Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Tervuren

For one person, living is cheaper in Tervuren: $2,074 a month against $2,602 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Tervuren
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Tervuren Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,602

/mo nomad

Tervuren

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Tervuren

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Brussels versus $2,074 in Tervuren.

Brussels $2,602
Tervuren $2,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,932 in Brussels versus $3,011 in Tervuren.

Brussels $3,932
Tervuren $3,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,262 in Brussels versus $3,948 in Tervuren.

Brussels $5,262
Tervuren $3,948

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Tervuren 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.29

$22.67 €20.28

0.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 €80.1

$76.8 €68.6

16.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.03 €13.44

$13.64 €12.20

10.19%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.11

$4.36 €3.90

5.50%

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

$3.71 €3.31

$2.87 €2.57

29.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.80

$2.83 €2.53

10.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 €5.41

$5.45 €4.87

11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.88

$4.40 €3.94

24.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.37 €1.23

-2.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 €2.49

$2.73 €2.44

1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.00 €1.79

35.00%

Eggs

$5.30 €4.74

$3.78 €3.38

40.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.33 €15.49

$11.57 €10.35

49.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 €11.88

$12.18 €10.89

9.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 €19.75

$18.63 €16.66

18.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.69

$2.80 €2.50

7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.16 €1.93

14.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$2.21 €1.98

25.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 €3.80

$2.29 €2.05

85.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$2.11 €1.89

17.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.67 €1.49

33.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.36 €1.22

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.95 €0.85

35.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.17 €11.78

$13.24 €11.84

-0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 €8.96

$7.14 €6.38

40.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.90 €1.70

38.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.66

$1.78 €1.59

67.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 €2.44

$3.02 €2.70

-9.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 €56.1

$54.0 €48.29

16.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 €2.59

$10.23 €9.15

-71.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 €2.34

$2.42 €2.16

7.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 €36.18

$24.76 €22.14

63.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.01 €1.80

7.96%

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

$36.0K €32.2K

$35.3K €31.5K

2.23%

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

$35.7K €31.9K

$36.7K €32.8K

-2.69%

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

$296 €265

$214 €191

38.36%

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

$20.97 €18.75

$18.55 €16.58

13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 €46.69

$51.9 €46.44

0.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.81 €29.34

$36.55 €32.68

-10.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.86 €24.91

$19.48 €17.42

43.02%

Cinema Ticket

$16.07 €14.37

$14.40 €12.88

11.60%

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

$1,623 €1,451

$552 €493

194.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K €27.7K

$16.4K €14.6K

89.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.6

$99.6 €89.1

6.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.71 €41.77

$25.75 €23.02

81.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €103

$109 €97.7

4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €131

$147 €131

-0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,216

$938 €839

44.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,027

$814 €728

41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,561 €2,290

$1,401 €1,253

82.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 €1,823

$1,123 €1,004

81.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,047 €4,513

$4,191 €3,747

20.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,701 €3,309

$2,889 €2,583

28.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,373 €3,016

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 31, 2026

Last update for Tervuren: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.1K 44.1%

Tervuren

$814 39.3% 29.1% $334

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$394 15.1%

Tervuren

$317 15.3% 19.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$369 14.2%

Tervuren

$285 13.7% 23% $85

Eating Out

Brussels

$350 13.5%

Tervuren

$334 16.1% 4.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$186 7.2%

Tervuren

$172 8.3% 7.8% $14

Getting Around

Brussels

$90 3.4%

Tervuren

$88 4.3% 1.3% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$65 2.5%

Tervuren

$65 3.2% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,359 in Brussels and $938 in Tervuren. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $90 in Brussels vs $77 in Tervuren for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $317 per month, with Tervuren cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Tervuren

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

20,816

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Brussels Tervuren 12 km

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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 Tervuren: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $3,903 in Brussels and $3,111 in Tervuren 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: $1,359 in Brussels versus $938 in Tervuren. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tervuren – a meal for two runs $77 versus $90 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Expats usually find Tervuren gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.