Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,145 a month against $2,229 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,229

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gent and in Mortsel

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

A single person spends $2,229 per month in Gent vs $2,145 in Mortsel, rent included.

Gent $2,229
Mortsel $2,145

A couple spends around $3,454 per month in Gent vs $3,187 in Mortsel, rent included.

Gent $3,454
Mortsel $3,187

A family of three spends $4,679 per month in Gent vs $4,229 in Mortsel, rent included.

Gent $4,679
Mortsel $4,229

Gent costs about 4% more than Mortsel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Gent and Mortsel sit above the global median – Gent by 64%, Mortsel by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.38

$22.62 €20.32

0.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €102

$96.3 €86.5

17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.30

$13.55 €12.17

17.49%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.79

$4.25 €3.81

-0.71%

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

$3.37 €3.03

$3.47 €3.11

-2.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$2.87 €2.58

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.15

$5.55 €4.99

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$5.71 €5.13

0.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.35 €1.22

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.88 €2.59

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.23 €2.01

-3.59%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.62

$3.94 €3.54

2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.70 €16.80

$16.51 €14.83

13.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.32

$12.10 €10.87

4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.54 €17.55

$22.81 €20.49

-14.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$2.80 €2.52

-4.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.37 €2.13

-0.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.60 €2.33

-0.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.85 €2.56

3.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.18 €1.96

-3.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.85 €1.66

4.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.35 €1.22

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.10 €0.99

-1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.20 €11.86

$13.33 €11.97

-0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 €8.10

$8.64 €7.76

4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.30 €2.06

2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.03

$3.03 €2.72

11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 €53.4

$56.3 €50.5

5.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.95

$5.45 €4.89

103.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.60

$2.75 €2.47

5.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 €46.14

$45.23 €40.63

13.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.10 €1.89

-2.38%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

-0.08%

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

$36.6K €32.9K

$36.4K €32.7K

0.68%

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

$221 €198

$220 €198

0.24%

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

$20.94 €18.81

$20.70 €18.59

1.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.87 €41.21

$47.54 €42.70

-3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.76 €29.43

$41.18 €36.99

-20.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 €11.85

$20.40 €18.32

-35.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 €14.23

$15.81 €14.20

0.19%

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

$564 €506

$569 €511

-0.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.8K

$21.6K €19.4K

-2.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.9

$114 €102

-6.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 €42.05

$47.83 €42.96

-2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.2

$107 €95.7

1.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,069

$931 €836

27.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 €802

$813 €730

9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 €1,625

$1,379 €1,239

31.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,363

$1,145 €1,029

32.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,994 €4,486

$4,305 €3,867

16.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,708

$2,739 €2,460

10.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,688 €3,313

$2,361 €2,121

56.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.5

-8.57%

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

Last update for Gent: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$893 40.1%

Mortsel

$813 37.9% 9% $80

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$356 16%

Mortsel

$359 16.7% 0.8% $2.9

Eating Out

Gent

$345 15.5%

Mortsel

$337 15.7% 2.3% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$288 12.9%

Mortsel

$288 13.5% 0.3% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Mortsel

$187 8.7% 1.7% $3.2

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Mortsel

$88 4.1% 11% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$64 2.9%

Mortsel

$73 3.4% 13% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,191 in Gent versus $931 in Mortsel. 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 56% higher in Gent. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $113 in Gent versus $96 in Mortsel. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Gent vs $359 in Mortsel – so Gent wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

24,525

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gent Mortsel 53 km

From you

Gent
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gent is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,344 per month in Gent and $3,218 in Mortsel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mortsel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $931 there versus $1,191 in Gent.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,229 in Gent and $2,145 in Mortsel. That makes Mortsel about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $564 per month in Gent and $569 in Mortsel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,229 in Gent and $2,145 in Mortsel, 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 $2,145 in Mortsel 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 Mortsel. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.