Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Charleroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Charleroi: $2,041 a month against $2,229 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Charleroi
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Charleroi Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,229

/mo nomad

Charleroi

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gent and in Charleroi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,229 in Gent versus $2,041 in Charleroi.

Gent $2,229
Charleroi $2,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,454 in Gent versus $2,937 in Charleroi.

Gent $3,454
Charleroi $2,937

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,679 in Gent versus $3,833 in Charleroi.

Gent $4,679
Charleroi $3,833

Living in Gent is roughly 9% more expensive than in Charleroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gent 64% above, Charleroi 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.38

$21.95 €19.72

3.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €102

$82.4 €74.0

37.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.30

$13.56 €12.18

17.40%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.79

$3.01 €2.70

40.20%

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

$3.37 €3.03

$2.20 €1.98

53.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$2.17 €1.95

31.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.15

$3.31 €2.97

73.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$4.11 €3.69

39.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.18 €1.06

2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.45 €2.20

12.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.22 €2.00

-3.15%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.62

$4.00 €3.59

0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.70 €16.80

$16.52 €14.84

13.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.32

$12.01 €10.79

4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.54 €17.55

$22.11 €19.86

-11.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$2.62 €2.35

2.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.25 €2.03

4.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.67 €2.40

-3.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$3.41 €3.06

-13.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.07 €1.86

1.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.14 €1.03

69.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.36 €1.22

-0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.68 €0.61

58.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.20 €11.86

$12.74 €11.45

3.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 €8.10

$8.75 €7.86

3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.74 €1.56

14.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.99 €1.79

18.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.03

$2.93 €2.64

15.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 €53.4

$41.93 €37.67

41.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.95

$5.56 €4.99

99.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.60

$2.60 €2.34

11.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 €46.14

$44.93 €40.36

14.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.82 €1.64

12.64%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$29.7K €26.7K

19.49%

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

$36.6K €32.9K

$32.3K €29.0K

13.45%

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

$221 €198

$208 €187

6.08%

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

$20.94 €18.81

$21.83 €19.61

-4.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.87 €41.21

$46.70 €41.95

-1.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.76 €29.43

$31.51 €28.30

3.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 €11.85

$28.27 €25.39

-53.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 €14.23

$15.79 €14.19

0.32%

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

$564 €506

$1,619 €1,455

-65.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

27.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.9

$114 €103

-7.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 €42.05

$53.0 €47.60

-11.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.2

$90.6 €81.4

19.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

$90.5 €81.3

64.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,069

$799 €718

48.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 €802

$834 €749

7.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 €1,625

$1,043 €937

73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,363

$1,052 €945

44.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,994 €4,486

$2,886 €2,593

73.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,708

$2,941 €2,642

2.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,688 €3,313

$2,251 €2,022

63.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.53

-9.35%

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

Last update for Gent: October 25, 2026

Last update for Charleroi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$893 40.1%

Charleroi

$834 40.9% 6.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$356 16%

Charleroi

$344 16.8% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Gent

$345 15.5%

Charleroi

$295 14.4% 14.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$288 12.9%

Charleroi

$277 13.6% 3.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Charleroi

$157 7.7% 14.9% $28

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Charleroi

$72 3.5% 26.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$64 2.9%

Charleroi

$63 3.1% 2.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Gent and $799 in Charleroi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 64% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $113 in Gent vs $82 in Charleroi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $344 per month, with Charleroi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Charleroi

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

202,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gent Charleroi 88 km

From you

Gent
Charleroi

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

Gent vs Charleroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,229 in Gent and $2,041 in Charleroi, so Charleroi is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 64% 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: $1,191 in Gent versus $799 in Charleroi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Charleroi runs roughly 29% less than in Gent. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $564 in Gent versus $1,619 in Charleroi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Expats usually find Charleroi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Gent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.