Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mouscron and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Mouscron: $2,182 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Mouscron
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Mouscron Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Mouscron

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,182

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mouscron and in Brussels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Mouscron versus $2,584 in Brussels.

Mouscron $2,182
Brussels $2,584

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Mouscron versus $3,923 in Brussels.

Mouscron $3,123
Brussels $3,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,063 in Mouscron versus $5,262 in Brussels.

Mouscron $4,063
Brussels $5,262

Living in Mouscron costs roughly 16% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mouscron 60% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €20.11

$22.51 €20.22

-0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €71.1

$91.2 €81.9

-13.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.89

$15.19 €13.65

-12.90%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.92

$4.55 €4.08

-3.96%

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

$2.97 €2.67

$3.63 €3.26

-18.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.65

$3.02 €2.71

-2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.14

$5.69 €5.11

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.92

$5.55 €4.98

-21.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.35 €1.21

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 €2.38

$2.76 €2.48

-3.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.86

$2.84 €2.55

-27.11%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.48

$5.19 €4.66

-25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 €10.51

$17.84 €16.03

-34.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.13 €10.90

$13.04 €11.71

-6.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 €16.89

$21.85 €19.63

-13.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$3.13 €2.81

-14.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.92

$2.42 €2.18

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €2.01

$2.81 €2.53

-20.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.01

$4.03 €3.62

-44.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.46 €2.21

-8.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$2.18 €1.96

-23.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.86 €1.67

-20.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.22 €1.10

-21.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.56 €12.18

$13.60 €12.22

-0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.67

$9.57 €8.59

-22.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.70 €2.43

-22.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$3.00 €2.70

-38.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.61

$2.76 €2.48

5.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.0 €46.72

$61.6 €55.4

-15.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 €9.01

$2.95 €2.65

239.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.24 €2.01

6.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.19 €22.63

$40.78 €36.63

-38.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.06 €1.85

-3.88%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$34.8K €31.3K

2.01%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$35.7K €32.0K

3.76%

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

$211 €190

$280 €252

-24.55%

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

$18.20 €16.35

$21.20 €19.04

-14.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 €47.03

$52.0 €46.72

0.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 €32.99

$32.34 €29.05

13.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.40 €15.63

$27.74 €24.92

-37.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.90

$15.88 €14.27

-9.57%

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

$710 €638

$1,596 €1,434

-55.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$36.2K €32.5K

-54.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €86.8

$101 €90.9

-4.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.10 €23.45

$46.78 €42.03

-44.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 €80.8

$114 €102

-20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €130

$143 €129

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 €835

$1,393 €1,251

-33.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 €842

$1,160 €1,042

-19.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 €1,200

$2,518 €2,262

-46.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,133

$2,076 €1,865

-39.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,446 €3,994

$4,877 €4,381

-8.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,870 €2,578

$3,718 €3,340

-22.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,148 €3,727

$3,392 €3,047

22.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.71

-5.12%

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

Last update for Mouscron: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mouscron

$937 42.9%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9% 23.8% $223

Eating Out

Mouscron

$332 15.2%

Brussels

$346 13.4% 4.3% $14

Groceries & Markets

Mouscron

$319 14.6%

Brussels

$391 15.2% 22.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mouscron

$282 12.9%

Brussels

$353 13.7% 25.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Mouscron

$161 7.4%

Brussels

$182 7.1% 13.3% $21

Getting Around

Mouscron

$86 3.9%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 1.4% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mouscron

$65 3%

Brussels

$64 2.5% 2.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $930 in Mouscron and $1,393 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mouscron pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $79 in Mouscron vs $91 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $391 per month, with Mouscron cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mouscron

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

Same time as Mouscron

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,626

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Mouscron Brussels 81 km

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Mouscron
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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

Mouscron vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mouscron wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mouscron the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Mouscron, 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: $930 in Mouscron versus $1,393 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mouscron – a meal for two runs $79 versus $91 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,182 in Mouscron versus $2,584 in Brussels, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Mouscron but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Mouscron the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Mouscron gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.