Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and Geraardsbergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Geraardsbergen: $2,077 a month against $2,222 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Leuven outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Geraardsbergen
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Geraardsbergen Living Index

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Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,222

/mo nomad

Geraardsbergen

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leuven and in Geraardsbergen

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Leuven vs $2,077 in Geraardsbergen, rent included.

Leuven $2,222
Geraardsbergen $2,077

A couple spends around $3,303 per month in Leuven vs $3,072 in Geraardsbergen, rent included.

Leuven $3,303
Geraardsbergen $3,072

A family of three spends $4,383 per month in Leuven vs $4,068 in Geraardsbergen, rent included.

Leuven $4,383
Geraardsbergen $4,068

Leuven costs about 7% more than Geraardsbergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Leuven and Geraardsbergen sit above the global median – Leuven by 63%, Geraardsbergen by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.09

$23.67 €21.27

-5.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 €69.7

$72.1 €64.8

7.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.91

$8.33 €7.48

59.18%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.89

$4.20 €3.77

3.10%

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

$3.02 €2.71

$2.25 €2.02

34.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.60

$2.27 €2.04

27.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.11

$3.08 €2.77

84.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.11

$3.39 €3.05

34.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.34 €1.21

3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.72 €2.44

-1.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.29 €2.06

-11.79%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.52

$4.01 €3.60

-2.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.22

$16.49 €14.81

-30.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.38 €11.12

$11.87 €10.66

4.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 €17.05

$23.03 €20.69

-17.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.42

$2.91 €2.62

-7.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$2.39 €2.14

-9.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €2.01

$2.70 €2.43

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.42 €3.07

-32.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.56 €2.30

-11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.87 €1.68

-10.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.39

$1.54 €1.38

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.14 €1.02

-15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.98

$13.00 €11.68

2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 €6.46

$8.64 €7.76

-16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.80 €1.62

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.07 €1.86

-14.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.08

$3.15 €2.83

8.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.52 €42.69

$53.5 €48.09

-11.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 €9.12

$5.48 €4.93

85.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.75 €2.47

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 €22.40

$45.29 €40.69

-44.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.85

$2.14 €1.92

-4.21%

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

$35.0K €31.4K

$34.8K €31.3K

0.58%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$30.2K €27.2K

20.14%

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

$212 €190

$136 €123

55.16%

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

$17.90 €16.08

$18.92 €17.00

-5.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.72

$38.57 €34.65

37.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 €35.98

$38.37 €34.47

4.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.62 €17.63

$18.25 €16.39

7.51%

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 €13.09

$15.68 €14.09

-7.08%

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

$699 €628

$788 €708

-11.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$33.6K €30.2K

-51.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.7

$113 €102

-13.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.13 €23.47

$52.9 €47.48

-50.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 €79.7

$105 €93.9

-15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €128

$180 €162

-21.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €996

$939 €843

18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 €876

$858 €771

13.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 €1,793

$1,410 €1,267

41.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 €1,420

$1,219 €1,095

29.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,066 €4,551

$4,389 €3,943

15.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,640 €3,270

$3,076 €2,763

18.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 €3,348

$2,440 €2,192

52.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.4

3.53%

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

Last update for Leuven: October 25, 2026

Last update for Geraardsbergen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leuven

$975 43.9%

Geraardsbergen

$858 41.3% 12% $117

Eating Out

Leuven

$332 14.9%

Geraardsbergen

$305 14.7% 8.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Leuven

$320 14.4%

Geraardsbergen

$362 17.4% 13.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leuven

$283 12.7%

Geraardsbergen

$194 9.3% 31.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Leuven

$160 7.2%

Geraardsbergen

$203 9.8% 27.3% $43

Getting Around

Leuven

$84 3.8%

Geraardsbergen

$85 4.1% 1.8% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Leuven

$69 3.1%

Geraardsbergen

$70 3.4% 0.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Leuven versus $939 in Geraardsbergen. 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 53% higher in Leuven. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Leuven versus $72 in Geraardsbergen. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Leuven vs $362 in Geraardsbergen – so Leuven wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Leuven

🇧🇪 Geraardsbergen

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

Same time as Leuven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,275

33,204

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Leuven Geraardsbergen 59 km

From you

Leuven
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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

Leuven vs Geraardsbergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leuven costs about 7% more than Geraardsbergen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Leuven and $3,115 in Geraardsbergen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Geraardsbergen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $939 there versus $1,108 in Leuven.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,222 in Leuven and $2,077 in Geraardsbergen. That’s a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Leuven. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,222 in Leuven and $2,077 in Geraardsbergen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Leuven has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,077 in Geraardsbergen 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 Geraardsbergen. 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.