Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw: $2,026 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brussels, Belgium
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium
Brussels
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,584
/mo nomad
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,026
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw

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 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,026 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

  • Brussels $2,584
  • Sint-Pieters-Leeuw $2,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,004 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

  • Brussels $3,923
  • Sint-Pieters-Leeuw $3,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $3,981 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

  • Brussels $5,262
  • Sint-Pieters-Leeuw $3,981

Living in Brussels is roughly 28% more expensive than in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw 49% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.51 €20.22
$22.17 €19.91
1.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.2 €81.9
$89.9 €80.8
1.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.19 €13.65
$15.37 €13.81
-1.17%
Cappuccino
$4.55 €4.08
$4.40 €3.96
3.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 €3.26
$3.47 €3.12
4.61%
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
$5.67 €5.09
0.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 €4.98
$5.65 €5.07
-1.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 €1.21
$1.20 €1.08
12.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.76 €2.48
$2.69 €2.42
2.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.84 €2.55
$2.22 €1.99
27.93%
Eggs
$5.19 €4.66
$4.13 €3.71
25.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.84 €16.03
$17.70 €15.90
0.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.04 €11.71
$12.17 €10.93
7.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.85 €19.63
$19.85 €17.83
10.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 €2.81
$2.68 €2.41
16.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 €2.18
$2.47 €2.21
-2.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.81 €2.53
$2.55 €2.29
10.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 €3.62
$2.86 €2.57
40.91%
Potato (1kg)
$2.46 €2.21
$2.12 €1.90
16.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.18 €1.96
$1.99 €1.78
9.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 €1.67
$1.38 €1.24
34.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 €1.10
$1.10 €0.99
10.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.60 €12.22
$13.17 €11.83
3.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.57 €8.59
$8.80 €7.91
8.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.70 €2.43
$1.99 €1.79
35.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.70
$2.48 €2.23
20.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.76 €2.48
$3.21 €2.88
-14.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.6 €55.4
$50.0 €44.95
23.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 €2.65
$2.86 €2.57
3.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.24 €2.01
$2.32 €2.08
-3.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.78 €36.63
$40.69 €36.55
0.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.06 €1.85
$2.07 €1.86
-0.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K €31.3K
$35.9K €32.2K
-2.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.7K €32.0K
$36.1K €32.4K
-1.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 €252
$226 €203
24.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.20 €19.04
$20.98 €18.84
1.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.0 €46.72
$46.51 €41.78
11.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.34 €29.05
$36.64 €32.92
-11.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.74 €24.92
$17.45 €15.68
58.97%
Cinema Ticket
$15.88 €14.27
$15.59 €14.00
1.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,596 €1,434
$549 €493
190.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.2K €32.5K
$21.6K €19.4K
67.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 €90.9
$102 €91.3
-0.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.78 €42.03
$46.81 €42.05
-0.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 €102
$107 €96.1
6.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$143 €129
$146 €131
-1.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,393 €1,251
$1,029 €924
35.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,160 €1,042
$714 €641
62.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,518 €2,262
$1,343 €1,207
87.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,076 €1,865
$987 €886
110.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,877 €4,381
$4,301 €3,863
13.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,718 €3,340
$2,631 €2,363
41.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brussels
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,392 €3,047
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.71
3.2
15.94%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Last update for Sint-Pieters-Leeuw: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brussels
$1.2K
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$714 38.4% $446
Groceries & Markets
Brussels
$391
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$352 10.1% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brussels
$353
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$293 17% $60
Eating Out
Brussels
$346
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$342 1.4% $4.7
Clothing & Footwear
Brussels
$182
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$180 1% $1.8
Getting Around
Brussels
$87
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$77 10.9% $9.5
Sport & Entertainment
Brussels
$64
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
$68 5.8% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $1,029 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $90 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $352 per month, with Sint-Pieters-Leeuw cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Brussels
🇧🇪 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
🕒 Local time
22:36 10:36 PM
22:36 10:36 PM
Same time as Brussels
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
188,137 Capital
31,000
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brussels Sint-Pieters-Leeuw 11 km
From you
  • Brussels
  • Sint-Pieters-Leeuw

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 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Brussels or Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sint-Pieters-Leeuw the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Brussels and in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
You’d need roughly $3,876 in Brussels and $3,040 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Brussels compared to Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,393 in Brussels versus $1,029 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Brussels and in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
Childcare runs $1,596 in Brussels versus $549 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How expensive is transport in Brussels compared to Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
A monthly transit pass in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw runs roughly 19% less than in Brussels. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Brussels or in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
At $2,026 in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw versus $2,584 in Brussels, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Sint-Pieters-Leeuw the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Brussels or Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
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.
How safe is Brussels compared to Sint-Pieters-Leeuw?
Safety-wise, Brussels and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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