Cost of Living in Belgium - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: Belgium
Address: BE

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $1,073 (excluding rent), and $2,190 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $2,836 (excluding rent), and $4,301 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.09 €19.90

$13.85 €11.94

$34.62 €29.85

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 €79.4

$69.1 €59.5

$150 €129

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.33 €10.63

$10.72 €9.24

$15.23 €13.13

Cappuccino

$4.04 €3.48

$2.27 €1.95

$5.12 €4.41

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

$3.31 €2.86

$2.38 €2.05

$4.17 €3.59

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.54

$2.33 €2.01

$4.08 €3.52

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 €4.47

$3.39 €2.92

$6.77 €5.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €3.90

$3.39 €2.92

$6.78 €5.84

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.09

$0.89 €0.77

$2.04 €1.76

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 €2.14

$1.26 €1.09

$4.50 €3.88

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.03

$1.13 €0.98

$4.52 €3.89

Eggs

$3.98 €3.43

$2.05 €1.76

$6.15 €5.30

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 €12.92

$7.49 €6.46

$28.81 €24.83

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.37

$8.07 €6.95

$16.13 €13.91

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 €16.40

$11.46 €9.88

$29.03 €25.02

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.43

$1.38 €1.19

$3.91 €3.37

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$1.54 €1.33

$3.57 €3.08

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.27

$1.40 €1.21

$4.54 €3.91

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.59

$1.61 €1.39

$5.75 €4.96

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €1.97

$0.86 €0.74

$3.44 €2.97

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.60

$0.92 €0.79

$2.86 €2.46

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.34

$1.06 €0.92

$2.37 €2.04

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.91

$0.47 €0.40

$2.11 €1.82

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 €10.54

$9.43 €8.13

$14.56 €12.55

Wine (Bottle)

