Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Geel

For one person, living is cheaper in Geel: $2,037 a month against $2,229 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Geel
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Geel Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,229

/mo nomad

Geel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gent and in Geel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,229 in Gent versus $2,037 in Geel.

Gent $2,229
Geel $2,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,454 in Gent versus $2,915 in Geel.

Gent $3,454
Geel $2,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,679 in Gent versus $3,793 in Geel.

Gent $4,679
Geel $3,793

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.33

$18.27 €16.37

24.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €101

$76.9 €68.9

47.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.27

$10.54 €9.45

51.04%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.78

$3.94 €3.53

7.11%

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

$3.37 €3.02

$2.70 €2.42

24.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.55

$3.19 €2.86

-10.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.13

$4.52 €4.05

26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.42 €3.07

67.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.28 €1.15

-5.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.67 €2.39

3.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.71 €2.43

-20.66%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.61

$5.29 €4.74

-23.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.70 €16.76

$17.60 €15.77

6.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.29

$13.21 €11.84

-4.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.54 €17.51

$21.92 €19.64

-10.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$3.14 €2.82

-14.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.47 €2.21

-4.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.82 €2.53

-8.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.63

$4.15 €3.72

-29.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.46 €2.21

-14.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$2.14 €1.92

-9.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.87 €1.67

-27.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.69 €0.62

56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.20 €11.83

$13.61 €12.19

-3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 €8.08

$8.90 €7.98

1.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.62 €2.35

-24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$3.01 €2.69

-21.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.02

$3.26 €2.92

3.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 €53.3

$68.9 €61.8

-13.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.92

$2.94 €2.63

276.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.22 €1.99

30.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 €46.03

$40.50 €36.29

26.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.84 €1.65

11.41%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$24.2K €21.7K

46.43%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$35.7K €32.0K

2.58%

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

$221 €198

$168 €151

31.35%

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

$20.94 €18.76

$21.24 €19.03

-1.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.87 €41.10

$50.8 €45.52

-9.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.76 €29.36

$38.64 €34.63

-15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 €11.82

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 €14.19

$15.62 €14.00

1.41%

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

$564 €505

$1,617 €1,449

-65.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.8K

$36.0K €32.3K

-41.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.7

$102 €91.0

4.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 €41.95

$45.70 €40.95

2.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.0

$113 €101

-3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$144 €129

3.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,067

$1,015 €909

17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 €800

$789 €707

13.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 €1,621

$1,066 €955

69.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,360

$940 €842

61.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,994 €4,475

$3,968 €3,556

25.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,702

$3,415 €3,060

-11.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,688 €3,305

$2,369 €2,123

55.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

6.67%

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

Last update for Gent: October 25, 2026

Last update for Geel: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$893 40.1%

Geel

$789 38.7% 11.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$356 16%

Geel

$383 18.8% 7.5% $27

Eating Out

Gent

$345 15.5%

Geel

$278 13.7% 19.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$288 12.9%

Geel

$240 11.8% 16.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Geel

$182 8.9% 1.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Geel

$96 4.7% 2.5% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$64 2.9%

Geel

$70 3.4% 8.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,191 in Gent and $1,015 in Geel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $113 in Gent vs $77 in Geel. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $383, with Gent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Geel

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

40,781

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Gent Geel 89 km

From you

Gent
Geel

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 Geel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,229 in Gent and $2,037 in Geel, so Geel is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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 $1,015 in Geel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Geel – a meal for two runs $77 versus $113 in Gent. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,229 per month in Gent versus $2,037 in Geel – Geel is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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