Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Herentals

For one person, living is cheaper in Herentals: $2,288 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
Learn more

Brussels Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Herentals
Learn more

Herentals Living Index

Jump to prices

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Herentals

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Herentals

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,288 in Herentals.

Brussels $2,584
Herentals $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,178 in Herentals.

Brussels $3,923
Herentals $3,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $4,067 in Herentals.

Brussels $5,262
Herentals $4,067

Living in Brussels is roughly 13% more expensive than in Herentals, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Herentals 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.17

$17.89 €16.03

25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.7

$90.2 €80.8

1.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.61

$12.36 €11.07

22.90%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.07

$3.70 €3.32

22.97%

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

$3.63 €3.26

$3.52 €3.16

3.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.71

$2.54 €2.28

18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$5.61 €5.03

1.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.97

$4.48 €4.02

23.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.24 €1.11

8.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.70 €2.42

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$3.67 €3.29

-22.62%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.65

$3.61 €3.24

43.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €15.99

$17.89 €16.03

-0.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.68

$11.75 €10.53

10.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.58

$15.01 €13.45

45.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.09 €2.77

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.29 €2.05

5.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.89 €2.59

-2.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.61

$2.99 €2.68

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.40 €2.16

2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.01 €1.80

8.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.69 €1.52

10.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.05 €0.94

16.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.19

$9.22 €8.26

47.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.57

$8.03 €7.19

19.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.46 €2.21

9.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$3.22 €2.88

-6.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.06 €2.74

-9.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.2

$59.9 €53.7

2.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$5.07 €4.54

-41.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.56 €2.29

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.55

$17.06 €15.29

139.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.82 €1.63

13.19%

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

$34.8K €31.2K

$35.5K €31.9K

-2.09%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$37.1K €33.2K

-3.73%

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

$280 €251

$335 €300

-16.33%

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

$21.20 €19.00

$25.21 €22.59

-15.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.60

$60.3 €54.0

-13.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €28.98

$38.13 €34.17

-15.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.86

$21.20 €19.00

30.85%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.23

$14.48 €12.97

9.67%

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

$1,596 €1,430

$850 €762

87.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.5K

$16.2K €14.6K

123.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$86.1 €77.2

17.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €41.92

$50.4 €45.15

-7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$103 €92.4

10.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$131 €117

9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,248

$845 €757

64.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,039

$911 €817

27.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,257

$1,312 €1,175

92.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,860

$1,081 €969

91.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,371

$3,972 €3,560

22.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,332

$2,505 €2,245

48.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,040

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.65

1.64%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Last update for Herentals: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Herentals

$911 39.8% 21.4% $249

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Herentals

$347 15.2% 11.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Herentals

$420 18.4% 19% $67

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Herentals

$286 12.5% 17.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Herentals

$167 7.3% 8.5% $16

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Herentals

$90 3.9% 3.7% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Herentals

$67 2.9% 4.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $845 in Herentals. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $90 in Herentals for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $347 per month, with Herentals cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Herentals

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

25,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brussels Herentals 50 km

From you

Brussels
Herentals

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 Herentals: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Herentals wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Herentals the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,876 in Brussels and $3,433 in Herentals 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 $845 in Herentals. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,596 in Brussels versus $850 in Herentals. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Herentals runs roughly 3% less than in Brussels. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Herentals are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.