Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Aarschot

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarschot: $1,990 a month against $2,223 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,223

/mo nomad

Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gent and in Aarschot

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Gent versus $1,990 in Aarschot.

Gent $2,223
Aarschot $1,990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,468 in Gent versus $2,883 in Aarschot.

Gent $3,468
Aarschot $2,883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,713 in Gent versus $3,777 in Aarschot.

Gent $4,713
Aarschot $3,777

Living in Gent is roughly 12% more expensive than in Aarschot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gent 64% above, Aarschot 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 €20.24

$18.17 €16.16

25.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 €99.1

$76.7 €68.2

45.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.45 €13.75

$11.00 €9.78

40.45%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.76

$3.69 €3.28

14.36%

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

$3.39 €3.02

$2.98 €2.65

13.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.61 €2.32

8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.13

$5.33 €4.74

8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.11

$4.57 €4.06

25.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.23 €1.09

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.55

$2.71 €2.41

5.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.01 €1.79

11.94%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.54

$3.65 €3.24

9.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.27 €16.25

$11.58 €10.30

57.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.29 €10.93

$11.65 €10.36

5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.47

$14.94 €13.29

31.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.69 €2.40

1.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.23 €1.98

10.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.18 €1.94

16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$2.24 €1.99

30.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.26 €2.01

-7.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.75 €1.55

9.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.47 €1.31

-10.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.96 €0.85

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.28 €11.81

$8.89 €7.90

49.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 €7.80

$7.42 €6.60

18.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$2.09 €1.86

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.78 €1.58

39.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.03 €2.69

13.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.9 €52.4

$55.7 €49.51

5.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.12 €4.56

115.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.46 €2.19

15.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.1 €46.35

$16.99 €15.11

206.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.97 €1.75

3.55%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$36.0K €32.0K

-0.66%

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

$36.9K €32.8K

$33.4K €29.7K

10.48%

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

$227 €202

$210 €187

7.89%

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

$20.59 €18.32

$18.58 €16.53

10.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.29

$52.4 €46.56

-9.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.98 €31.12

$36.52 €32.49

-4.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.88 €11.46

$19.21 €17.09

-32.95%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 €14.45

$14.15 €12.59

14.77%

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

$554 €493

$697 €620

-20.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K €19.3K

$16.3K €14.5K

32.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.1

$85.4 €76.0

25.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.46 €41.33

$26.41 €23.49

75.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.9

$87.5 €77.9

23.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$130 €116

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 €1,042

$928 €826

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 €783

$826 €735

6.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 €1,611

$1,379 €1,227

31.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,382

$1,165 €1,036

33.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,149 €4,580

$4,218 €3,752

22.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,006 €2,674

$2,844 €2,530

5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 €3,252

$3,126 €2,780

16.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.52

-9.09%

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

Last update for Gent: October 18, 2026

Last update for Aarschot: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$880 39.6%

Aarschot

$826 41.5% 6.1% $54

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$354 16%

Aarschot

$303 15.2% 14.5% $51

Eating Out

Gent

$344 15.5%

Aarschot

$281 14.1% 18.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$295 13.3%

Aarschot

$281 14.1% 4.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Aarschot

$148 7.5% 19.4% $36

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Aarschot

$85 4.3% 12.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$67 3%

Aarschot

$65 3.3% 3.9% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,172 in Gent and $928 in Aarschot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $111 in Gent vs $77.0 in Aarschot for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $303 per month, with Aarschot cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

27,656

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gent Aarschot 78 km

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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

Gent vs Aarschot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarschot is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Gent, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,172 in Gent versus $928 in Aarschot. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Gent. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Aarschot – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $111 in Gent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,990 in Aarschot versus $2,223 in Gent, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Aarschot but tight or insufficient in Gent. The gap between the two cities makes Aarschot the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Aarschot gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Gent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.