Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Antwerp

For one person, living is cheaper in Diest: $2,088 a month against $2,211 in Antwerp, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Antwerp
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Antwerp Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Antwerp

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Diest and in Antwerp

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Diest versus $2,211 in Antwerp.

Diest $2,088
Antwerp $2,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Diest versus $3,337 in Antwerp.

Diest $3,070
Antwerp $3,337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,052 in Diest versus $4,463 in Antwerp.

Diest $4,052
Antwerp $4,463

Living in Diest costs roughly 6% less than in Antwerp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Diest 54% above, Antwerp 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 €19.53

$24.63 €21.94

-10.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.7

$96.2 €85.7

-11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.59

$13.33 €11.87

-10.80%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$4.25 €3.79

-16.71%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$3.64 €3.24

-19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$3.44 €3.07

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$5.61 €5.00

-4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$6.04 €5.38

-27.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.39 €1.24

-9.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.82 €2.51

-3.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.19 €1.95

2.74%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.50

$3.84 €3.43

2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$16.55 €14.75

-8.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$11.76 €10.48

0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$22.27 €19.84

-15.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.93 €2.61

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.43 €2.16

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.57 €2.29

1.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$3.47 €3.09

-15.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.62 €2.34

-16.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.85 €1.65

-7.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.56 €1.39

-2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.16 €1.03

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 €11.69

$12.96 €11.54

1.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.52

$9.02 €8.03

-6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.83 €1.63

6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.97 €1.76

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.74

$3.38 €3.01

-9.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.47

$55.1 €49.09

-1.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.07

$5.47 €4.87

4.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.61 €2.33

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 €26.89

$44.47 €39.61

-32.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.09 €1.86

-0.96%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$35.2K €31.3K

2.45%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$36.7K €32.7K

-1.71%

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

$209 €186

$210 €187

-0.51%

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

$20.59 €18.34

$22.31 €19.87

-7.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.77

$48.06 €42.81

6.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 €32.60

$37.96 €33.82

-3.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 €17.76

$27.25 €24.28

-26.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 €12.73

$15.73 €14.01

-9.15%

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

$781 €696

$1,625 €1,448

-51.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$32.8K €29.3K

-41.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$114 €102

-9.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.33 €43.05

$53.1 €47.31

-9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$106 €94.3

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$179 €160

-17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €836

$1,058 €943

-11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €735

$853 €759

-3.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,217

$1,635 €1,457

-16.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,040

$1,305 €1,163

-10.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,723

$4,341 €3,867

-3.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 €2,627

$2,925 €2,606

0.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,138 €1,905

$3,024 €2,694

-29.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

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

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Antwerp: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Diest

$825 39.5%

Antwerp

$853 38.6% 3.3% $27

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$338 16.2%

Antwerp

$361 16.3% 7% $23

Eating Out

Diest

$312 15%

Antwerp

$357 16.1% 14.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$281 13.4%

Antwerp

$280 12.7% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$182 8.7%

Antwerp

$204 9.2% 11.8% $21

Getting Around

Diest

$85 4.1%

Antwerp

$87 3.9% 2.9% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$65 3.1%

Antwerp

$69 3.1% 6.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Diest and $1,058 in Antwerp. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antwerp pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Diest vs $96 in Antwerp for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $361 per month, with Diest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇧🇪 Antwerp

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

525,935

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Diest Antwerp 52 km

From you

Diest
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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

Diest vs Antwerp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,088 in Diest and $2,211 in Antwerp, so Diest is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Diest. 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: $938 in Diest versus $1,058 in Antwerp. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Antwerp. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,088 per month in Diest versus $2,211 in Antwerp – Diest is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Diest wins on affordability, Antwerp on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.