Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Leuven Cost of Living Comparison Between Mechelen and Leuven

😐 Solo nomad: Mechelen is 27.7% more expensive than Leuven without rent, and 6.1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Mechelen is 10.6% more expensive than Leuven without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.26 €20.08

$17.2 €14.85

35.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €98.7

$93.5 €80.7

22.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 €11.04

$11.78 €10.17

8.57%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.51

$4.29 €3.71

-5.36%

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

$3.32 €2.87

$3.59 €3.1

-7.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.71

$3.44 €2.97

-8.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €4.94

$4.99 €4.31

14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €3.96

$3.73 €3.22

22.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.13

$1.34 €1.15

-2.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 €2.31

$2.07 €1.79

28.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.03

$3.03 €2.62

-22.44%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.44

$3.55 €3.07

12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.5 €15.11

$11.84 €10.22

47.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.94 €10.31

$13.31 €11.49

-10.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 €16.42

$17.65 €15.24

7.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3 €2.59

$2.64 €2.28

13.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.04

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €1.96

$2.12 €1.83

7.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 €2.61

$2.55 €2.2

18.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.65

$2.12 €1.83

-9.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.86

$1.71 €1.47

26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.15

$1.59 €1.37

-16.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.7

$1.26 €1.09

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.69 €10.95

$12.88 €11.12

-1.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.22 €7.96

$7.93 €6.84

16.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.58

$2.44 €2.1

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.04

$2.2 €1.9

7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 €2.73

$2.97 €2.56

6.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.9 €48.29

$37.32 €32.22

49.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.9 €5.1

$6.2 €5.36

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 €2.13

$2.62 €2.26

-6.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.87 €39.6

$35.09 €30.29

30.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.59

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

$33.7K €29.1K

$30.2K €26.1K

11.81%

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

$33.1K €28.6K

$27.9K €24.1K

18.60%

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

$207 €179

$184 €159

12.55%

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

$24.98 €21.57

$21.72 €18.76

15.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 €43.63

$48.46 €41.84

4.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.39 €27.1

$46.14 €39.84

-31.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.71 €11.83

$17.29 €14.92

-20.71%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 €13.03

$14.2 €12.26

6.27%

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

$582 €502

$676 €584

-13.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K €11.6K

$13.5K €11.7K

-0.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €95.4

$104 €89.4

6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 €44.11

$31.89 €27.53

60.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €91.6

$92.5 €79.8

14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €139

$133 €115

20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 €771

$1,017 €878

-12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 €644

$1,096 €946

-31.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 €1,185

$2,171 €1,875

-36.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 €966

$1,760 €1,519

-36.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 €2,990

$5,873 €5,071

-41.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,925 €2,526

$3,978 €3,435

-26.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,397 €2,070

$3,234 €2,792

-25.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

3.83

-14.62%

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

Last update for Mechelen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Leuven: October 29, 2025

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