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

🙂 Solo nomad: Brussels is 4.7% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 24.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Brussels is 7.9% more expensive than Mechelen without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.86 €24.92

$23.26 €20.08

24.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.8 €80.9

$114 €98.7

-17.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.91 €12.87

$12.79 €11.04

16.58%

Cappuccino

$4.84 €4.18

$4.06 €3.51

19.21%

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

$3.06 €2.65

$3.32 €2.87

-7.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.62

$3.14 €2.71

-3.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 €6.11

$5.72 €4.94

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.7 €4.92

$4.58 €3.96

24.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.33

$1.31 €1.13

17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 €2.53

$2.67 €2.31

9.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 €2.53

$2.35 €2.03

24.68%

Eggs

$4.81 €4.15

$3.98 €3.44

20.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 €14.09

$17.5 €15.11

-6.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.02

$11.94 €10.31

16.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.41

$19.02 €16.42

-0.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.54

$3 €2.59

-2.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.14

$2.37 €2.04

4.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.35

$2.28 €1.96

19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.82

$3.02 €2.61

7.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.31

$1.91 €1.65

40.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 €2.18

$2.16 €1.86

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.43

$1.33 €1.15

24.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.96

$0.81 €0.7

38.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.2 €10.54

$12.69 €10.95

-3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 €8.19

$9.22 €7.96

2.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.23

$1.83 €1.58

41.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.78

$2.36 €2.04

36.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.51

$3.16 €2.73

-7.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 €52.5

$55.9 €48.29

8.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 €6.41

$5.9 €5.1

25.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 €2.11

$2.46 €2.13

-0.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.53 €29.81

$45.87 €39.6

-24.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.6

$1.84 €1.59

1.09%

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

$34.5K €29.8K

$33.7K €29.1K

2.20%

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

$36.1K €31.2K

$33.1K €28.6K

9.20%

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

$255 €220

$207 €179

23.20%

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

$21.51 €18.57

$24.98 €21.57

-13.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 €47.88

$50.5 €43.63

9.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 €35.67

$31.39 €27.1

31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.78 €27.44

$13.71 €11.83

131.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 €12.83

$15.09 €13.03

-1.52%

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

$1,134 €979

$582 €502

95.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K €19.6K

$13.4K €11.6K

69.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €92.1

$111 €95.4

-3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.55 €42.78

$51.1 €44.11

-3.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €99

$106 €91.6

8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €132

$160 €139

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 €1,150

$893 €771

49.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 €929

$746 €644

44.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,320 €2,003

$1,373 €1,185

68.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,558

$1,119 €966

61.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,847 €4,185

$3,463 €2,990

39.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,782 €3,265

$2,925 €2,526

29.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,582 €3,093

$2,397 €2,070

49.44%

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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

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