Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mortsel: $2,145 a month against $2,222 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $920 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,222

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leuven and in Mortsel

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 Mortsel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Leuven versus $2,145 in Mortsel.

Leuven $2,222
Mortsel $2,145

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,303 in Leuven versus $3,187 in Mortsel.

Leuven $3,303
Mortsel $3,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,383 in Leuven versus $4,229 in Mortsel.

Leuven $4,383
Mortsel $4,229

Living in Leuven is roughly 4% more expensive than in Mortsel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leuven 63% above, Mortsel 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.04

$22.62 €20.27

-1.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 €69.6

$96.3 €86.3

-19.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.89

$13.55 €12.14

-2.14%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.88

$4.25 €3.81

1.88%

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

$3.02 €2.70

$3.47 €3.11

-12.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.87 €2.57

0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$5.55 €4.97

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.10

$5.71 €5.11

-19.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.35 €1.21

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.88 €2.58

-7.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.23 €2.00

-9.42%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.51

$3.94 €3.53

-0.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.20

$16.51 €14.79

-31.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.38 €11.09

$12.10 €10.84

2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 €17.01

$22.81 €20.44

-16.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$2.80 €2.51

-3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.37 €2.12

-8.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.60 €2.33

-14.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.85 €2.55

-18.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.18 €1.96

3.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.85 €1.66

-9.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.35 €1.21

14.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.10 €0.99

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.95

$13.33 €11.94

0.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 €6.45

$8.64 €7.74

-16.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.99 €1.78

0.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.60

$2.30 €2.06

-22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.08

$3.03 €2.72

13.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.52 €42.58

$56.3 €50.4

-15.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 €9.09

$5.45 €4.88

86.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.75 €2.47

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 €22.34

$45.23 €40.53

-44.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.10 €1.89

-2.38%

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

$35.0K €31.4K

$35.5K €31.8K

-1.42%

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

$36.3K €32.5K

$36.4K €32.6K

-0.22%

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

$212 €190

$220 €197

-3.90%

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

$17.90 €16.04

$20.70 €18.55

-13.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.61

$47.54 €42.60

11.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 €35.89

$41.18 €36.90

-2.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.62 €17.59

$20.40 €18.28

-3.82%

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 €13.06

$15.81 €14.17

-7.84%

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

$699 €626

$569 €510

22.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$21.6K €19.3K

-23.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.5

$114 €102

-14.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.13 €23.42

$47.83 €42.86

-45.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 €79.5

$107 €95.5

-16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €127

$149 €133

-4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €993

$931 €834

19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 €874

$813 €729

19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 €1,788

$1,379 €1,236

44.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 €1,417

$1,145 €1,026

38.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,066 €4,539

$4,305 €3,857

17.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,640 €3,262

$2,739 €2,454

32.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 €3,340

$2,361 €2,115

57.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.5

0.57%

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

Last update for Leuven: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leuven

$975 43.9%

Mortsel

$813 37.9% 16.6% $162

Eating Out

Leuven

$332 14.9%

Mortsel

$337 15.7% 1.6% $5.2

Groceries & Markets

Leuven

$320 14.4%

Mortsel

$359 16.7% 12.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leuven

$283 12.7%

Mortsel

$288 13.5% 2.1% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Leuven

$160 7.2%

Mortsel

$187 8.7% 17.5% $28

Getting Around

Leuven

$84 3.8%

Mortsel

$88 4.1% 4.4% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Leuven

$69 3.1%

Mortsel

$73 3.4% 5.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,108 in Leuven and $931 in Mortsel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Leuven vs $96 in Mortsel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $359 per month, with Leuven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Leuven

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

Same time as Leuven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,275

24,525

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Leuven Mortsel 37 km

From you

Leuven
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mortsel wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Leuven. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mortsel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Leuven, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,108 in Leuven versus $931 in Mortsel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leuven pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Leuven – a meal for two runs $78 versus $96 in Mortsel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mortsel gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Leuven and Mortsel are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Mortsel wins on affordability, Leuven on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.