Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geel and Leuven

For one person, living is cheaper in Geel: $2,037 a month against $2,222 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Leuven outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Geel
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Geel Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index

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Geel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,037

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geel and in Leuven

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 Leuven actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,037 in Geel versus $2,222 in Leuven.

Geel $2,037
Leuven $2,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,915 in Geel versus $3,303 in Leuven.

Geel $2,915
Leuven $3,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,793 in Geel versus $4,383 in Leuven.

Geel $3,793
Leuven $4,383

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geel 50% above, Leuven 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.27 €16.42

$22.36 €20.09

-18.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 €69.1

$77.6 €69.7

-0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 €9.47

$13.26 €11.92

-20.51%

Cappuccino

$3.94 €3.54

$4.33 €3.89

-9.01%

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

$2.70 €2.43

$3.02 €2.71

-10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.87

$2.89 €2.60

10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 €4.06

$5.69 €5.11

-20.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.07

$4.57 €4.11

-25.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.39 €1.24

-7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.40

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.02 €1.81

34.16%

Eggs

$5.29 €4.76

$3.92 €3.52

34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.60 €15.81

$11.38 €10.22

54.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 €11.87

$12.38 €11.12

6.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.92 €19.69

$18.98 €17.05

15.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 €2.82

$2.69 €2.42

16.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.22

$2.17 €1.95

13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.54

$2.23 €2.01

26.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.73

$2.31 €2.07

79.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.26 €2.03

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.93

$1.68 €1.51

27.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.54 €1.39

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.96 €0.86

-28.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.61 €12.22

$13.34 €11.98

2.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 €8.00

$7.19 €6.46

23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$2.00 €1.80

31.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.70

$1.78 €1.60

69.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 €2.92

$3.43 €3.08

-4.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 €61.9

$47.52 €42.70

45.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 €2.64

$10.15 €9.12

-71.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €2.00

$2.50 €2.24

-11.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.50 €36.39

$24.93 €22.40

62.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.66

$2.05 €1.85

-10.24%

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

$24.2K €21.8K

$35.0K €31.4K

-30.78%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$36.3K €32.6K

-1.63%

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

$168 €151

$212 €190

-20.59%

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

$21.24 €19.08

$17.90 €16.09

18.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.64

$53.1 €47.73

-4.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 €34.72

$40.05 €35.99

-3.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.62 €17.63

Cinema Ticket

$15.62 €14.03

$14.57 €13.10

7.21%

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

$1,617 €1,453

$699 €628

131.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K €32.4K

$16.4K €14.7K

119.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$97.6 €87.7

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.70 €41.06

$26.13 €23.48

74.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$88.7 €79.7

26.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €129

$142 €128

1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 €912

$1,108 €996

-8.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 €709

$975 €876

-19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €958

$1,996 €1,793

-46.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 €845

$1,581 €1,420

-40.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,968 €3,565

$5,066 €4,552

-21.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,415 €3,068

$3,640 €3,271

-6.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,369 €2,129

$3,727 €3,349

-36.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

-14.77%

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

Last update for Geel: October 27, 2026

Last update for Leuven: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geel

$789 38.7%

Leuven

$975 43.9% 23.6% $186

Groceries & Markets

Geel

$383 18.8%

Leuven

$320 14.4% 16.5% $63

Eating Out

Geel

$278 13.7%

Leuven

$332 14.9% 19.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geel

$240 11.8%

Leuven

$283 12.7% 17.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Geel

$182 8.9%

Leuven

$160 7.2% 12.2% $22

Getting Around

Geel

$96 4.7%

Leuven

$84 3.8% 12.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Geel

$70 3.4%

Leuven

$69 3.1% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,015 in Geel and $1,108 in Leuven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Geel vs $78 in Leuven. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $320, with Leuven cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Geel

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

Same time as Geel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,781

102,275

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Geel Leuven 37 km

From you

Geel
Leuven

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 Leuven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geel and Leuven differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,037 vs $2,222 including rent). Geel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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 $1,108 in Leuven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leuven pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,037 per month in Geel versus $2,222 in Leuven – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 Leuven are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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