Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Mechelen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mechelen: $2,074 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Mechelen
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Mechelen Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Mechelen

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Mechelen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,074 in Mechelen.

Brussels $2,584
Mechelen $2,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,188 in Mechelen.

Brussels $3,923
Mechelen $3,188

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $4,302 in Mechelen.

Brussels $5,262
Mechelen $4,302

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.16

$22.32 €19.99

0.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.7

$107 €95.8

-14.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.61

$13.53 €12.12

12.27%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.07

$4.34 €3.89

4.84%

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

$3.63 €3.25

$3.39 €3.03

7.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.70

$2.91 €2.61

3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$5.55 €4.97

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.97

$5.60 €5.02

-0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.20 €1.08

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.13 €1.91

33.33%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.65

$3.83 €3.43

35.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €15.98

$16.26 €14.56

9.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.68

$11.87 €10.63

9.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.57

$19.65 €17.59

11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.80

$2.72 €2.44

15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.35 €2.11

2.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.61 €2.34

7.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.61

$2.89 €2.59

39.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.12 €1.89

16.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.85 €1.66

17.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.30 €1.16

43.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.06 €0.95

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.18

$13.01 €11.65

4.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.57

$9.02 €8.08

6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.83 €1.64

47.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$2.21 €1.98

35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.32 €2.98

-16.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.2

$54.8 €49.11

12.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$5.53 €4.95

-46.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.71 €2.43

-17.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.52

$45.54 €40.79

-10.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.10 €1.88

-1.90%

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

$34.8K €31.2K

$35.2K €31.5K

-1.14%

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

$35.7K €31.9K

$36.2K €32.4K

-1.43%

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

$280 €251

$210 €188

33.55%

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

$21.20 €18.98

$22.19 €19.87

-4.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.58

$46.71 €41.83

11.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €28.96

$29.40 €26.33

10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.85

$13.54 €12.13

104.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.22

$15.83 €14.18

0.32%

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

$1,596 €1,429

$565 €506

182.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.4K

$21.1K €18.9K

71.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.6

$108 €96.7

-6.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €41.90

$49.50 €44.33

-5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$106 €95.2

6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$148 €132

-2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,248

$929 €832

49.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,039

$783 €702

48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,255

$1,446 €1,295

74.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,859

$1,254 €1,123

65.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,368

$4,968 €4,449

-1.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,330

$3,626 €3,247

2.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,038

$2,178 €1,951

55.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.53

5.10%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mechelen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Mechelen

$783 37.8% 32.5% $377

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Mechelen

$343 16.5% 12.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Mechelen

$279 13.4% 21.1% $75

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Mechelen

$335 16.2% 3.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Mechelen

$185 8.9% 1.6% $3

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Mechelen

$87 4.2% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Mechelen

$61 2.9% 4.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $929 in Mechelen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $107 in Mechelen. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $343, with Mechelen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Mechelen

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Brussels Mechelen 22 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 Mechelen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 56% 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 $929 in Mechelen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Brussels – a meal for two runs $91 versus $107 in Mechelen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,074 in Mechelen versus $2,584 in Brussels, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mechelen but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Mechelen the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Mechelen are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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