Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dilbeek and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Dilbeek: $2,121 a month against $2,602 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Dilbeek
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Dilbeek Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Dilbeek

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,121

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dilbeek 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 Dilbeek and in Brussels actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,121 in Dilbeek versus $2,602 in Brussels.

Dilbeek $2,121
Brussels $2,602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,079 in Dilbeek versus $3,932 in Brussels.

Dilbeek $3,079
Brussels $3,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,036 in Dilbeek versus $5,262 in Brussels.

Dilbeek $4,036
Brussels $5,262

Living in Dilbeek costs roughly 18% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dilbeek 56% above, Brussels 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.66 €20.24

$22.69 €20.27

-0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.2

$89.6 €80.0

1.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.26 €13.63

$15.03 €13.43

1.53%

Cappuccino

$4.17 €3.73

$4.60 €4.11

-9.35%

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

$3.36 €3.00

$3.71 €3.31

-9.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 €2.65

$3.13 €2.80

-5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.04

$6.05 €5.41

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.96

$5.46 €4.88

1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.34 €1.19

-13.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.49

$2.78 €2.48

0.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.70 €2.41

-18.89%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.63

$5.30 €4.73

-23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 €15.77

$17.33 €15.48

1.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 €10.95

$13.28 €11.86

-7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.71

$22.09 €19.73

-10.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$3.01 €2.69

-10.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.47 €2.20

-0.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$2.78 €2.49

-6.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$4.25 €3.80

-33.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.48 €2.21

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.23 €2.00

-14.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.84 €1.64

-26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.29 €1.15

-14.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.22 €11.81

$13.17 €11.77

0.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.66 €7.74

$10.02 €8.95

-13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$2.63 €2.35

-27.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.98 €2.66

-20.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 €2.73

$2.72 €2.43

12.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 €49.54

$62.7 €56.0

-11.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.90 €2.59

-0.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.61 €2.33

-11.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 €35.59

$40.46 €36.14

-1.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.17 €1.94

-5.99%

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

$35.7K €31.9K

$36.0K €32.2K

-0.81%

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

$36.5K €32.6K

$35.7K €31.9K

2.20%

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

$219 €195

$296 €265

-26.21%

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

$20.92 €18.69

$20.97 €18.73

-0.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.73 €42.63

$52.2 €46.64

-8.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.79 €31.97

$32.81 €29.30

9.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.85 €17.73

$27.86 €24.89

-28.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.49 €13.84

$16.07 €14.35

-3.61%

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

$563 €503

$1,623 €1,450

-65.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K €19.2K

$30.9K €27.6K

-30.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 €89.3

$106 €94.5

-5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.65 €41.66

$46.71 €41.72

-0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.5

$115 €102

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €129

$146 €131

-1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 €809

$1,359 €1,214

-33.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 €725

$1,148 €1,025

-29.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 €1,235

$2,561 €2,287

-45.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 €1,030

$2,039 €1,821

-43.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,186 €3,739

$5,047 €4,508

-17.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,905 €2,595

$3,701 €3,305

-21.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,373 €3,013

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.71

-13.75%

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

Last update for Dilbeek: October 31, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dilbeek

$812 38.3%

Brussels

$1.1K 44.1% 41.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Dilbeek

$351 16.6%

Brussels

$394 15.1% 12.2% $43

Eating Out

Dilbeek

$342 16.1%

Brussels

$350 13.5% 2.5% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dilbeek

$287 13.5%

Brussels

$369 14.2% 28.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Dilbeek

$180 8.5%

Brussels

$186 7.2% 3.3% $5.9

Getting Around

Dilbeek

$82 3.9%

Brussels

$90 3.4% 9.1% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Dilbeek

$67 3.2%

Brussels

$65 2.5% 2.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $993 in Dilbeek and $1,393 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88 in Dilbeek vs $91 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $391 per month, with Dilbeek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Dilbeek

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

Same time as Dilbeek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,482

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Dilbeek Brussels 8 km

From you

Dilbeek
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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

Dilbeek vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dilbeek wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dilbeek the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,182 in Dilbeek and $3,903 in Brussels to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $993 in Dilbeek versus $1,393 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dilbeek – a meal for two runs $88 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

Expats usually find Dilbeek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.