Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Mechelen Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Mechelen

😐 Solo nomad: Brussels is 12.7% more expensive than Mechelen without rent, and 25.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Brussels is 9.5% more expensive than Mechelen without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.25 €24.98

$23.41 €19.99

24.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.8 €78.4

$115 €98.3

-20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.06 €12.86

$12.75 €10.89

18.12%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.12

$4.13 €3.53

16.95%

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

$3.19 €2.72

$3.35 €2.86

-4.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.54

$3.17 €2.71

-5.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 €5.86

$5.60 €4.78

22.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 €5.08

$4.53 €3.87

31.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.32

$1.26 €1.07

23.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.46

$2.74 €2.34

5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.41

$2.38 €2.03

18.49%

Eggs

$4.99 €4.26

$4.01 €3.42

24.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 €14.36

$17.43 €14.89

-3.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 €11.72

$11.65 €9.95

17.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.81 €16.06

$18.95 €16.19

-0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.51

$2.90 €2.48

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.10

$2.36 €2.02

4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.36

$2.24 €1.92

23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.79

$3.04 €2.60

7.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.29

$1.92 €1.64

40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 €2.15

$2.06 €1.76

21.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.47

$1.39 €1.18

23.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.00

$0.83 €0.70

40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.27 €10.48

$12.92 €11.03

-5.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 €7.77

$9.13 €7.80

-0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.14

$1.83 €1.57

37.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.81

$2.24 €1.92

46.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 €2.49

$3.11 €2.66

-6.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 €50.9

$56.2 €48.01

5.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 €6.58

$5.66 €4.83

36.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 €2.06

$2.55 €2.18

-5.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.01 €29.89

$45.43 €38.80

-22.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.65

$1.85 €1.58

4.32%

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

$34.1K €29.1K

$33.7K €28.8K

1.08%

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

$35.8K €30.6K

$33.3K €28.4K

7.53%

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

$258 €221

$203 €174

27.12%

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

$21.63 €18.48

$24.84 €21.21

-12.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 €48.91

$52.3 €44.67

9.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.27 €35.25

$31.23 €26.67

32.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.13 €26.59

$14.13 €12.07

120.31%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 €13.04

$14.90 €12.72

2.48%

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

$1,146 €979

$575 €491

99.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K €19.2K

$13.3K €11.4K

68.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €89.4

$113 €96.6

-7.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.75 €42.48

$50.8 €43.34

-1.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €97.3

$109 €93.4

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 €131

$165 €141

-7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 €1,096

$917 €783

39.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 €917

$741 €633

44.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,333 €1,992

$1,332 €1,138

75.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 €1,532

$1,121 €957

60.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,087 €4,344

$2,316 €1,978

119.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,627 €3,097

$1,173 €1,002

209.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,506 €2,994

$2,280 €1,947

53.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

3.27

11.62%

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

Last update for Brussels: March 1, 2026

Last update for Mechelen: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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