Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Gent: $2,224 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,224

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,224 in Gent versus $2,594 in Brussels.

Gent $2,224
Brussels $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Gent versus $3,876 in Brussels.

Gent $3,455
Brussels $3,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,686 in Gent versus $5,157 in Brussels.

Gent $4,686
Brussels $5,157

Living in Gent costs roughly 14% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gent 65% above, Brussels 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.97 €19.54

$22.12 €19.67

-0.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €101

$89.8 €79.9

26.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.65 €13.92

$15.07 €13.41

3.85%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.83

$4.49 €4.00

-4.01%

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

$3.35 €2.98

$3.67 €3.27

-8.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$3.15 €2.80

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.67 €5.04

-0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.03

$5.64 €5.01

0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.35 €1.20

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.77 €2.46

2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.78 €2.48

-23.38%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.54

$5.22 €4.65

-23.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.55 €16.50

$17.44 €15.51

6.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.36 €11.00

$13.36 €11.88

-7.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.63

$21.90 €19.48

-9.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$3.03 €2.70

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.42 €2.15

-0.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.83 €2.52

-10.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.61

$4.07 €3.62

-27.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.56 €2.28

-16.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.24 €1.99

-12.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.84 €1.64

-25.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.26 €1.12

-15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 €11.60

$13.26 €11.80

-1.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 €8.06

$9.61 €8.55

-5.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.60 €2.31

-23.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.19

$3.12 €2.78

-20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.82 €2.50

16.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 €52.8

$61.6 €54.8

-3.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.25 €10.01

$2.91 €2.59

286.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.23 €1.98

27.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.5 €44.95

$40.47 €36.00

24.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$2.06 €1.83

-2.43%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$36.0K €32.0K

-3.26%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$33.2K €29.6K

1.60%

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

$219 €195

$283 €252

-22.68%

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

$20.47 €18.21

$21.97 €19.54

-6.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.05 €41.85

$51.7 €46.01

-9.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.69 €31.74

$33.30 €29.62

7.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.07 €11.63

$27.56 €24.51

-52.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$16.33 €14.53

-3.67%

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

$567 €504

$1,569 €1,396

-63.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.6K

$36.7K €32.6K

-42.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €96.9

$103 €91.9

5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.10

$45.60 €40.56

1.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$109 €97.2

-1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$146 €130

2.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,059

$1,318 €1,172

-9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 €792

$1,167 €1,038

-23.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 €1,601

$2,463 €2,191

-26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 €1,360

$1,975 €1,756

-22.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,213 €4,637

$5,099 €4,535

2.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,087 €2,746

$3,881 €3,453

-20.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 €3,274

$3,357 €2,986

9.63%

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 Gent: October 12, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$891 40.1%

Brussels

$1.2K 45% 31% $276

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$357 16%

Brussels

$392 15.1% 10.1% $36

Eating Out

Gent

$339 15.2%

Brussels

$343 13.2% 1.2% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$287 12.9%

Brussels

$357 13.8% 24.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$186 8.4%

Brussels

$182 7% 2.1% $3.8

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 11.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$67 3%

Brussels

$66 2.5% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,190 in Gent and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $114 in Gent vs $90.0 in Brussels. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $392, with Gent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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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 Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gent wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gent the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% 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: $1,190 in Gent versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gent – a meal for two runs $114 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,224 in Gent versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gent but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Gent 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 Brussels 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 Gent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.