Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostend and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostend: $1,810 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Ostend
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Ostend Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Ostend

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,810

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ostend 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 Ostend and in Brussels actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,810 in Ostend versus $2,594 in Brussels.

Ostend $1,810
Brussels $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,702 in Ostend versus $3,876 in Brussels.

Ostend $2,702
Brussels $3,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,595 in Ostend versus $5,157 in Brussels.

Ostend $3,595
Brussels $5,157

Living in Ostend costs roughly 30% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ostend 34% above, Brussels 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.10 €19.65

$22.12 €19.67

-0.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.3

$89.8 €79.9

-11.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.94

$15.07 €13.41

-25.81%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.64

$4.49 €4.00

-8.91%

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

$3.00 €2.67

$3.67 €3.27

-18.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.15 €2.80

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 €3.91

$5.67 €5.04

-22.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €3.99

$5.64 €5.01

-20.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.35 €1.20

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.77 €2.46

-2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.78 €2.48

-25.18%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$5.22 €4.65

-28.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 €10.40

$17.44 €15.51

-32.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 €10.47

$13.36 €11.88

-11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 €11.97

$21.90 €19.48

-38.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$3.03 €2.70

-6.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.42 €2.15

-11.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.83 €2.52

-24.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.06

$4.07 €3.62

-43.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.56 €2.28

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.24 €1.99

-23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.84 €1.64

-33.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.26 €1.12

-26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 €9.01

$13.26 €11.80

-23.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.10

$9.61 €8.55

-28.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.60 €2.31

-19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.12 €2.78

-41.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.01

$2.82 €2.50

20.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.31 €34.07

$61.6 €54.8

-37.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 €3.00

$2.91 €2.59

16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.23 €1.98

2.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 €22.26

$40.47 €36.00

-38.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.06 €1.83

-5.34%

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

$34.6K €30.7K

$36.0K €32.0K

-3.99%

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

$30.6K €27.2K

$33.2K €29.6K

-7.99%

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

$176 €156

$283 €252

-38.04%

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

$18.08 €16.08

$21.97 €19.54

-17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 €47.23

$51.7 €46.01

2.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.39 €32.36

$33.30 €29.62

9.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.02 €9.80

$27.56 €24.51

-60.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.77

$16.33 €14.53

-12.06%

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

$391 €348

$1,569 €1,396

-75.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €14.2K

$36.7K €32.6K

-56.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 €88.4

$103 €91.9

-3.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.26 €23.36

$45.60 €40.56

-42.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 €78.1

$109 €97.2

-19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$146 €130

-17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 €704

$1,318 €1,172

-39.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €598

$1,167 €1,038

-42.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 €1,108

$2,463 €2,191

-49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$1,975 €1,756

-50.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,674 €3,268

$5,099 €4,535

-27.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 €1,706

$3,881 €3,453

-50.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,097 €2,755

$3,357 €2,986

-7.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

3.71

-10.24%

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

Last update for Ostend: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostend

$673 37.1%

Brussels

$1.2K 45% 73.5% $494

Eating Out

Ostend

$312 17.3%

Brussels

$343 13.2% 9.8% $30

Groceries & Markets

Ostend

$297 16.4%

Brussels

$392 15.1% 32.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostend

$247 13.6%

Brussels

$357 13.8% 44.7% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Ostend

$150 8.3%

Brussels

$182 7% 21.2% $32

Getting Around

Ostend

$67 3.7%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 30.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ostend

$65 3.6%

Brussels

$66 2.5% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $792 in Ostend and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Ostend vs $90.0 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $392 per month, with Ostend cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Ostend

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Ostend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,600

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ostend Brussels 110 km

From you

Ostend
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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

Ostend vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ostend wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ostend the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Brussels. 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: $792 in Ostend versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ostend – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,810 in Ostend versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Ostend but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Ostend 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, Ostend and Brussels are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ostend gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.