Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Mouscron

For one person, living is cheaper in Mouscron: $2,182 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
Learn more

Brussels Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Mouscron
Learn more

Mouscron Living Index

Jump to prices

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Mouscron

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Mouscron

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,182 in Mouscron.

Brussels $2,584
Mouscron $2,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,123 in Mouscron.

Brussels $3,923
Mouscron $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $4,063 in Mouscron.

Brussels $5,262
Mouscron $4,063

Living in Brussels is roughly 18% more expensive than in Mouscron, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Mouscron 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.22

$22.39 €20.11

0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.9

$79.1 €71.1

15.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.65

$13.23 €11.89

14.81%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.08

$4.37 €3.92

4.12%

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

$3.63 €3.26

$2.97 €2.67

22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.71

$2.95 €2.65

2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.11

$5.72 €5.14

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.98

$4.36 €3.92

27.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.39 €1.25

-2.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.65 €2.38

4.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.07 €1.86

37.20%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.66

$3.87 €3.48

34.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €16.03

$11.70 €10.51

52.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.71

$12.13 €10.90

7.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.63

$18.80 €16.89

16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.81

$2.68 €2.40

16.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.13 €1.92

13.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.53

$2.23 €2.01

26.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.62

$2.24 €2.01

79.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.26 €2.03

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.66 €1.49

31.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.48 €1.33

25.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$0.96 €0.86

27.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.22

$13.56 €12.18

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.59

$7.42 €6.67

28.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.43

$2.09 €1.88

29.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.70

$1.84 €1.66

63.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.91 €2.61

-5.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.4

$52.0 €46.72

18.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$10.02 €9.01

-70.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.39 €2.14

-6.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.63

$25.19 €22.63

61.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.98 €1.78

4.04%

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

$34.8K €31.3K

$35.5K €31.9K

-1.97%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$37.0K €33.2K

-3.63%

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

$280 €252

$211 €190

32.54%

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

$21.20 €19.04

$18.20 €16.35

16.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.72

$52.4 €47.03

-0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €29.05

$36.72 €32.99

-11.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.92

$17.40 €15.63

59.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.27

$14.36 €12.90

10.58%

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

$1,596 €1,434

$710 €638

124.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.5K

$16.4K €14.7K

120.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.9

$96.6 €86.8

4.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €42.03

$26.10 €23.45

79.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$89.9 €80.8

26.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €129

$145 €130

-1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,251

$930 €835

49.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,042

$937 €842

23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,262

$1,336 €1,200

88.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,865

$1,261 €1,133

64.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,381

$4,446 €3,994

9.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,340

$2,870 €2,578

29.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,047

$4,148 €3,727

-18.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.52

5.40%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mouscron: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Mouscron

$937 42.9% 19.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Mouscron

$319 14.6% 18.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Mouscron

$282 12.9% 20.2% $71

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Mouscron

$332 15.2% 4.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Mouscron

$161 7.4% 11.7% $21

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Mouscron

$86 3.9% 1.4% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Mouscron

$65 3% 2.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $930 in Mouscron. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mouscron pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $79 in Mouscron for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $319 per month, with Mouscron cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Mouscron

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

56,626

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brussels Mouscron 81 km

From you

Brussels
Mouscron

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 Mouscron: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mouscron wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mouscron the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Brussels. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,393 in Brussels versus $930 in Mouscron. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mouscron – a meal for two runs $79 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,182 in Mouscron versus $2,584 in Brussels, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mouscron but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Mouscron 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 Mouscron are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mouscron gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.