Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antwerp and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Antwerp: $2,202 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,202

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antwerp and in Brussels

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Antwerp and in Brussels actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Antwerp versus $2,584 in Brussels.

Antwerp $2,202
Brussels $2,584

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in Antwerp versus $3,923 in Brussels.

Antwerp $3,326
Brussels $3,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Antwerp versus $5,262 in Brussels.

Antwerp $4,449
Brussels $5,262

Living in Antwerp costs roughly 15% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Antwerp 62% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.81 €21.32

$22.51 €20.16

5.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 €85.7

$91.2 €81.7

4.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 €11.81

$15.19 €13.61

-13.17%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.83

$4.55 €4.07

-6.15%

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

$3.56 €3.18

$3.63 €3.25

-1.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.11

$3.02 €2.70

15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.98

$5.69 €5.10

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.61

$5.55 €4.97

12.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.35 €1.21

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.48

$2.76 €2.47

0.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.84 €2.54

-22.18%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.56

$5.19 €4.65

-23.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.64

$17.84 €15.98

-8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 €10.58

$13.04 €11.68

-9.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 €20.11

$21.85 €19.57

2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$3.13 €2.80

-5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.42 €2.17

-0.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.81 €2.52

-7.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 €3.06

$4.03 €3.61

-15.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.46 €2.20

7.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.18 €1.95

-18.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.86 €1.66

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.22 €1.10

-5.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 €11.67

$13.60 €12.18

-4.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.88 €7.96

$9.57 €8.57

-7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$2.70 €2.42

-32.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$3.00 €2.69

-31.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 €3.01

$2.76 €2.48

21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 €49.58

$61.6 €55.2

-10.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 €5.13

$2.95 €2.65

94.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.44

$2.24 €2.00

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.85 €39.28

$40.78 €36.52

7.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.06 €1.85

-0.49%

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

$35.5K €31.7K

$34.8K €31.2K

1.86%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$35.7K €31.9K

4.55%

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

$208 €186

$280 €251

-25.91%

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

$22.06 €19.76

$21.20 €18.98

4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.17 €42.25

$52.0 €46.58

-9.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 €33.67

$32.34 €28.96

16.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.44 €23.68

$27.74 €24.85

-4.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 €13.79

$15.88 €14.22

-3.02%

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

$1,616 €1,447

$1,596 €1,429

1.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.3K €29.8K

$36.2K €32.4K

-8.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$101 €90.6

12.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 €47.35

$46.78 €41.90

13.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$114 €102

-7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €158

$143 €128

23.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €950

$1,393 €1,248

-23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 €767

$1,160 €1,039

-26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 €1,437

$2,518 €2,255

-36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 €1,179

$2,076 €1,859

-36.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,877

$4,877 €4,368

-11.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,965 €2,656

$3,718 €3,330

-20.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,012 €2,697

$3,392 €3,038

-11.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.71

-4.85%

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

Last update for Antwerp: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antwerp

$856 38.9%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9% 35.5% $304

Groceries & Markets

Antwerp

$361 16.4%

Brussels

$391 15.2% 8.4% $31

Eating Out

Antwerp

$350 15.9%

Brussels

$346 13.4% 1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antwerp

$277 12.6%

Brussels

$353 13.7% 27.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Antwerp

$202 9.2%

Brussels

$182 7.1% 9.7% $20

Getting Around

Antwerp

$88 4%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 1.5% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Antwerp

$68 3.1%

Brussels

$64 2.5% 6.3% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,061 in Antwerp and $1,393 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $96 in Antwerp vs $91 in Brussels. Groceries flip the comparison at $361 vs $391, with Antwerp cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

Same time as Antwerp

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

525,935

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Antwerp vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,202 in Antwerp and $2,584 in Brussels, so Antwerp is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Antwerp. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,061 in Antwerp versus $1,393 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Antwerp runs roughly 10% less than in Brussels. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,616 in Antwerp versus $1,596 in Brussels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Antwerp gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Antwerp and Brussels are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Antwerp wins on affordability, Brussels on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.