$9.46 €8.16

$5.94 €5.12

$14.27 €12.30

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.68

$1.14 €0.98

$3.50 €3.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €1.96

$1.15 €0.99

$3.44 €2.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.54

$2.35 €2.03

$3.77 €3.25

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 €49.09

$36.32 €31.31

$63.9 €55.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 €5.86

$4.53 €3.91

$17.00 €14.65

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 €2.22

$2.10 €1.81

$3.68 €3.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.37 €38.25

$35.03 €30.19

$58.4 €50.3

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.70

$1.88 €1.62

$2.31 €2.00

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

$34.0K €29.3K

$28.8K €24.8K

$35.2K €30.4K

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

$32.3K €27.8K

$28.5K €24.5K

$37.6K €32.4K

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

$222 €191

$137 €118

$400 €345

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

$23.80 €20.52

$14.03 €12.09

$40.90 €35.26

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 €48.37

$39.86 €34.36

$79.7 €68.7

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.86 €32.63

$27.51 €23.71

$69.9 €60.3

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.86 €18.84

$11.50 €9.91

$28.76 €24.79

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 €12.95

$11.55 €9.95

$18.48 €15.93

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

$646 €557

$284 €244

$1,078 €929

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K €13.5K

$8,018 €6,911

$28.6K €24.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €89.9

$57.3 €49.39

$138 €119

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 €39.42

$22.99 €19.82

$80.5 €69.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €93.5

$69.0 €59.5

$149 €129

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €123

$89.9 €77.5

$228 €196

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 €844

$782 €674

$1,401 €1,207

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$866 €746

$705 €608

$1,175 €1,013

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 €1,343

$1,118 €964

$2,354 €2,029

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,096

$967 €833

$1,933 €1,667

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,390 €3,784

$2,912 €2,510

$6,406 €5,522

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,148 €2,714

$2,328 €2,007

$4,074 €3,512

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,099 €2,671

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: January 13, 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	$1,026	$2,201	$2,736	$4,237	112.03	247.15
2	Aarschot	-	97	$938	$1,890	$2,545	$3,800	118.04	216.44
3	Antwerp	525935	111	$1,161	$2,197	$3,036	$4,630	145.28	249.06
4	Arlon	28759	105	$992	$2,109	$2,321	$3,797	77.77	203.17
5	Beringen	43697	103	$1,044	$2,030	$2,458	$4,026	63.67	200.95
6	Beveren	20078	104	$1,041	$2,085	$3,068	$4,398	18.85	273.35
7	Braine-l'Alleud	38000	99	$1,067	$2,003	$3,169	$4,041	299.51	184.9
8	Brasschaat	37190	104	$1,247	$2,079	$3,064	$4,447	231.86	207.07
9	Brugge	117639	107	$1,095	$2,156	$2,863	$4,138	48.37	250.76
10	Brussels	188137	128	$1,209	$2,512	$3,005	$5,151	99.25	249.42
11	Charleroi	202730	95	$966	$1,885	$2,500	$3,626	281.04	291.4
12	Deinze	-	118	$1,159	$2,317	$2,645	$4,428	183.62	246.9
13	Dendermonde	44768	97	$1,087	$1,920	$2,538	$3,862	57.25	266.65
14	Diest	-	103	$1,203	$2,073	$2,505	$4,126	28.57	167.52
15	Dilbeek	-	105	$1,190	$2,127	$2,447	$4,183	23.88	205.05
16	Geel	40781	103	$1,041	$2,051	$2,842	$3,747	95.35	166.43
17	Genk	65321	101	$1,071	$2,030	$2,779	$4,045	356	211.87
18	Gent	237000	114	$1,114	$2,293	$2,947	$4,557	33.6	229.62
19	Geraardsbergen	33204	100	$1,147	$1,970	$2,953	$4,005	82.85	177.57
20	Grez-Doiceau	12288	103	$969	$2,039	$2,409	$4,201	21.57	124.66
21	Hamont-Achel	14000	110	$1,235	$2,187	$3,103	$4,201	161.5	189.69
22	Hasselt	74694	105	$997	$2,071	$2,569	$4,083	5.11	219.64
23	Heist-op-den-Berg	41365	109	$1,118	$2,188	$3,108	$4,258	114.45	191.24
24	Herentals	-	95	$898	$1,907	$2,683	$3,738	70.04	182.67
25	Izegem	-	106	$1,166	$2,148	$2,820	$4,367	213.27	236.74
26	Kortrijk	76700	96	$1,018	$1,946	$2,692	$3,618	81.41	217.07
27	Leuven	102275	113	$970	$2,201	$2,543	$4,511	134.74	249.75
28	Liege	197013	105	$1,068	$2,079	$2,771	$4,149	81.88	220.1
29	Louvain-la-Neuve	-	104	$1,174	$2,041	$3,064	$4,063	49.69	144.66
30	Mechelen	80000	103	$1,175	$2,026	$2,801	$4,165	318.21	242.84
31	Mons	92721	97	$927	$1,910	$2,474	$3,925	97.45	217.97
32	Mortsel	-	105	$1,097	$2,098	$2,611	$4,285	119.3	224.53
33	Mouscron	56626	99	$926	$1,948	$2,276	$3,766	131.73	202.32
34	Namur	113174	96	$1,113	$1,897	$2,402	$3,710	102.64	273.81
35	Ninove	-	105	$1,004	$2,050	$2,594	$4,358	51.92	141.77
36	Nivelles	27488	99	$937	$1,937	$2,939	$3,923	174.48	235.53
37	Ostend	70600	101	$1,143	$2,033	$2,674	$4,105	79.43	230.47
38	Oudsbergen	-	87	$947	$1,753	$1,900	$3,437	161.85	192.96
39	Overpelt	14000	98	$956	$1,962	$2,571	$3,784	121.02	184.62
40	Roeselare	-	97	$1,212	$1,946	$2,521	$3,859	177.76	241.46
41	Sint-Niklaas	-	101	$1,124	$1,979	$2,798	$3,977	56.4	237.8
42	Sint-Pieters-Leeuw	31000	105	$1,254	$2,054	$3,231	$4,112	108.1	194.95
43	Sint-Truiden	40357	107	$1,137	$2,157	$3,015	$4,025	153.38	244.51
44	Tervuren	20816	99	$1,150	$1,997	$2,343	$3,910	121.93	218.22
45	Tournai	69842	97	$920	$1,922	$2,640	$3,909	82.44	140.44
46	Turnhout	-	92	$955	$1,801	$2,589	$3,467	107.17	225.97
47	Veurne	-	94	$1,110	$1,898	$3,042	$4,075	41.07	205.14
48	Vilvoorde	40558	102	$984	$2,042	$2,848	$4,080	124.21	230.64
49	Waregem	39488	105	$1,213	$2,109	$2,903	$3,982	261.98	206.96
50	Waterloo	29649	122	$1,039	$2,404	$3,391	$4,392	136.94	208.52

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.