Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kortrijk and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Kortrijk: $1,833 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Kortrijk
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Kortrijk Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Kortrijk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,833

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kortrijk and in Brussels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,833 in Kortrijk versus $2,584 in Brussels.

Kortrijk $1,833
Brussels $2,584

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,655 in Kortrijk versus $3,923 in Brussels.

Kortrijk $2,655
Brussels $3,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,478 in Kortrijk versus $5,262 in Brussels.

Kortrijk $3,478
Brussels $5,262

Living in Kortrijk costs roughly 29% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kortrijk 35% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €20.18

$22.51 €20.22

-0.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 €64.0

$91.2 €81.9

-21.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.94

$15.19 €13.65

-27.19%

Cappuccino

$3.00 €2.69

$4.55 €4.08

-34.07%

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

$2.96 €2.66

$3.63 €3.26

-18.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.37

$3.02 €2.71

-12.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 €4.10

$5.69 €5.11

-19.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.98

$5.55 €4.98

-40.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.35 €1.21

-11.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.57

$2.76 €2.48

-36.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$2.84 €2.55

-49.65%

Eggs

$3.00 €2.70

$5.19 €4.66

-42.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 €10.53

$17.84 €16.03

-34.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 €7.44

$13.04 €11.71

-36.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 €12.89

$21.85 €19.63

-34.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$3.13 €2.81

-30.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.42 €2.18

-21.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.81 €2.53

-29.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.81

$4.03 €3.62

-50.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.46 €2.21

-19.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.18 €1.96

-23.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.86 €1.67

-20.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.22 €1.10

-33.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.71 €11.42

$13.60 €12.22

-6.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 €6.60

$9.57 €8.59

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.70 €2.43

-23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.61

$3.00 €2.70

-40.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 €2.45

$2.76 €2.48

-1.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 €48.66

$61.6 €55.4

-12.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.95 €2.65

-23.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.99

$2.24 €2.01

-1.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.72 €22.21

$40.78 €36.63

-39.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$2.06 €1.85

-10.68%

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

$33.9K €30.5K

$34.8K €31.3K

-2.60%

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

$33.6K €30.2K

$35.7K €32.0K

-5.88%

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

$202 €181

$280 €252

-27.90%

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

$17.48 €15.70

$21.20 €19.04

-17.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.58

$52.0 €46.72

1.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.76

$32.34 €29.05

60.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.44 €12.07

$27.74 €24.92

-51.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 €13.13

$15.88 €14.27

-8.00%

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

$657 €590

$1,596 €1,434

-58.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K €14.6K

$36.2K €32.5K

-55.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 €50.1

$101 €90.9

-44.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.79 €23.16

$46.78 €42.03

-44.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 €78.6

$114 €102

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.7

$143 €129

-28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 €750

$1,393 €1,251

-40.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €644

$1,160 €1,042

-38.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 €1,099

$2,518 €2,262

-51.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 €898

$2,076 €1,865

-51.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,237 €3,806

$4,877 €4,381

-13.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,263 €2,033

$3,718 €3,340

-39.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,814 €2,528

$3,392 €3,047

-17.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

3.71

5.12%

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

Last update for Kortrijk: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kortrijk

$717 39.1%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9% 61.7% $443

Eating Out

Kortrijk

$301 16.4%

Brussels

$346 13.4% 15.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kortrijk

$272 14.9%

Brussels

$353 13.7% 29.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Kortrijk

$261 14.2%

Brussels

$391 15.2% 50.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Kortrijk

$122 6.7%

Brussels

$182 7.1% 49.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Kortrijk

$81 4.4%

Brussels

$64 2.5% 21.1% $17

Getting Around

Kortrijk

$78 4.3%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 10.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $834 in Kortrijk and $1,393 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71 in Kortrijk vs $91 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $391 per month, with Kortrijk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Kortrijk

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

Same time as Kortrijk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,700

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Kortrijk Brussels 76 km

From you

Kortrijk
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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

Kortrijk vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kortrijk wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kortrijk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Kortrijk. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $834 in Kortrijk versus $1,393 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kortrijk – a meal for two runs $71 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kortrijk and Brussels are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kortrijk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.