	217.63
20	Grez-Doiceau	12288	103	$978	$2,067	$2,723	$4,193	197.45	116.53
21	Hamont-Achel	14000	110	$1,081	$2,159	$2,701	$4,150	132.99	201.52
22	Hasselt	74694	105	$1,061	$2,124	$2,787	$4,090	158.36	218.5
23	Heist-op-den-Berg	41365	109	$1,239	$2,200	$2,811	$4,252	203.55	215.77
24	Herentals	-	95	$848	$1,909	$2,271	$3,709	97.24	195.16
25	Izegem	-	106	$1,228	$2,108	$3,073	$4,383	216.81	238.97
26	Kortrijk	76700	96	$1,145	$1,886	$2,621	$3,596	115.01	213
27	Leuven	102275	113	$999	$2,214	$2,542	$4,452	75.41	231.55
28	Liege	197013	105	$1,079	$2,120	$2,770	$4,165	99.49	217.83
29	Louvain-la-Neuve	-	103	$1,196	$2,104	$2,772	$4,027	61.18	138.65
30	Mechelen	80000	103	$1,095	$2,079	$3,306	$4,210	90.82	250.65
31	Mons	92721	97	$1,137	$1,946	$2,677	$3,840	49.34	209.27
32	Mortsel	-	105	$1,244	$2,060	$2,817	$4,367	124.73	232.19
33	Mouscron	56626	99	$1,035	$2,006	$2,721	$3,770	24.83	194.43
34	Namur	113174	96	$1,005	$1,925	$2,176	$3,606	96.21	270.36
35	Ninove	-	105	$1,208	$2,053	$2,751	$4,328	41.94	187.39
36	Nivelles	27488	99	$1,081	$1,959	$2,183	$3,847	228.03	232.43
37	Ostend	70600	101	$1,081	$2,048	$3,251	$4,169	27.33	263.29
38	Oudsbergen	-	87	$762	$1,717	$2,063	$3,445	198.03	222.92
39	Overpelt	14000	98	$934	$1,961	$2,459	$3,786	144.42	189.06
40	Roeselare	-	97	$952	$1,938	$2,494	$3,783	66.37	206.21
41	Sint-Niklaas	-	101	$1,059	$1,982	$3,087	$3,907	70.2	249.45
42	Sint-Pieters-Leeuw	31000	105	$1,171	$2,110	$2,587	$4,066	81.46	172.61
43	Sint-Truiden	40357	107	$1,061	$2,102	$2,900	$4,069	146.29	223.98
44	Tervuren	20816	99	$909	$2,003	$2,881	$3,895	344.88	217.77
45	Tournai	69842	97	$997	$1,920	$2,450	$3,870	123.41	165.55
46	Turnhout	-	92	$919	$1,834	$2,452	$3,439	31.1	251.35
47	Veurne	-	94	$1,033	$1,851	$3,222	$3,986	166.98	155.19
48	Vilvoorde	40558	102	$1,048	$2,044	$2,624	$3,948	96.19	243.49
49	Waregem	39488	105	$938	$2,070	$2,833	$3,979	105.91	196.15
50	Waterloo	29649	122	$1,261	$2,446	$2,876	$4,422	35.79	216.57

Belgium Median Internet Speeds (Updated April 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in Belgium - Frequently Asked Questions

Belgium sits at a middle ground in Europe: you’ll find strong public services and a high quality of life, but prices can be uneven by city and neighborhood. For many travelers and expats, the value comes from efficient transit, walkable centers, and rich food scenes that you can enjoy on sensible budgets with smart planning. In Brussels and Antwerp, expect higher rents in core districts, while Ghent and Liège offer relatively more affordable options with good amenities. Comparisons matter: food, utilities, and meals out can be balanced with seasonal markets and shared coworking. Cost of Living in Belgium varies by street and suburb. Tip: manage expenses by prioritizing neighborhoods that match your daily routine.

Daily life in Belgium blends compact city life with easy regional access. Start with housing: look for neighborhoods near tram or train lines; consider studios for singles or shared apartments to stretch budgets. Food is varied – from markets with seasonal produce to casual bistros; cooking at home is usually economical. Transit is well-developed: bikes, trams, and trains connect cities affordably and reliably. For errands and coworking, choose areas that blend services, libraries, and cafes. Belgium living cost shifts with city and neighborhood, so plan a month-by-month approach during your search. Tip: explore neighborhoods during weekends to gauge pace and noise levels.

Quality of life in Belgium depends on your local rhythm and the streets you pick. Use a simple budgeting framework like 50/30/20: housing, essentials, and savings. Track seasonality by noting heating in winter and cooling in summer; plan flexible meals, seasonal markets, and occasional dining out. For neighborhood fit, map proximity to transit, groceries, and coworking spaces. Consider language zones (Dutch/French/German areas) to ease daily tasks and social life. If possible, test three districts for a few weeks to compare noise, traffic, and convenience before committing to a lease. Tip: build in a buffer for surprises and seasonal travel.