Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleroi and Gent

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleroi: $2,041 a month against $2,229 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Charleroi
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Charleroi Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index

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Charleroi

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,041

/mo nomad

Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Charleroi and in Gent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,041 in Charleroi versus $2,229 in Gent.

Charleroi $2,041
Gent $2,229

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,937 in Charleroi versus $3,454 in Gent.

Charleroi $2,937
Gent $3,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,833 in Charleroi versus $4,679 in Gent.

Charleroi $3,833
Gent $4,679

Living in Charleroi costs roughly 8% less than in Gent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charleroi 50% above, Gent 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.95 €19.72

$22.69 €20.38

-3.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €74.0

$113 €102

-27.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.56 €12.18

$15.92 €14.30

-14.82%

Cappuccino

$3.01 €2.70

$4.22 €3.79

-28.67%

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

$2.20 €1.98

$3.37 €3.03

-34.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.85 €2.56

-23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.97

$5.73 €5.15

-42.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 €3.69

$5.74 €5.15

-28.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.21 €1.09

-2.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.76 €2.48

-11.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €2.00

$2.15 €1.93

3.26%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.59

$4.03 €3.62

-0.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 €14.84

$18.70 €16.80

-11.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 €10.79

$12.60 €11.32

-4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.11 €19.86

$19.54 €17.55

13.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$2.68 €2.41

-2.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.03

$2.36 €2.12

-4.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.59 €2.33

3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.06

$2.94 €2.64

15.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.11 €1.89

-1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.03

$1.93 €1.73

-40.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.35 €1.21

0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.08 €0.97

-37.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.74 €11.45

$13.20 €11.86

-3.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 €7.86

$9.02 €8.10

-2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.99 €1.79

-12.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.36 €2.12

-15.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 €2.64

$3.37 €3.03

-13.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.93 €37.67

$59.5 €53.4

-29.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 €4.99

$11.07 €9.95

-49.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.89 €2.60

-10.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.93 €40.36

$51.4 €46.14

-12.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.05 €1.84

-11.22%

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

$29.7K €26.7K

$35.5K €31.9K

-16.31%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$36.6K €32.9K

-11.85%

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

$208 €187

$221 €198

-5.73%

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

$21.83 €19.61

$20.94 €18.81

4.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.70 €41.95

$45.87 €41.21

1.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.51 €28.30

$32.76 €29.43

-3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.27 €25.39

$13.19 €11.85

114.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.79 €14.19

$15.84 €14.23

-0.32%

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

$1,619 €1,455

$564 €506

187.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$20.9K €18.8K

-21.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €103

$106 €94.9

8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.0 €47.60

$46.81 €42.05

13.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €81.4

$108 €97.2

-16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 €81.3

$149 €134

-39.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €718

$1,191 €1,069

-32.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 €749

$893 €802

-6.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 €937

$1,809 €1,625

-42.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 €945

$1,517 €1,363

-30.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 €2,593

$4,994 €4,486

-42.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,941 €2,642

$3,015 €2,708

-2.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,251 €2,022

$3,688 €3,313

-38.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.2

10.31%

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

Last update for Charleroi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gent: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charleroi

$834 40.9%

Gent

$893 40.1% 7.1% $60

Groceries & Markets

Charleroi

$344 16.8%

Gent

$356 16% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Charleroi

$295 14.4%

Gent

$345 15.5% 17.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleroi

$277 13.6%

Gent

$288 12.9% 4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Charleroi

$157 7.7%

Gent

$184 8.3% 17.6% $28

Getting Around

Charleroi

$72 3.5%

Gent

$98 4.4% 36.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Charleroi

$63 3.1%

Gent

$64 2.9% 2.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $799 in Charleroi and $1,191 in Gent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 64% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $82 in Charleroi vs $113 in Gent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $356 per month, with Charleroi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Charleroi

🇧🇪 Gent

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

Same time as Charleroi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,730

237,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Charleroi Gent 88 km

From you

Charleroi
Gent

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

Charleroi vs Gent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,041 in Charleroi and $2,229 in Gent, so Charleroi is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Charleroi. 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: $799 in Charleroi versus $1,191 in Gent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Charleroi runs roughly 29% less than in Gent. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,619 in Charleroi versus $564 in Gent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Charleroi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Charleroi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Gent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.