Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Mechelen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mechelen: $2,074 a month against $2,229 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Mechelen
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Mechelen Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,229

/mo nomad

Mechelen

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gent and in Mechelen

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

A single person spends $2,229 per month in Gent vs $2,074 in Mechelen, rent included.

Gent $2,229
Mechelen $2,074

A couple spends around $3,454 per month in Gent vs $3,188 in Mechelen, rent included.

Gent $3,454
Mechelen $3,188

A family of three spends $4,679 per month in Gent vs $4,302 in Mechelen, rent included.

Gent $4,679
Mechelen $4,302

Gent costs about 7% more than Mechelen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gent and Mechelen sit above the global median – Gent by 64%, Mechelen by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.33

$22.32 €20.00

1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €101

$107 €95.9

5.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.27

$13.53 €12.13

17.66%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.78

$4.34 €3.89

-2.76%

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

$3.37 €3.02

$3.39 €3.04

-0.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.55

$2.91 €2.61

-2.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.13

$5.55 €4.97

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$5.60 €5.02

2.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.20 €1.08

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.76 €2.47

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.13 €1.91

0.94%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.61

$3.83 €3.44

5.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.70 €16.76

$16.26 €14.57

15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.29

$11.87 €10.64

6.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.54 €17.51

$19.65 €17.60

-0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$2.72 €2.44

-1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$2.35 €2.11

0.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$2.61 €2.34

-0.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.63

$2.89 €2.59

1.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.12 €1.90

-0.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.85 €1.66

4.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.30 €1.17

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.06 €0.95

1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.20 €11.83

$13.01 €11.66

1.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 €8.08

$9.02 €8.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.83 €1.64

8.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.21 €1.98

6.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.02

$3.32 €2.98

1.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 €53.3

$54.8 €49.14

8.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.92

$5.53 €4.95

100.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.71 €2.43

6.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 €46.03

$45.54 €40.81

12.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.10 €1.88

-2.38%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$35.2K €31.5K

0.76%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$36.2K €32.4K

1.25%

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

$221 €198

$210 €188

5.26%

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

$20.94 €18.76

$22.19 €19.88

-5.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.87 €41.10

$46.71 €41.86

-1.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.76 €29.36

$29.40 €26.34

11.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 €11.82

$13.54 €12.14

-2.58%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 €14.19

$15.83 €14.19

0.06%

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

$564 €505

$565 €506

-0.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.8K

$21.1K €18.9K

-0.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.7

$108 €96.8

-2.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 €41.95

$49.50 €44.35

-5.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.0

$106 €95.2

1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$148 €132

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,067

$929 €832

28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 €800

$783 €702

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 €1,621

$1,446 €1,296

25.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,360

$1,254 €1,123

21.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,994 €4,475

$4,968 €4,452

0.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,702

$3,626 €3,249

-16.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,688 €3,305

$2,178 €1,952

69.34%

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 Mechelen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$893 40.1%

Mechelen

$783 37.8% 12.3% $110

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$356 16%

Mechelen

$343 16.5% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Gent

$345 15.5%

Mechelen

$335 16.2% 2.8% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$288 12.9%

Mechelen

$279 13.4% 3.1% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Mechelen

$185 8.9% 0.4% $0.8

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Mechelen

$87 4.2% 11.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$64 2.9%

Mechelen

$61 2.9% 5.2% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,191 in Gent versus $929 in Mechelen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in Gent. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $113 in Gent versus $107 in Mechelen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $343 – making Mechelen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Mechelen

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

80,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gent Mechelen 53 km

From you

Gent
Mechelen

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 Mechelen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gent is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,344 per month in Gent and $3,110 in Mechelen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mechelen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $929 there versus $1,191 in Gent.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,229 in Gent and $2,074 in Mechelen. That makes Mechelen about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Mechelen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,229 in Gent and $2,074 in Mechelen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Gent has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,074 in Mechelen to $2,229 in Gent. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Mechelen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.