Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgium and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgium: $2,201 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the United Kingdom outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,201

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgium and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,201 in Belgium versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Belgium $2,201
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,255 in Belgium versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Belgium $3,255
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,309 in Belgium versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Belgium $4,309
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $1,774–$2,584 in Belgium. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Belgium costs about 11% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Belgium 62% above, the United Kingdom 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.33

$21.48 £16.05

5.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.6

$85.7 £64.1

4.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.94

$10.61 £7.93

25.54%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.61

$4.91 £3.67

-17.92%

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

$3.40 €3.04

$2.66 £1.99

27.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.66

$1.87 £1.39

58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.08

$6.63 £4.95

-14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 €4.63

$6.84 £5.11

-24.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.68 £1.26

-21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.72 £1.28

46.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.17 £1.62

5.99%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.72

$4.00 £2.99

4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.45 €13.85

$9.42 £7.04

64.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.14 €10.88

$9.19 £6.86

32.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.36 €18.24

$14.77 £11.03

37.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.97 £2.22

-7.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.62 £1.21

45.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$2.85 £2.13

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$3.52 £2.63

-5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.83 £1.37

21.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.61 £1.20

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.25 £0.93

23.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.66 £1.24

-34.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.97 €11.62

$23.65 £17.67

-45.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 €8.12

$10.50 £7.84

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.71

$2.98 £2.23

-36.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$3.51 £2.62

-32.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.07

$3.98 £2.97

-13.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 €55.7

$107 £80.3

-42.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.06

$5.18 £3.87

8.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.34

$2.35 £1.75

11.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.53 €39.90

$26.84 £20.05

65.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.99 £1.48

-1.01%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$39.4K £29.5K

-11.96%

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

$36.3K €32.5K

$40.5K £30.2K

-10.35%

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

$229 €205

$327 £244

-29.95%

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

$22.44 €20.11

$18.21 £13.60

23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 €48.30

$43.60 £32.57

23.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.15 €31.50

$42.36 £31.64

-17.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.81 €18.64

$18.22 £13.61

14.22%

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 €13.35

$13.85 £10.34

7.58%

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

$1,055 €945

$1,868 £1,396

-43.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K €26.0K

$22.6K £16.9K

28.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €94.1

$92.9 £69.4

12.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.39 €43.36

$45.92 £34.30

5.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.7

$102 £75.9

3.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €132

$102 £76.4

43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €879

$1,342 £1,003

-26.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €779

$1,073 £802

-19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 €1,370

$2,231 £1,667

-31.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 €1,147

$1,742 £1,301

-26.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,522 €4,053

$5,601 £4,185

-19.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,161 €2,833

$4,265 £3,186

-25.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,999 €2,687

$3,349 £2,502

-10.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

5.32

-31.58%

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

Last update for Belgium: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgium

$869 39.5%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 23.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Belgium

$350 15.9%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 12.1% $42

Eating Out

Belgium

$334 15.2%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 1.9% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgium

$306 13.9%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 27.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Belgium

$183 8.3%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 15.6% $28

Getting Around

Belgium

$95 4.3%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 48.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Belgium

$65 3%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 7.9% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $930 in Belgium, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $1,393 in Brussels vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $2,913 in Belgium, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 87% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 12% higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h behind Belgium

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,584,008

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Belgium United Kingdom 320 km

From you

Belgium
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,201 per month in Belgium and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Belgium comes out about 11% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $930 in Belgium. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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