Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Turnhout

For one person, living costs are similar in Gent and in Turnhout: $2,224 and $2,127 a month, rent and utilities included.

108

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Turnhout
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Turnhout Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,224

/mo nomad

Turnhout

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gent and in Turnhout

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

A single person spends $2,224 per month in Gent vs $2,127 in Turnhout, rent included.

Gent $2,224
Turnhout $2,127

A couple spends around $3,455 per month in Gent vs $3,076 in Turnhout, rent included.

Gent $3,455
Turnhout $3,076

A family of three spends $4,686 per month in Gent vs $4,024 in Turnhout, rent included.

Gent $4,686
Turnhout $4,024

Gent costs about 5% more than Turnhout, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Gent and Turnhout sit above the global median – Gent by 65%, Turnhout by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.97 €19.54

$22.68 €20.17

-3.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €101

$64.0 €57.0

77.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.65 €13.92

$15.58 €13.86

0.45%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.83

$4.25 €3.78

1.41%

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

$3.35 €2.98

$3.09 €2.75

8.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$2.73 €2.43

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.19 €4.62

8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.03

$4.67 €4.16

21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.08 €0.96

12.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.63 €1.45

73.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.13 €1.90

Eggs

$3.98 €3.54

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.55 €16.50

$9.93 €8.83

86.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.36 €11.00

$9.12 €8.11

35.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.63

$19.36 €17.22

2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$2.77 €2.47

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.51 €2.23

1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.61

$2.85 €2.53

3.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.12 €1.89

0.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.93 €1.71

1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.09 €0.97

25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.07 €0.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 €11.60

$12.99 €11.55

0.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 €8.06

$5.06 €4.50

79.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.64 €1.46

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.19

$2.37 €2.11

4.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.77 €2.46

18.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 €52.8

$49.54 €44.07

19.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.25 €10.01

$11.30 €10.05

-0.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.93 €2.61

-3.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.5 €44.95

$52.3 €46.56

-3.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.93 €1.71

4.15%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$34.8K €30.9K

0.16%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$33.7K €29.9K

0.27%

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

$219 €195

$225 €200

-2.70%

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

$20.47 €18.21

$21.17 €18.83

-3.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.05 €41.85

$47.30 €42.07

-0.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.69 €31.74

$125 €111

-71.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.07 €11.63

$22.43 €19.95

-41.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.00

$13.60 €12.10

15.66%

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

$567 €504

$547 €487

3.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.6K

$21.1K €18.7K

-0.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €96.9

$106 €94.0

3.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.10

$46.94 €41.75

-1.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$108 €95.9

-0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$148 €132

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,059

$910 €809

30.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 €792

$785 €699

13.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 €1,601

$1,236 €1,100

45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 €1,360

$1,105 €983

38.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,213 €4,637

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,087 €2,746

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 €3,274

$2,592 €2,305

42.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

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

Last update for Gent: October 12, 2026

Last update for Turnhout: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gent

$891 40.1%

Turnhout

$786 36.9% 11.8% $105

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$357 16%

Turnhout

$288 13.5% 19.2% $69

Eating Out

Gent

$339 15.2%

Turnhout

$338 15.9% 0.4% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$287 12.9%

Turnhout

$294 13.8% 2.5% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$186 8.4%

Turnhout

$184 8.7% 1% $1.8

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Turnhout

$87 4.1% 11.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$67 3%

Turnhout

$152 7.1% 126% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,190 in Gent versus $910 in Turnhout. 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 42% higher in Gent, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $114 in Gent versus $64.0 in Turnhout. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $288 – making Turnhout the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇧🇪 Turnhout

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

Same time as Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

44,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gent Turnhout 89 km

From you

Gent
Turnhout

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 Turnhout: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gent is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,336 per month in Gent and $3,191 in Turnhout. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Turnhout, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,224 in Gent and $2,127 in Turnhout. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Turnhout. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Turnhout, where all-in costs run around $2,127, than in Gent at $2,224. In Turnhout it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gent it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Turnhout – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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