Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Belgium

Name: Belgium
Address: BE

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,843 a month against $2,201 in Belgium, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in Belgium actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $2,201 in Belgium.

Italy $1,843
Belgium $2,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $3,255 in Belgium.

Italy $2,816
Belgium $3,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $4,309 in Belgium.

Italy $3,788
Belgium $4,309

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,774–$2,584 in Belgium. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy costs about 16% less than in Belgium on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Italy 35% above, Belgium 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$22.69 €20.32

-9.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$89.9 €80.5

-11.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$13.32 €11.93

-16.29%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$4.03 €3.61

-49.38%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$3.40 €3.04

-8.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$2.97 €2.66

-52.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$5.67 €5.08

-2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$5.17 €4.63

11.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.32 €1.18

18.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.52 €2.26

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.30 €2.06

26.09%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$4.16 €3.72

-2.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$15.45 €13.84

12.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$12.14 €10.87

3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$20.36 €18.23

-0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$2.74 €2.45

-5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.36 €2.11

-7.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$2.74 €2.46

-2.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$3.32 €2.98

-1.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.22 €1.99

-14.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.54 €1.38

1.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.09 €0.98

-49.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$12.97 €11.61

-48.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$9.06 €8.12

-11.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.90 €1.70

-6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$2.37 €2.12

-0.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.43 €3.07

-44.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$62.1 €55.6

-30.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$5.64 €5.05

-0.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.62 €2.34

-34.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$44.53 €39.88

-24.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.97 €1.76

3.05%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$34.7K €31.1K

1.67%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$36.3K €32.5K

1.24%

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

$227 €203

$229 €205

-1.15%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$22.44 €20.10

-48.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$53.9 €48.28

-43.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$35.15 €31.48

47.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$20.81 €18.63

13.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$14.90 €13.35

-28.86%

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

$568 €508

$1,055 €944

-46.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$29.1K €26.0K

-60.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$105 €94.0

-13.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$48.39 €43.34

-20.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$106 €94.7

-2.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$147 €132

-10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$981 €879

-15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$869 €778

-25.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$1,529 €1,369

-8.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$1,279 €1,146

-17.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$4,522 €4,050

-19.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$3,161 €2,831

-27.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$2,999 €2,686

-37.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.64

-2.20%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Belgium: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Belgium

$869 39.5% 34.5% $223

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Belgium

$350 15.9% 0.5% $1.9

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Belgium

$334 15.2% 19.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Belgium

$306 13.9% 13.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Belgium

$183 8.3% 11.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Belgium

$65 3% 11% $8

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Belgium

$95 4.3% 44.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $930 in Belgium. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,393 in Brussels.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $2,913 in Belgium. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 28% higher in Belgium.

Dining out costs 21% more in Belgium.

Public transport is 26% more expensive in Belgium.

Salaries are 54% higher in Belgium, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Belgium.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇧🇪 Belgium

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

Same time as Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

11,584,008

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy Belgium 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Belgium: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,201 per month in Belgium and $1,843 in Italy, Italy comes out about 16% 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 $729 in Italy. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Italy, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Belgium it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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