Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Ninove

For one person, living is cheaper in Ninove: $2,106 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
Learn more

Brussels Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Ninove
Learn more

Ninove Living Index

Jump to prices

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Ninove

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Ninove

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,106 in Ninove.

Brussels $2,584
Ninove $2,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,141 in Ninove.

Brussels $3,923
Ninove $3,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $4,177 in Ninove.

Brussels $5,262
Ninove $4,177

Living in Brussels is roughly 23% more expensive than in Ninove, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Ninove 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.22

$23.57 €21.17

-4.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.9

$97.0 €87.1

-5.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.65

$13.57 €12.19

11.94%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.08

$4.24 €3.81

7.31%

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

$3.63 €3.26

$3.00 €2.69

21.00%

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

$5.61 €5.04

1.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.98

$6.01 €5.40

-7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.36 €1.22

-0.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.07 €1.86

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.23 €2.01

27.35%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.66

$3.84 €3.45

35.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €16.03

$16.34 €14.67

9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.71

$11.85 €10.64

10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.63

$20.27 €18.21

7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.81

$2.71 €2.44

15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.49 €2.24

-2.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.53

$2.62 €2.35

7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.62

$3.41 €3.07

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.31 €2.07

6.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.79 €1.61

21.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.49 €1.34

24.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.12 €1.01

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.22

$12.96 €11.64

4.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.59

$8.68 €7.80

10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.43

$1.41 €1.26

91.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.70

$2.08 €1.87

44.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.12 €2.81

-11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.4

$50.3 €45.17

22.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$5.69 €5.11

-48.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.01

$2.72 €2.45

-17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.63

$44.18 €39.68

-7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.75 €1.57

17.71%

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

$34.8K €31.3K

$35.0K €31.4K

-0.46%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$37.4K €33.6K

-4.60%

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

$280 €252

$198 €178

41.55%

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

$21.20 €19.04

$22.32 €20.05

-5.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.72

$47.99 €43.11

8.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €29.05

$36.56 €32.84

-11.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.92

$19.33 €17.36

43.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.27

$13.39 €12.03

18.60%

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

$1,596 €1,434

$790 €710

101.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.5K

$32.9K €29.6K

10.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.9

$78.2 €70.3

29.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €42.03

$53.9 €48.40

-13.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$107 €96.2

6.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €129

$180 €162

-20.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,251

$932 €837

49.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,042

$817 €734

41.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,262

$1,406 €1,263

79.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,865

$1,159 €1,041

79.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,381

$4,253 €3,821

14.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,340

$3,110 €2,794

19.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,047

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 Ninove: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Ninove

$817 38.8% 29.5% $343

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Ninove

$342 16.3% 12.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Ninove

$268 12.7% 24.1% $85

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Ninove

$344 16.3% 0.7% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Ninove

$189 9% 3.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Ninove

$82 3.9% 5.4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Ninove

$63 3% 1.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $932 in Ninove. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $97 in Ninove. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $342, with Ninove cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Ninove

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

34,795

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brussels Ninove 25 km

From you

Brussels
Ninove

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 Ninove: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ninove wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ninove the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,876 in Brussels and $3,159 in Ninove to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,393 in Brussels versus $932 in Ninove. 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 $97 in Ninove. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Ninove is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ninove are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.