Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mouscron and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $2,182 in Mouscron, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Mouscron
Learn more

Mouscron Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
Learn more

Somerset West Living Index

Jump to prices

Mouscron

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,182

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mouscron and in Somerset West

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 Somerset West actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Mouscron vs $1,160 in Somerset West, rent included.

Mouscron $2,182
Somerset West $1,160

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Mouscron vs $1,888 in Somerset West, rent included.

Mouscron $3,123
Somerset West $1,888

A family of three spends $4,063 per month in Mouscron vs $2,615 in Somerset West, rent included.

Mouscron $4,063
Somerset West $2,615

Mouscron costs about 88% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mouscron sits 60% above the global median, while Somerset West is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.39 €20.00

$12.23 R 203

83.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.7

$45.52 R 756

73.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.82

$5.44 R 90.3

143.20%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.90

$2.06 R 34.22

112.14%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$1.06 R 17.67

180.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.64

$0.84 R 13.96

251.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.11

$2.58 R 42.76

121.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$3.27 R 54.3

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.03 R 17.07

34.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 €2.37

$0.98 R 16.34

170.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.08 R 34.58

-0.48%

Eggs

$3.87 €3.46

$2.28 R 37.87

69.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.70 €10.45

$8.34 R 138

40.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.13 €10.84

$5.18 R 86.0

134.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.80 €16.80

$9.22 R 153

103.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.81 R 30.13

48.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.89 R 31.37

12.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.74 R 28.90

28.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.69 R 28.11

32.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.51 R 25.15

49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.53 R 25.40

8.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.29 R 21.34

14.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.85

$1.07 R 17.74

-10.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.56 €12.11

$3.39 R 56.3

300.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.63

$5.89 R 97.8

25.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.36 R 22.65

53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.75 R 29.07

5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 €2.60

$1.11 R 18.41

162.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.0 €46.45

$60.4 R 1,003

-13.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.02 €8.95

$0.59 R 9.78

1598.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.54 R 25.63

55.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.19 €22.50

$4.94 R 82.1

409.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.42 R 23.59

39.44%

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

$35.5K €31.7K

$29.3K R 485.8K

21.35%

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

$37.0K €33.1K

$29.4K R 487.4K

26.09%

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

$211 €189

$82.1 R 1,363

157.48%

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

$18.20 €16.25

$29.05 R 482

-37.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 €46.76

$40.47 R 672

29.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.72 €32.80

$44.16 R 733

-16.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.40 €15.54

$10.43 R 173

66.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.83

$7.28 R 121

97.25%

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

$710 €634

$251 R 4,160

183.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$3,596 R 59.7K

356.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.6 €86.3

$30.99 R 515

211.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.10 €23.31

$31.32 R 520

-16.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 €80.3

$71.3 R 1,185

26.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$56.3 R 936

156.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 €831

$643 R 10.7K

44.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 €837

$426 R 7,071

120.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 €1,193

$1,341 R 22.3K

-0.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,127

$937 R 15.6K

34.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,446 €3,971

$1,221 R 20.3K

264.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,870 €2,563

$892 R 14.8K

221.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,148 €3,705

$1,418 R 23.5K

192.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

10.12

-65.22%

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

Last update for Mouscron: October 25, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mouscron

$937 42.9%

Somerset West

$426 36.7% 54.6% $511

Eating Out

Mouscron

$332 15.2%

Somerset West

$166 14.3% 50% $166

Groceries & Markets

Mouscron

$319 14.6%

Somerset West

$200 17.2% 37.4% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mouscron

$282 12.9%

Somerset West

$152 13.1% 46.2% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mouscron

$161 7.4%

Somerset West

$86 7.4% 46.8% $75

Getting Around

Mouscron

$86 3.9%

Somerset West

$73 6.3% 14.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Mouscron

$65 3%

Somerset West

$59 5.1% 10.3% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $930 in Mouscron versus $643 in Somerset West. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mouscron are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Mouscron versus $46 in Somerset West. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $200 – making Somerset West the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mouscron

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

04:36 4:36 AM

1 h ahead of Mouscron

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,626

55,166

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mouscron Somerset West 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mouscron
Somerset West

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

Mouscron vs Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mouscron is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,273 per month in Mouscron and $1,740 in Somerset West. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Somerset West, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $643 there versus $930 in Mouscron.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Mouscron, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Mouscron and $46 in Somerset West. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Somerset West, where all-in costs run around $1,160, than in Mouscron at $2,182. In Somerset West it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mouscron it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Somerset West – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Somerset West. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mouscron makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.