Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hasselt and Leuven

For one person, living is cheaper in Hasselt: $2,021 a month against $2,222 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Hasselt
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Hasselt Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index

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Hasselt

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,021

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hasselt and in Leuven

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

A single person spends $2,021 per month in Hasselt vs $2,222 in Leuven, rent included.

Hasselt $2,021
Leuven $2,222

A couple spends around $3,042 per month in Hasselt vs $3,303 in Leuven, rent included.

Hasselt $3,042
Leuven $3,303

A family of three spends $4,063 per month in Hasselt vs $4,383 in Leuven, rent included.

Hasselt $4,063
Leuven $4,383

Hasselt is about 9% cheaper than Leuven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hasselt and Leuven sit above the global median – Hasselt by 49%, Leuven by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.32 €20.05

$22.36 €20.09

-0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.7 €87.8

$77.6 €69.7

25.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.60 €12.22

$13.26 €11.91

2.56%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.41

$4.33 €3.89

-12.24%

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

$3.51 €3.16

$3.02 €2.71

16.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.92

$2.89 €2.60

12.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.87

$5.69 €5.11

-4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.63

$4.57 €4.11

12.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.21

$1.39 €1.24

-3.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.67 €2.40

-9.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.02 €1.81

12.87%

Eggs

$3.23 €2.91

$3.92 €3.52

-17.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 €7.19

$11.38 €10.22

-29.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 €10.52

$12.38 €11.12

-5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.25 €19.98

$18.98 €17.05

17.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 €1.82

$2.69 €2.42

-24.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.17 €1.95

-23.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.35

$2.23 €2.01

17.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.42

$2.31 €2.07

16.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$2.26 €2.03

-18.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.68 €1.51

-18.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 €0.90

$1.54 €1.39

-35.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.96 €0.86

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.64 €11.36

$13.34 €11.98

-5.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.84 €7.94

$7.19 €6.46

22.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.00 €1.79

-19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.78 €1.60

15.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 €2.83

$3.43 €3.08

-8.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.27 €28.99

$47.52 €42.69

-32.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 €5.13

$10.15 €9.12

-43.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.35

$2.50 €2.24

4.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.45 €32.74

$24.93 €22.40

46.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.05 €1.85

-3.41%

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

$34.9K €31.4K

$35.0K €31.4K

-0.16%

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

$33.8K €30.4K

$36.3K €32.6K

-6.93%

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

$212 €191

$212 €190

0.22%

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

$19.34 €17.37

$17.90 €16.08

8.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 €42.22

$53.1 €47.72

-11.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.97 €25.12

$40.05 €35.98

-30.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.18 €8.25

$19.62 €17.63

-53.21%

Cinema Ticket

$15.00 €13.47

$14.57 €13.09

2.95%

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

$1,664 €1,494

$699 €628

138.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.0K €29.7K

$16.4K €14.7K

101.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €104

$97.6 €87.7

18.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.3 €47.87

$26.13 €23.47

103.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.3

$88.7 €79.7

19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$142 €128

-5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 €814

$1,108 €996

-18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 €719

$975 €876

-17.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,308

$1,996 €1,793

-27.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 €1,095

$1,581 €1,420

-22.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 €4,122

$5,066 €4,551

-9.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,398 €2,154

$3,640 €3,270

-34.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 €2,735

$3,727 €3,348

-18.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.52

0.28%

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

Last update for Hasselt: October 24, 2026

Last update for Leuven: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hasselt

$800 39.6%

Leuven

$975 43.9% 21.9% $175

Eating Out

Hasselt

$329 16.3%

Leuven

$332 14.9% 0.7% $2.4

Groceries & Markets

Hasselt

$308 15.2%

Leuven

$320 14.4% 3.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hasselt

$278 13.8%

Leuven

$283 12.7% 1.5% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Hasselt

$184 9.1%

Leuven

$160 7.2% 13.2% $24

Getting Around

Hasselt

$64 3.2%

Leuven

$84 3.8% 31.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hasselt

$58 2.9%

Leuven

$69 3.1% 19.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $906 in Hasselt versus $1,108 in Leuven. 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 22% higher in Leuven. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Hasselt versus $78 in Leuven. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Hasselt vs $320 in Leuven – so Hasselt wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Hasselt

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

Same time as Hasselt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,694

102,275

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hasselt Leuven 45 km

From you

Hasselt
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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

Hasselt vs Leuven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,021 in Hasselt, $2,222 in Leuven – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,032 per month in Hasselt and $3,333 in Leuven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hasselt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $906 there versus $1,108 in Leuven.

Kindergarten costs $1,664 per month in Hasselt and $699 in Leuven. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Leuven, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,021 in Hasselt and $2,222 in Leuven, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Leuven has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,021 in Hasselt to $2,222 in Leuven. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Hasselt. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Leuven makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.