Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Sint-Truiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint-Truiden: $2,134 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Sint-Truiden
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Sint-Truiden Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Sint-Truiden

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Sint-Truiden

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,584 in Brussels versus $2,134 in Sint-Truiden.

Brussels $2,584
Sint-Truiden $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,923 in Brussels versus $3,121 in Sint-Truiden.

Brussels $3,923
Sint-Truiden $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $4,107 in Sint-Truiden.

Brussels $5,262
Sint-Truiden $4,107

Living in Brussels is roughly 21% more expensive than in Sint-Truiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Sint-Truiden 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.51 €20.17

$22.48 €20.14

0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.7

$85.6 €76.7

6.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.19 €13.61

$13.23 €11.85

14.81%

Cappuccino

$4.55 €4.07

$4.27 €3.83

6.56%

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

$3.63 €3.26

$3.02 €2.71

20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.71

$2.91 €2.61

3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$5.45 €4.88

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.97

$4.40 €3.94

26.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.08 €0.97

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.74 €1.56

58.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$2.15 €1.92

32.09%

Eggs

$5.19 €4.65

$4.26 €3.82

21.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 €15.99

$15.77 €14.13

13.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 €11.68

$11.80 €10.57

10.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.58

$21.42 €19.19

2.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.03 €2.72

3.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.52 €2.26

-3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.54 €2.28

10.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.61

$3.98 €3.57

1.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.18 €1.95

12.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.73 €1.55

26.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.52 €1.36

22.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.03 €0.92

18.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.60 €12.19

$13.11 €11.75

3.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.57 €8.57

$8.17 €7.32

17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.99 €1.78

35.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$2.00 €1.79

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.48

$3.07 €2.75

-10.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.2

$61.9 €55.4

-0.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 €2.65

$6.25 €5.60

-52.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.00

$2.90 €2.60

-22.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.78 €36.55

$27.41 €24.56

48.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.29 €2.05

-10.04%

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

$34.8K €31.2K

$35.4K €31.7K

-1.71%

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

$35.7K €32.0K

$35.9K €32.1K

-0.52%

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

$280 €251

$213 €191

31.34%

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

$21.20 €19.00

$21.06 €18.87

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.60

$67.7 €60.7

-23.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 €28.98

$36.09 €32.34

-10.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.86

$17.83 €15.98

55.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 €14.23

$14.36 €12.87

10.58%

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

$1,596 €1,430

$728 €653

119.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K €32.5K

$16.7K €15.0K

116.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$100.0 €89.6

1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €41.92

$48.18 €43.17

-2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$103 €92.1

10.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$144 €129

-0.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,248

$923 €827

50.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,039

$820 €735

41.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 €2,257

$1,417 €1,270

77.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,076 €1,860

$1,135 €1,017

82.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,371

$4,358 €3,905

11.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 €3,332

$3,214 €2,880

15.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,392 €3,040

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 Sint-Truiden: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9%

Sint-Truiden

$820 38.5% 29.3% $340

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$391 15.2%

Sint-Truiden

$344 16.1% 12.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$353 13.7%

Sint-Truiden

$302 14.2% 14.5% $51

Eating Out

Brussels

$346 13.4%

Sint-Truiden

$331 15.5% 4.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7.1%

Sint-Truiden

$178 8.3% 2.6% $4.7

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Sint-Truiden

$95 4.5% 9.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$64 2.5%

Sint-Truiden

$65 3% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,393 in Brussels and $923 in Sint-Truiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Brussels vs $86 in Sint-Truiden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $344 per month, with Sint-Truiden cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Sint-Truiden

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

40,357

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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-Truiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sint-Truiden wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sint-Truiden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,876 in Brussels and $3,201 in Sint-Truiden 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 $923 in Sint-Truiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,596 in Brussels versus $728 in Sint-Truiden. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sint-Truiden – a meal for two runs $86 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sint-Truiden 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 Sint-Truiden are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.