Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Turnhout

For one person, living is cheaper in Turnhout: $2,127 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Turnhout
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Turnhout Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Turnhout

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Turnhout

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $2,127 in Turnhout.

Brussels $2,594
Turnhout $2,127

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $3,076 in Turnhout.

Brussels $3,876
Turnhout $3,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $4,024 in Turnhout.

Brussels $5,157
Turnhout $4,024

Living in Brussels is roughly 22% more expensive than in Turnhout, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Turnhout 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$22.68 €20.17

-2.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$64.0 €57.0

40.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$15.58 €13.86

-3.27%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$4.25 €3.78

5.65%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$3.09 €2.75

18.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.73 €2.43

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.19 €4.62

9.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.67 €4.16

20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.08 €0.96

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.63 €1.45

69.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.13 €1.90

30.52%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$3.98 €3.54

31.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$9.93 €8.83

75.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$9.12 €8.11

46.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$19.36 €17.22

13.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.77 €2.47

9.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.41 €2.14

0.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.51 €2.23

12.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.85 €2.53

42.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.12 €1.89

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.93 €1.71

16.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.09 €0.97

68.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.07 €0.95

17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$12.99 €11.55

2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$5.06 €4.50

89.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.64 €1.46

58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.37 €2.11

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.77 €2.46

1.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$49.54 €44.07

24.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$11.30 €10.05

-74.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.93 €2.61

-23.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$52.3 €46.56

-22.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.93 €1.71

6.74%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$34.8K €30.9K

3.54%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$33.7K €29.9K

-1.31%

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

$283 €252

$225 €200

25.84%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$21.17 €18.83

3.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$47.30 €42.07

9.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$125 €111

-73.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$22.43 €19.95

22.87%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$13.60 €12.10

20.07%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$547 €487

186.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$21.1K €18.7K

73.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$106 €94.0

-2.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$46.94 €41.75

-2.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$108 €95.9

1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$148 €132

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$910 €809

44.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$785 €699

48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$1,236 €1,100

99.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,105 €983

78.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$2,592 €2,305

29.54%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Turnhout: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Turnhout

$786 36.9% 32.7% $381

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Turnhout

$288 13.5% 26.6% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Turnhout

$294 13.8% 17.8% $63

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Turnhout

$338 15.9% 1.5% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Turnhout

$184 8.7% 1.1% $2

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Turnhout

$87 4.1% 0.4% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Turnhout

$152 7.1% 130% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $910 in Turnhout. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Brussels vs $64.0 in Turnhout for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $288 per month, with Turnhout cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Turnhout

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

44,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brussels Turnhout 67 km

From you

Brussels
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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 Turnhout: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turnhout wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Turnhout the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Brussels, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,318 in Brussels versus $910 in Turnhout. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Turnhout – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,127 in Turnhout versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Turnhout but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Turnhout 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 Turnhout are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Turnhout gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.