Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgium and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $2,201 in Belgium, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,201

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgium and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,201 in Belgium versus $1,843 in Italy.

Belgium $2,201
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,255 in Belgium versus $2,816 in Italy.

Belgium $3,255
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,309 in Belgium versus $3,788 in Italy.

Belgium $4,309
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,774–$2,584 in Belgium. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Belgium is roughly 19% more expensive than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Belgium 62% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.32

$20.46 €18.32

10.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.5

$79.5 €71.2

13.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.93

$11.15 €9.99

19.46%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.61

$2.04 €1.83

97.55%

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

$3.40 €3.04

$3.10 €2.78

9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.66

$1.40 €1.25

112.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.08

$5.51 €4.94

2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 €4.63

$5.74 €5.14

-9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.57 €1.41

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.26

$2.38 €2.13

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.90 €2.60

-20.69%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.72

$4.07 €3.65

2.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.45 €13.84

$17.44 €15.62

-11.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.14 €10.87

$12.56 €11.25

-3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.23

$20.17 €18.06

0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.58 €2.31

6.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.19 €1.96

7.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$2.68 €2.40

2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$3.27 €2.93

1.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.90 €1.70

16.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.57 €1.40

-1.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.55 €0.49

98.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.97 €11.61

$6.69 €5.99

93.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 €8.12

$7.99 €7.15

13.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.77 €1.59

7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.35 €2.11

0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.07

$1.91 €1.71

79.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 €55.6

$43.44 €38.90

42.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.05

$5.62 €5.03

0.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.34

$1.71 €1.54

53.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.53 €39.88

$33.64 €30.12

32.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.03 €1.82

-2.96%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$35.3K €31.6K

-1.64%

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

$36.3K €32.5K

$36.7K €32.9K

-1.23%

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

$229 €205

$227 €203

1.16%

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

$22.44 €20.10

$11.59 €10.38

93.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 €48.28

$30.38 €27.21

77.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.15 €31.48

$51.8 €46.37

-32.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.81 €18.63

$23.70 €21.22

-12.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 €13.35

$10.60 €9.50

40.57%

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

$1,055 €944

$568 €508

85.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K €26.0K

$11.5K €10.3K

152.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €94.0

$90.5 €81.1

15.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.39 €43.34

$38.55 €34.53

25.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$103 €91.9

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €132

$131 €117

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €879

$826 €739

18.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €778

$646 €579

34.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 €1,369

$1,400 €1,254

9.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 €1,146

$1,054 €944

21.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,522 €4,050

$3,662 €3,280

23.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,161 €2,831

$2,301 €2,061

37.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,999 €2,686

$1,886 €1,689

59.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.56

2.25%

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

Last update for Belgium: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgium

$869 39.5%

Italy

$646 35.1% 25.6% $223

Groceries & Markets

Belgium

$350 15.9%

Italy

$348 18.9% 0.5% $1.9

Eating Out

Belgium

$334 15.2%

Italy

$279 15.1% 16.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgium

$306 13.9%

Italy

$269 14.6% 12.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Belgium

$183 8.3%

Italy

$163 8.9% 10.6% $19

Getting Around

Belgium

$95 4.3%

Italy

$65 3.5% 31% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Belgium

$65 3%

Italy

$73 4% 12.4% $8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $930 in Belgium, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,393 in Brussels vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,913 in Belgium, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 28% higher in Belgium.

Dining out costs 21% more in Belgium.

Public transport is 26% more expensive in Belgium.

Salaries are 54% higher in Belgium, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Belgium.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

Same time as Belgium

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,584,008

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgium Italy 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgium
Italy

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

Belgium vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,201 per month in Belgium and $1,843 in Italy, Italy comes out about 16% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $930 in Belgium and $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Belgium it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Italy wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.