Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Mechelen Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Mechelen

🙂 Solo nomad: Gent is 8.8% cheaper than Mechelen without rent, and 8.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Gent is 4.9% more expensive than Mechelen without rent, and 11.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.89 €19.76

$23.26 €20.08

-1.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 €99.5

$114 €98.7

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.68 €11.81

$12.79 €11.04

6.96%

Cappuccino

$4.36 €3.77

$4.06 €3.51

7.39%

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

$3.57 €3.08

$3.32 €2.87

7.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.87

$3.14 €2.71

5.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €4.86

$5.72 €4.94

-1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.8 €5.01

$4.58 €3.96

26.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.31 €1.13

-5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.38

$2.67 €2.31

3.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.3 €1.98

$2.35 €2.03

-2.13%

Eggs

$4.31 €3.72

$3.98 €3.44

8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.6 €15.2

$17.5 €15.11

0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.88 €10.26

$11.94 €10.31

-0.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 €16.05

$19.02 €16.42

-2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 €2.71

$3 €2.59

4.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.04

$2.37 €2.04

-0.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.35

$2.28 €1.96

19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.73

$3.02 €2.61

4.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.91 €1.65

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.78

$2.16 €1.86

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.18

$1.33 €1.15

3.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.77

$0.81 €0.7

9.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.5 €10.79

$12.69 €10.95

-1.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €7.71

$9.22 €7.96

-3.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.67

$1.83 €1.58

5.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.51

$2.36 €2.04

23.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.51

$3.16 €2.73

-7.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 €48.98

$55.9 €48.29

1.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 €9.58

$5.9 €5.1

87.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.27

$2.46 €2.13

6.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.6 €45.43

$45.87 €39.6

14.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.61

$1.84 €1.59

1.09%

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

$33K €28.5K

$33.7K €29.1K

-2.15%

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

$37.5K €32.4K

$33.1K €28.6K

13.45%

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

$225 €194

$207 €179

8.90%

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

$23.28 €20.1

$24.98 €21.57

-6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 €44.02

$50.5 €43.63

0.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.78 €30.03

$31.39 €27.1

10.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 €11.8

$13.71 €11.83

-0.29%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 €14.28

$15.09 €13.03

9.54%

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

$567 €490

$582 €502

-2.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.2K

$13.4K €11.6K

40.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €94.6

$111 €95.4

-0.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 €45.71

$51.1 €44.11

3.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €90.3

$106 €91.6

-1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €141

$160 €139

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 €886

$893 €771

15.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 €787

$746 €644

22.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 €1,503

$1,373 €1,185

26.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 €1,208

$1,119 €966

25.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,802 €5,010

$3,463 €2,990

67.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,474 €3,000

$2,925 €2,526

18.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,756 €2,380

$2,397 €2,070

14.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.74

3.27

14.37%

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

Last update for Gent: October 28, 2025

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

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