Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Gent Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Gent

😐 Solo nomad: Mechelen is 9.7% more expensive than Gent without rent, and 8.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Mechelen is 4.7% cheaper than Gent without rent, and 10.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.26 €20.08

$22.89 €19.76

1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €98.7

$115 €99.5

-0.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 €11.04

$13.68 €11.81

-6.51%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.51

$4.36 €3.77

-6.88%

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

$3.32 €2.87

$3.57 €3.08

-7.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.71

$3.32 €2.87

-5.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €4.94

$5.63 €4.86

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €3.96

$5.8 €5.01

-21.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.13

$1.24 €1.07

5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.31

$2.76 €2.38

-3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.03

$2.3 €1.98

2.17%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.44

$4.31 €3.72

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.5 €15.11

$17.6 €15.2

-0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.94 €10.31

$11.88 €10.26

0.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 €16.42

$18.59 €16.05

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3 €2.59

$3.14 €2.71

-4.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.04

$2.36 €2.04

0.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €1.96

$2.72 €2.35

-16.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 €2.61

$3.16 €2.73

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.65

$1.92 €1.65

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.86

$2.07 €1.78

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.15

$1.37 €1.18

-2.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.7

$0.89 €0.77

-8.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.69 €10.95

$12.5 €10.79

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.22 €7.96

$8.93 €7.71

3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.58

$1.93 €1.67

-5.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.04

$2.91 €2.51

-18.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 €2.73

$2.91 €2.51

8.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.9 €48.29

$56.7 €48.98

-1.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.9 €5.1

$11.09 €9.58

-46.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 €2.13

$2.63 €2.27

-6.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.87 €39.6

$52.6 €45.43

-12.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.59

$1.86 €1.61

-1.08%

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

$33.7K €29.1K

$33K €28.5K

2.20%

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

$33.1K €28.6K

$37.5K €32.4K

-11.85%

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

$207 €179

$225 €194

-8.18%

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

$24.98 €21.57

$23.28 €20.1

7.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 €43.63

$51 €44.02

-0.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.39 €27.1

$34.78 €30.03

-9.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.71 €11.83

$13.67 €11.8

0.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 €13.03

$16.53 €14.28

-8.71%

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

$582 €502

$567 €490

2.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K €11.6K

$18.8K €16.2K

-28.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €95.4

$110 €94.6

0.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €44.11

$52.9 €45.71

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €91.6

$105 €90.3

1.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €139

$163 €141

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 €771

$1,027 €886

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 €644

$912 €787

-18.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 €1,185

$1,741 €1,503

-21.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 €966

$1,399 €1,208

-20.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 €2,990

$5,802 €5,010

-40.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,925 €2,526

$3,474 €3,000

-15.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,397 €2,070

$2,756 €2,380

-13.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.74

-12.57%

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

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Gent: October 28, 2025

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