Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Brussels: $2,594 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cary, NC and in Brussels

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cary, NC and in Brussels actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,842 in Cary, NC versus $2,594 in Brussels.

Cary, NC $2,842
Brussels $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,173 in Cary, NC versus $3,876 in Brussels.

Cary, NC $4,173
Brussels $3,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,505 in Cary, NC versus $5,157 in Brussels.

Cary, NC $5,505
Brussels $5,157

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 10% more expensive than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Brussels 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 $19.35

$22.12 €19.67

-12.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$89.8 €79.9

10.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$15.07 €13.41

-30.86%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$4.49 €4.00

12.69%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$3.67 €3.27

-44.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$3.15 €2.80

-41.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 $4.51

$5.67 €5.04

-20.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$5.64 €5.01

13.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.35 €1.20

-22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.77 €2.46

98.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.78 €2.48

122.30%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$5.22 €4.65

-22.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 $17.74

$17.44 €15.51

1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$13.36 €11.88

24.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$21.90 €19.48

-17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$3.03 €2.70

106.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.42 €2.15

-20.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.83 €2.52

32.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$4.07 €3.62

69.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.56 €2.28

26.95%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.24 €1.99

86.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.84 €1.64

61.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.26 €1.12

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$13.26 €11.80

-24.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$9.61 €8.55

1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.60 €2.31

-10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.12 €2.78

29.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.82 €2.50

-10.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 $78.7

$61.6 €54.8

27.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.06 €1.83

-54.85%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$33.2K €29.6K

-13.74%

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

$179 $179

$283 €252

-36.88%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$21.97 €19.54

114.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$51.7 €46.01

30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$33.30 €29.62

133.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 $21.88

$27.56 €24.51

-20.61%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$16.33 €14.53

-6.55%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$1,569 €1,396

-7.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$103 €91.9

-36.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 $32.18

$45.60 €40.56

-29.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$109 €97.2

9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$146 €130

-6.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$1,318 €1,172

44.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$1,167 €1,038

20.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$2,463 €2,191

10.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,975 €1,756

9.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$5,099 €4,535

-43.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$3,881 €3,453

-31.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,032 $6,032

$3,357 €2,986

79.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

3.71

73.05%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5%

Brussels

$1.2K 45% 17.1% $240

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 17.1%

Brussels

$392 15.1% 19.3% $94

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$298 10.5%

Brussels

$343 13.2% 15.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$294 10.3%

Brussels

$357 13.8% 21.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$160 5.6%

Brussels

$182 7% 14.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$108 3.8%

Brussels

$66 2.5% 39.1% $42

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 2.1% $1.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,904 in Cary, NC and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 80% 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: $99.0 in Cary, NC vs $90.0 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $392 per month, with Brussels cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

6 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cary, NC Brussels 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, NC
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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

Cary, NC vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brussels wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Cary, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brussels the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Cary, NC, 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: $1,904 in Cary, NC versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Brussels – a meal for two runs $90.0 versus $99.0 in Cary, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,594 in Brussels versus $2,842 in Cary, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brussels but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Brussels 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, Cary, NC and Brussels 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 Brussels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.