Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Brussels: $2,552 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Brussels actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,552 in Brussels.

Austin, TX $2,704
Brussels $2,552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,875 in Brussels.

Austin, TX $4,133
Brussels $3,875

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,197 in Brussels.

Austin, TX $5,562
Brussels $5,197

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 6% more expensive than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$22.61 €20.18

-10.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$91.2 €81.4

-6.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$15.21 €13.57

-18.80%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.32 €3.86

26.62%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.78 €3.37

1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.04 €2.71

-17.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.53 €4.94

45.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.73 €5.11

56.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.31 €1.17

-13.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.71 €2.42

39.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.80 €2.50

16.07%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$5.33 €4.76

-22.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.78 €15.87

-26.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$13.11 €11.70

9.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$22.01 €19.64

-27.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.12 €2.78

40.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.37 €2.11

-38.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.75 €2.45

65.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.24 €3.78

-1.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.58 €2.30

1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.23 €1.99

5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.80 €1.60

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.27 €1.13

70.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$13.68 €12.21

-28.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$9.75 €8.70

50.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.68 €2.39

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.06 €2.73

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.88 €2.57

-48.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$63.1 €56.3

-35.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.86 €2.55

-6.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.31 €2.06

-31.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$40.43 €36.08

-12.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.15 €1.92

-53.95%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$35.1K €31.3K

2.02%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$33.2K €29.6K

-18.05%

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

$219 $219

$285 €255

-23.15%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$21.90 €19.54

164.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$53.0 €47.26

29.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$33.51 €29.90

72.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$27.85 €24.85

-46.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$16.62 €14.83

-14.98%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,590 €1,419

-5.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$37.2K €33.2K

-42.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$104 €92.7

-50.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$46.15 €41.18

-4.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$111 €99.2

-23.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$149 €133

-29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,318 €1,176

46.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,166 €1,040

9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,442 €2,179

50.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,980 €1,767

27.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,082 €4,535

49.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,941 €3,517

-18.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,280 €2,927

55.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.71

83.02%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.8% 8.4% $107

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Brussels

$393 15.1% 2.4% $9.6

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Brussels

$345 13.2% 0.9% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Brussels

$360 13.8% 4.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Brussels

$185 7.1% 43.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Brussels

$67 2.6% 22.5% $19

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Brussels

$89 3.4% 56.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 56% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $91.0 in Brussels. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $393, with Brussels cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

06:56 6:56 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Brussels 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Brussels

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

Austin, TX vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brussels wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brussels the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,552 in Brussels – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Brussels runs roughly 56% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,552 in Brussels versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brussels but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Brussels the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Brussels 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 Brussels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.