Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mons and Leuven

For one person, living is cheaper in Mons: $1,885 a month against $2,222 in Leuven, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mons
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Mons Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index

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Mons

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,885

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mons and in Leuven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,885 in Mons versus $2,222 in Leuven.

Mons $1,885
Leuven $2,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,806 in Mons versus $3,303 in Leuven.

Mons $2,806
Leuven $3,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,727 in Mons versus $4,383 in Leuven.

Mons $3,727
Leuven $4,383

Living in Mons costs roughly 15% less than in Leuven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mons 39% above, Leuven 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €15.02

$22.36 €20.09

-25.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 €73.1

$77.6 €69.7

4.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 €9.14

$13.26 €11.91

-23.30%

Cappuccino

$2.41 €2.16

$4.33 €3.89

-44.34%

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

$2.76 €2.48

$3.02 €2.71

-8.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.89 €2.60

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 €3.41

$5.69 €5.11

-33.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 €3.79

$4.57 €4.11

-7.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.39 €1.24

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.67 €2.40

-14.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.02 €1.81

8.91%

Eggs

$4.04 €3.63

$3.92 €3.52

3.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.56 €16.67

$11.38 €10.22

63.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.30 €11.05

$12.38 €11.12

-0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.58 €17.59

$18.98 €17.05

3.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.50

$2.69 €2.42

3.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.17 €1.95

13.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.29

$2.23 €2.01

13.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.65

$2.31 €2.07

27.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$2.26 €2.03

-3.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.68 €1.51

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.54 €1.39

-11.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.96 €0.86

10.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 €8.94

$13.34 €11.98

-25.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 €4.94

$7.19 €6.46

-23.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.00 €1.79

-5.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.78 €1.60

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$3.43 €3.08

-11.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.45

$47.52 €42.69

15.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.24 €10.10

$10.15 €9.12

10.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.99 €2.69

$2.50 €2.24

19.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 €46.47

$24.93 €22.40

107.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.05 €1.85

-11.22%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$35.0K €31.4K

1.99%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$36.3K €32.6K

0.70%

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

$224 €202

$212 €190

5.99%

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

$21.11 €18.96

$17.90 €16.08

17.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.18 €42.38

$53.1 €47.72

-11.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.73 €24.01

$40.05 €35.98

-33.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.86 €15.14

$19.62 €17.63

-14.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 €10.99

$14.57 €13.09

-15.99%

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

$556 €500

$699 €628

-20.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K €19.2K

$16.4K €14.7K

30.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €96.3

$97.6 €87.7

9.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.16 €41.47

$26.13 €23.47

76.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €98.0

$88.7 €79.7

23.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €130

$142 €128

1.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 €614

$1,108 €996

-38.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 €616

$975 €876

-29.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 €951

$1,996 €1,793

-46.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 €896

$1,581 €1,420

-36.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,164 €3,740

$5,066 €4,551

-17.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,879 €2,586

$3,640 €3,270

-20.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,819 €2,532

$3,727 €3,348

-24.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.52

-9.09%

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

Last update for Mons: October 25, 2026

Last update for Leuven: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mons

$686 36.4%

Leuven

$975 43.9% 42.1% $289

Groceries & Markets

Mons

$340 18%

Leuven

$320 14.4% 5.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mons

$293 15.5%

Leuven

$283 12.7% 3.4% $9.9

Eating Out

Mons

$238 12.7%

Leuven

$332 14.9% 39.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mons

$183 9.7%

Leuven

$160 7.2% 12.9% $24

Getting Around

Mons

$93 5%

Leuven

$84 3.8% 10.2% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Mons

$51 2.7%

Leuven

$69 3.1% 35.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $683 in Mons and $1,108 in Leuven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Mons vs $78 in Leuven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $320 per month, with Leuven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mons

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

Same time as Mons

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,721

102,275

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mons Leuven 71 km

From you

Mons
Leuven

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

Mons vs Leuven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mons wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Leuven. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mons the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Mons. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $683 in Mons versus $1,108 in Leuven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leuven pay roughly 6% 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 $81 in Mons. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Mons 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, Mons and Leuven are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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