Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Vilvoorde

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilvoorde: $2,162 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Vilvoorde
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Vilvoorde Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Vilvoorde

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brussels and in Vilvoorde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $2,162 in Vilvoorde.

Brussels $2,594
Vilvoorde $2,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $3,121 in Vilvoorde.

Brussels $3,876
Vilvoorde $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $4,081 in Vilvoorde.

Brussels $5,157
Vilvoorde $4,081

Living in Brussels is roughly 20% more expensive than in Vilvoorde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 92% above, Vilvoorde 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$22.03 €19.59

0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$76.6 €68.1

17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$11.04 €9.82

36.50%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$4.31 €3.83

4.18%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$2.96 €2.63

23.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.91 €2.59

8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.27 €4.69

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.54 €4.04

24.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.15 €1.02

17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.81 €2.50

-1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.07 €1.84

34.30%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$3.86 €3.43

35.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$11.33 €10.08

53.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$12.43 €11.06

7.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$19.28 €17.15

13.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.71 €2.41

11.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.19 €1.95

10.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.13 €1.90

32.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.31 €2.05

76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.18 €1.94

17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.71 €1.52

30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.38 €1.23

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.92 €0.82

36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$13.17 €11.71

0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$8.99 €8.00

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.96 €1.75

32.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.84 €1.63

69.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$4.88 €4.34

-42.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$55.2 €49.05

11.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$10.13 €9.01

-71.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.42 €2.15

-7.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$24.73 €22.00

63.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.05 €1.82

0.49%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$35.3K €31.4K

1.83%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$33.1K €29.4K

0.38%

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

$283 €252

$219 €195

29.55%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$18.08 €16.09

21.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$53.7 €47.80

-3.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$36.17 €32.17

-7.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$19.47 €17.32

41.55%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$15.52 €13.81

5.22%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$565 €502

178.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$16.1K €14.3K

127.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$110 €97.5

-5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$26.13 €23.25

74.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$107 €95.6

1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$151 €134

-2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$949 €844

38.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$888 €790

31.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$1,347 €1,198

82.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,231 €1,095

60.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$4,446 €3,955

14.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$3,069 €2,730

26.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$3,716 €3,305

-9.65%

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 Vilvoorde: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Vilvoorde

$888 41.1% 23.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Vilvoorde

$322 14.9% 17.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Vilvoorde

$291 13.4% 18.6% $67

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Vilvoorde

$320 14.8% 6.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Vilvoorde

$177 8.2% 2.6% $4.8

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Vilvoorde

$97 4.5% 11.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Vilvoorde

$67 3.1% 1.9% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $949 in Vilvoorde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilvoorde pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $90.0 in Brussels vs $77.0 in Vilvoorde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $322 per month, with Vilvoorde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇧🇪 Vilvoorde

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

Same time as Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

40,558

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Vilvoorde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Vilvoorde. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,318 in Brussels versus $949 in Vilvoorde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilvoorde – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,162 in Vilvoorde versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vilvoorde but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Vilvoorde 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 Vilvoorde 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 Vilvoorde 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.