Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Liege

For one person, living is cheaper in Liege: $2,062 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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 Liege
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Liege Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Liege

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Liege

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,062 in Liege.

Brussels $2,584
Liege $2,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,040 in Liege.

Brussels $3,923
Liege $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $4,018 in Liege.

Brussels $5,262
Liege $4,018

Living in Brussels is roughly 25% more expensive than in Liege, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.16

$18.20 €16.30

23.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.7

$91.1 €81.6

0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.61

$12.44 €11.14

22.11%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.07

$3.58 €3.21

27.09%

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

$3.63 €3.25

$3.52 €3.15

3.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.70

$2.54 €2.28

18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$5.67 €5.08

0.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.97

$4.60 €4.12

20.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.19 €1.07

13.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.70 €2.42

2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$3.69 €3.30

-23.04%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.65

$3.78 €3.39

37.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €15.98

$18.13 €16.24

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.68

$11.56 €10.35

12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.57

$14.86 €13.31

47.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.09 €2.77

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.39 €2.14

1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.90 €2.59

-3.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.61

$3.00 €2.69

34.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.37 €2.12

3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.06 €1.84

5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.68 €1.51

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.09 €0.98

11.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.18

$9.39 €8.41

44.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.57

$7.92 €7.09

20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.45 €2.19

10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$3.25 €2.91

-7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.07 €2.75

-10.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.2

$48.54 €43.47

26.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$4.98 €4.46

-40.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.56 €2.30

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.52

$16.97 €15.20

140.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.89 €1.70

8.99%

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

$34.8K €31.2K

$35.2K €31.6K

-1.25%

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

$35.7K €31.9K

$36.7K €32.9K

-2.91%

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

$280 €251

$327 €293

-14.47%

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

$21.20 €18.98

$25.39 €22.74

-16.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.58

$60.8 €54.4

-14.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €28.96

$38.16 €34.18

-15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.85

$22.16 €19.85

25.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.22

$14.45 €12.94

9.90%

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

$1,596 €1,429

$828 €742

92.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.6

$84.2 €75.4

20.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €41.90

$50.4 €45.14

-7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$103 €92.7

9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$130 €116

10.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,248

$845 €757

64.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,039

$702 €629

65.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,255

$1,399 €1,253

80.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,859

$1,054 €944

96.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,368

$2,797 €2,505

74.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,330

$1,985 €1,778

87.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,038

$2,730 €2,445

24.27%

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 Liege: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Liege

$702 34.1% 39.5% $458

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Liege

$348 16.9% 11.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Liege

$414 20.1% 17.1% $60

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Liege

$288 14% 16.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Liege

$165 8% 9.2% $17

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Liege

$79 3.8% 9.4% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Liege

$67 3.3% 4.6% $3

Cost Breakdown

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

Brussels pays 24% 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: $91 in Brussels vs $91 in Liege. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $348, with Liege cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Liege

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

197,013

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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From you

Brussels
Liege

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 Liege: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 24% 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: $1,393 in Brussels versus $845 in Liege. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,596 in Brussels versus $828 in Liege. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Liege runs roughly 21% less than in Brussels. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Liege 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 Liege are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Liege wins on affordability, Brussels on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.