Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Belgium

Name: Belgium
Address: BE

For one person, living is cheaper in Germany: $2,080 a month against $2,201 in Belgium, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,080

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🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in Belgium

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Germany and in Belgium actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,080 in Germany versus $2,201 in Belgium.

Germany $2,080
Belgium $2,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Germany versus $3,255 in Belgium.

Germany $3,130
Belgium $3,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,180 in Germany versus $4,309 in Belgium.

Germany $4,180
Belgium $4,309

Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,337 to $2,681, compared to $1,774–$2,584 in Belgium. City choice carries more weight in Germany.

Living in Germany costs about 5% less than in Belgium on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Germany 53% above, Belgium 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.88

$22.69 €20.33

-26.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €64.4

$89.9 €80.6

-20.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 €10.86

$13.32 €11.94

-9.01%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$4.03 €3.61

-1.74%

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

$3.36 €3.01

$3.40 €3.04

-1.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.97 €2.66

-2.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.54

$5.67 €5.08

-10.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$5.17 €4.63

-12.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.32 €1.18

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.52 €2.26

-12.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$2.30 €2.06

53.91%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.48

$4.16 €3.72

-6.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 €12.76

$15.45 €13.85

-7.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 €10.66

$12.14 €10.88

-1.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.68 €18.53

$20.36 €18.24

1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.74 €2.45

19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.36 €2.11

-13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.74 €2.46

-15.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.84

$3.32 €2.98

29.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.22 €1.99

-31.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.82 €1.63

-17.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.54 €1.38

6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.09 €0.98

-6.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 €8.68

$12.97 €11.62

-25.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.38

$9.06 €8.12

-33.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.90 €1.71

-41.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.37 €2.12

-34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.43 €3.07

12.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 €62.5

$62.1 €55.7

12.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$5.64 €5.06

-5.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.62 €2.34

7.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.83 €34.80

$44.53 €39.90

-12.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.97 €1.76

8.12%

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

$32.6K €29.2K

$34.7K €31.1K

-6.25%

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

$37.7K €33.8K

$36.3K €32.5K

3.97%

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

$342 €307

$229 €205

49.26%

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

$24.87 €22.29

$22.44 €20.11

10.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.49 €43.45

$53.9 €48.30

-10.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 €35.32

$35.15 €31.50

12.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 €24.62

$20.81 €18.64

32.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 €13.13

$14.90 €13.35

-1.68%

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

$611 €547

$1,055 €945

-42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K €15.5K

$29.1K €26.0K

-40.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.8

$105 €94.1

-15.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.07 €37.70

$48.39 €43.36

-13.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €88.1

$106 €94.7

-7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$147 €132

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €837

$981 €879

-4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 €644

$869 €779

-17.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,527

$1,529 €1,370

11.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,159

$1,279 €1,147

1.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,944 €5,326

$4,522 €4,053

31.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,958 €3,547

$3,161 €2,833

25.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 €2,948

$2,999 €2,687

9.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.64

8.79%

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

Last update for Germany: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belgium: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$718 34.6%

Belgium

$869 39.5% 21% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$415 20%

Belgium

$306 13.9% 26.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.1%

Belgium

$350 15.9% 4.4% $15

Eating Out

Germany

$276 13.3%

Belgium

$334 15.2% 21% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$162 7.8%

Belgium

$183 8.3% 12.7% $21

Getting Around

Germany

$104 5%

Belgium

$95 4.3% 9.5% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$69 3.3%

Belgium

$65 3% 5.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $812 in Germany, $930 in Belgium. Capital cities: $1,407 in Berlin vs $1,393 in Brussels.

National salary averages: $3,107 in Germany, $2,913 in Belgium. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in Belgium.

Dining out costs 24% more in Belgium.

Public transport is 26% more expensive in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇧🇪 Belgium

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

Same time as Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

11,584,008

💱 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

Germany Belgium 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
Belgium

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

Germany vs Belgium: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,201 per month in Belgium and $2,080 in Germany, Germany comes out about 5% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $930 in Belgium and $812 in Germany. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Germany wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.