Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Antwerp

For one person, living is cheaper in Antwerp: $2,147 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

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Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,147

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Antwerp

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $2,147 in Antwerp.

Brussels $2,594
Antwerp $2,147

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $3,321 in Antwerp.

Brussels $3,876
Antwerp $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $4,494 in Antwerp.

Brussels $5,157
Antwerp $4,494

Living in Brussels is roughly 21% more expensive than in Antwerp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Antwerp 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$22.67 €20.17

-2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$104 €92.6

-13.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$13.36 €11.88

12.80%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$4.38 €3.90

2.51%

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

$3.67 €3.27

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$3.61 €3.21

-12.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.40 €4.80

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$6.08 €5.41

-7.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.33 €1.18

1.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.15 €1.91

29.30%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$3.76 €3.35

38.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$17.22 €15.32

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$12.15 €10.81

9.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$23.31 €20.73

-6.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.87 €2.56

5.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.32 €2.06

4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.60 €2.31

8.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$3.39 €3.02

20.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.36 €2.10

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.86 €1.65

20.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.52 €1.36

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.04 €0.93

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$13.06 €11.62

1.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$9.08 €8.07

5.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.71 €1.52

52.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.06 €1.84

51.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$3.37 €3.00

-16.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$53.7 €47.72

14.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$5.60 €4.98

-48.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.65 €2.36

-15.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$44.90 €39.94

-9.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.08 €1.85

-0.96%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$35.0K €31.1K

2.95%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$34.0K €30.2K

-2.26%

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

$283 €252

$204 €181

39.02%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$21.85 €19.43

0.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$46.38 €41.25

11.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$37.05 €32.96

-10.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$27.10 €24.11

1.70%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$15.34 €13.64

6.45%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$1,612 €1,434

-2.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$33.8K €30.0K

8.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$113 €100

-8.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$52.7 €46.83

-13.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$101 €89.5

8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$166 €148

-12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$1,025 €912

28.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$821 €731

42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$1,604 €1,427

53.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,357 €1,207

45.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$4,403 €3,917

15.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$3,082 €2,742

25.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$3,073 €2,734

9.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.46

7.23%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Last update for Antwerp: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Antwerp

$821 38.3% 29.6% $345

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Antwerp

$363 16.9% 7.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Antwerp

$272 12.7% 23.8% $85

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Antwerp

$342 15.9% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Antwerp

$195 9.1% 7% $13

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Antwerp

$86 4% 1.1% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Antwerp

$68 3.2% 2.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $1,025 in Antwerp. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 9% 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: $90.0 in Brussels vs $104 in Antwerp. Groceries flip the comparison at $392 vs $363, with Antwerp cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

525,935

💱 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

Brussels vs Antwerp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brussels and Antwerp differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $2,147 including rent). Antwerp is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $1,025 in Antwerp. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Antwerp runs roughly 15% less than in Brussels. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,569 in Brussels versus $1,612 in Antwerp. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,147 in Antwerp versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Antwerp but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Antwerp 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, Brussels and Antwerp 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 Antwerp gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.