Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leuven and Sint-Truiden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint-Truiden: $2,134 a month against $2,222 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Sint-Truiden
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Sint-Truiden Living Index

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Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,222

/mo nomad

Sint-Truiden

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Leuven and in Sint-Truiden

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 Sint-Truiden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Leuven versus $2,134 in Sint-Truiden.

Leuven $2,222
Sint-Truiden $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,303 in Leuven versus $3,121 in Sint-Truiden.

Leuven $3,303
Sint-Truiden $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,383 in Leuven versus $4,107 in Sint-Truiden.

Leuven $4,383
Sint-Truiden $4,107

Living in Leuven is roughly 4% more expensive than in Sint-Truiden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leuven 63% above, Sint-Truiden 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.04

$22.48 €20.14

-0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 €69.6

$85.6 €76.7

-9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 €11.89

$13.23 €11.85

0.23%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.88

$4.27 €3.83

1.41%

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

$3.02 €2.70

$3.02 €2.71

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.59

$2.91 €2.61

-0.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.10

$5.45 €4.88

4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.10

$4.40 €3.94

3.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.08 €0.97

28.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.39

$1.74 €1.56

53.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$2.15 €1.92

-6.05%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.51

$4.26 €3.82

-7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 €10.20

$15.77 €14.13

-27.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.38 €11.09

$11.80 €10.57

4.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 €17.01

$21.42 €19.19

-11.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$3.03 €2.72

-11.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$2.52 €2.26

-13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.54 €2.28

-12.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.98 €3.57

-41.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.18 €1.95

3.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.73 €1.55

-2.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.52 €1.36

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.03 €0.92

-6.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.95

$13.11 €11.75

1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 €6.45

$8.17 €7.32

-12.00%

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

$2.00 €1.79

-11.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.08

$3.07 €2.75

11.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.52 €42.58

$61.9 €55.4

-23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 €9.09

$6.25 €5.60

62.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.90 €2.60

-13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 €22.34

$27.41 €24.56

-9.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$2.29 €2.05

-10.48%

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

$35.0K €31.4K

$35.4K €31.7K

-1.17%

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

$36.3K €32.5K

$35.9K €32.1K

1.27%

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

$212 €190

$213 €191

-0.75%

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

$17.90 €16.04

$21.06 €18.87

-15.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.61

$67.7 €60.7

-21.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.05 €35.89

$36.09 €32.34

10.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.62 €17.59

$17.83 €15.98

10.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 €13.06

$14.36 €12.87

1.46%

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

$699 €626

$728 €653

-4.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$16.7K €15.0K

-1.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.5

$100.0 €89.6

-2.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.13 €23.42

$48.18 €43.17

-45.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 €79.5

$103 €92.1

-13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €127

$144 €129

-1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €993

$923 €827

20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 €874

$820 €735

18.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 €1,788

$1,417 €1,270

40.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 €1,417

$1,135 €1,017

39.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,066 €4,539

$4,358 €3,905

16.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,640 €3,262

$3,214 €2,880

13.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 €3,340

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.53

-0.28%

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

Last update for Leuven: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sint-Truiden: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leuven

$975 43.9%

Sint-Truiden

$820 38.5% 15.9% $155

Eating Out

Leuven

$332 14.9%

Sint-Truiden

$331 15.5% 0.4% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Leuven

$320 14.4%

Sint-Truiden

$344 16.1% 7.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leuven

$283 12.7%

Sint-Truiden

$302 14.2% 6.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Leuven

$160 7.2%

Sint-Truiden

$178 8.3% 11.3% $18

Getting Around

Leuven

$84 3.8%

Sint-Truiden

$95 4.5% 13.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Leuven

$69 3.1%

Sint-Truiden

$65 3% 6.3% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,108 in Leuven and $923 in Sint-Truiden. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78 in Leuven vs $86 in Sint-Truiden for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $344 per month, with Leuven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Leuven

🇧🇪 Sint-Truiden

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

Same time as Leuven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,275

40,357

💱 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 Sint-Truiden 35 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 Sint-Truiden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sint-Truiden wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Leuven. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sint-Truiden the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,333 in Leuven and $3,201 in Sint-Truiden to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,108 in Leuven versus $923 in Sint-Truiden. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leuven pay roughly 7% 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 $86 in Sint-Truiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Sint-Truiden is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sint-Truiden are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.