Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geel and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Geel: $2,037 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Geel
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Geel Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Geel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,037

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,037 in Geel versus $2,584 in Brussels.

Geel $2,037
Brussels $2,584

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,915 in Geel versus $3,923 in Brussels.

Geel $2,915
Brussels $3,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,793 in Geel versus $5,262 in Brussels.

Geel $3,793
Brussels $5,262

Living in Geel costs roughly 21% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geel 50% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.27 €16.30

$22.51 €20.09

-18.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 €68.6

$91.2 €81.4

-15.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 €9.41

$15.19 €13.55

-30.61%

Cappuccino

$3.94 €3.51

$4.55 €4.06

-13.41%

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

$2.70 €2.41

$3.63 €3.24

-25.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.85

$3.02 €2.69

5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 €4.03

$5.69 €5.08

-20.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.05

$5.55 €4.95

-38.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.35 €1.20

-5.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.76 €2.46

-3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.84 €2.53

-4.58%

Eggs

$5.29 €4.72

$5.19 €4.63

1.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.60 €15.70

$17.84 €15.92

-1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 €11.78

$13.04 €11.63

1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.92 €19.55

$21.85 €19.50

0.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 €2.80

$3.13 €2.79

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.42 €2.16

2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.52

$2.81 €2.51

0.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.70

$4.03 €3.60

2.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$2.46 €2.19

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.18 €1.94

-1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.86 €1.66

0.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$1.22 €1.09

-43.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.61 €12.14

$13.60 €12.13

0.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 €7.94

$9.57 €8.53

-7.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$2.70 €2.41

-2.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.68

$3.00 €2.68

0.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.76 €2.47

18.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 €61.5

$61.6 €55.0

11.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.95 €2.64

-0.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.24 €1.99

-0.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.50 €36.14

$40.78 €36.39

-0.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.06 €1.84

-10.68%

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

$24.2K €21.6K

$34.8K €31.1K

-30.40%

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

$35.7K €31.9K

$35.7K €31.8K

0.13%

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

$168 €150

$280 €250

-39.99%

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

$21.24 €18.95

$21.20 €18.91

0.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.32

$52.0 €46.40

-2.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 €34.48

$32.34 €28.85

19.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.75

Cinema Ticket

$15.62 €13.94

$15.88 €14.17

-1.64%

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

$1,617 €1,443

$1,596 €1,424

1.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K €32.2K

$36.2K €32.3K

-0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$101 €90.3

0.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.70 €40.77

$46.78 €41.74

-2.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$114 €101

-0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €129

$143 €128

0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 €905

$1,393 €1,243

-27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 €704

$1,160 €1,035

-32.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €951

$2,518 €2,247

-57.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 €839

$2,076 €1,852

-54.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 €3,540

$4,877 €4,351

-18.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,415 €3,047

$3,718 €3,317

-8.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,369 €2,114

$3,392 €3,027

-30.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

-19.14%

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

Last update for Geel: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geel

$789 38.7%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9% 47.1% $371

Groceries & Markets

Geel

$383 18.8%

Brussels

$391 15.2% 2.2% $8.5

Eating Out

Geel

$278 13.7%

Brussels

$346 13.4% 24.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geel

$240 11.8%

Brussels

$353 13.7% 47.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Geel

$182 8.9%

Brussels

$182 7.1% 0.3% $0.5

Getting Around

Geel

$96 4.7%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 9.6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Geel

$70 3.4%

Brussels

$64 2.5% 8.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,015 in Geel and $1,393 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Geel vs $91 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $391 per month, with Geel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Geel

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Geel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,781

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Geel Brussels 57 km

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Geel
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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

Geel vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geel wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Geel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Geel. 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: $1,015 in Geel versus $1,393 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,617 in Geel versus $1,596 in Brussels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Geel – a meal for two runs $77 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Geel 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.

Safety-wise, Geel and Brussels are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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