Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Dendermonde

For one person, living is cheaper in Dendermonde: $2,065 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Dendermonde
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Dendermonde Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Dendermonde

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Dendermonde

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 Dendermonde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,065 in Dendermonde.

Brussels $2,584
Dendermonde $2,065

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $2,905 in Dendermonde.

Brussels $3,923
Dendermonde $2,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $3,746 in Dendermonde.

Brussels $5,262
Dendermonde $3,746

Living in Brussels is roughly 25% more expensive than in Dendermonde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Dendermonde 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.22

$22.06 €19.82

2.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.9

$73.0 €65.5

24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.65

$13.56 €12.18

12.02%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.08

$3.48 €3.13

30.75%

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

$3.63 €3.26

$2.75 €2.47

32.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.71

$2.21 €1.98

36.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.11

$5.50 €4.94

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.98

$3.96 €3.55

40.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.70 €2.43

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.05 €1.84

38.54%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.66

$3.79 €3.41

36.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €16.03

$11.62 €10.44

53.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.71

$12.01 €10.79

8.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.63

$19.22 €17.27

13.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.81

$2.83 €2.54

10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.20 €1.98

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.53

$2.16 €1.94

30.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.62

$2.29 €2.06

75.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.25 €2.02

9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.74 €1.57

25.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.49 €1.34

24.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$0.93 €0.84

31.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.22

$13.15 €11.81

3.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.59

$7.06 €6.34

35.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.98 €1.78

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.70

$1.79 €1.61

67.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.07 €2.76

-10.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.4

$62.2 €55.9

-1.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$10.04 €9.02

-70.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.50 €2.24

-10.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.63

$24.67 €22.16

65.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.08 €1.87

-0.96%

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

$34.8K €31.3K

$35.8K €32.2K

-2.87%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$36.7K €33.0K

-2.90%

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

$280 €252

$207 €186

35.17%

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

$21.20 €19.04

$18.43 €16.55

15.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.72

$52.9 €47.51

-1.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €29.05

$41.80 €37.55

-22.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.92

$17.70 €15.90

56.72%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.27

$14.57 €13.09

8.99%

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

$1,596 €1,434

$706 €634

126.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.5K

$16.4K €14.7K

120.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.9

$99.3 €89.2

1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €42.03

$26.42 €23.73

77.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$90.1 €81.0

26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €129

$143 €128

0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,251

$837 €752

66.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,042

$824 €740

40.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,262

$1,590 €1,428

58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,865

$976 €876

112.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,381

$4,741 €4,258

2.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,340

$3,248 €2,917

14.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,047

$3,387 €3,043

0.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.52

5.40%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dendermonde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Dendermonde

$824 39.9% 28.9% $336

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Dendermonde

$319 15.4% 18.6% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Dendermonde

$279 13.5% 21.2% $75

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Dendermonde

$314 15.2% 9.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Dendermonde

$161 7.8% 11.5% $21

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Dendermonde

$97 4.7% 11.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Dendermonde

$71 3.4% 10.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $837 in Dendermonde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $73 in Dendermonde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $319 per month, with Dendermonde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Dendermonde

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

44,768

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Brussels Dendermonde 27 km

From you

Brussels
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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

Brussels vs Dendermonde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dendermonde wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dendermonde the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,876 in Brussels and $3,098 in Dendermonde to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,393 in Brussels versus $837 in Dendermonde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,596 in Brussels versus $706 in Dendermonde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dendermonde – a meal for two runs $73 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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 Dendermonde are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.