Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sint-Niklaas and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Sint-Niklaas: $2,078 a month against $2,584 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Sint-Niklaas
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Sint-Niklaas Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Sint-Niklaas

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,078

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,078 in Sint-Niklaas versus $2,584 in Brussels.

Sint-Niklaas $2,078
Brussels $2,584

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Sint-Niklaas versus $3,923 in Brussels.

Sint-Niklaas $2,986
Brussels $3,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,895 in Sint-Niklaas versus $5,262 in Brussels.

Sint-Niklaas $3,895
Brussels $5,262

Living in Sint-Niklaas costs roughly 20% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sint-Niklaas 53% above, Brussels 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.49 €20.20

$22.51 €20.23

-0.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 €71.2

$91.2 €81.9

-13.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.96

$15.19 €13.65

-12.38%

Cappuccino

$4.33 €3.89

$4.55 €4.08

-4.84%

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

$2.92 €2.62

$3.63 €3.27

-19.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.53

$3.02 €2.71

-6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.07

$5.69 €5.11

-0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.99

$5.55 €4.98

-19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.35 €1.21

1.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 €2.36

$2.76 €2.48

-5.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.84 €2.55

-29.23%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.53

$5.19 €4.66

-24.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 €10.53

$17.84 €16.03

-34.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 €10.55

$13.04 €11.72

-9.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.35 €17.38

$21.85 €19.63

-11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$3.13 €2.81

-10.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.92

$2.42 €2.18

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$2.81 €2.53

-23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$4.03 €3.62

-42.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.46 €2.21

-10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.54

$2.18 €1.96

-21.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.86 €1.67

-19.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.86

$1.22 €1.10

-22.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.19 €11.85

$13.60 €12.22

-3.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 €6.60

$9.57 €8.59

-23.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.70 €2.43

-30.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.66

$3.00 €2.70

-38.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.49

$2.76 €2.48

0.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €55.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.09

$2.95 €2.65

91.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.24 €2.01

8.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.61 €23.01

$40.78 €36.64

-37.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.06 €1.85

-3.88%

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

$36.0K €32.4K

$34.8K €31.3K

3.52%

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

$36.8K €33.0K

$35.7K €32.1K

3.07%

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

$214 €192

$280 €252

-23.51%

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

$21.95 €19.72

$21.20 €19.05

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.42 €43.51

$52.0 €46.73

-6.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.53 €31.93

$32.34 €29.06

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.93

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 €12.99

$15.88 €14.27

-8.94%

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

$738 €664

$1,596 €1,434

-53.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.4K

$36.2K €32.5K

-55.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €102

$101 €90.9

11.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 €48.24

$46.78 €42.04

14.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.8

$114 €102

-8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 €152

$143 €129

17.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 €842

$1,393 €1,252

-32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 €765

$1,160 €1,042

-26.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,385 €1,245

$2,518 €2,263

-44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 €1,022

$2,076 €1,865

-45.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,282 €2,949

$4,877 €4,382

-32.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,809 €2,524

$3,718 €3,341

-24.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,709 €4,231

$3,392 €3,048

38.83%

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 Sint-Niklaas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sint-Niklaas

$852 41%

Brussels

$1.2K 44.9% 36.2% $308

Eating Out

Sint-Niklaas

$332 16%

Brussels

$346 13.4% 4.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

Sint-Niklaas

$318 15.3%

Brussels

$391 15.2% 23.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sint-Niklaas

$285 13.7%

Brussels

$353 13.7% 24.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sint-Niklaas

$198 9.5%

Brussels

$182 7.1% 8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sint-Niklaas

$64 3.1%

Brussels

$64 2.5% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Sint-Niklaas

$29 * 1.4%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 201% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $937 in Sint-Niklaas and $1,393 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sint-Niklaas pays 39% 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 Sint-Niklaas vs $91 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $391 per month, with Sint-Niklaas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Sint-Niklaas

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Sint-Niklaas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,010

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sint-Niklaas Brussels 38 km

From you

Sint-Niklaas
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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

Sint-Niklaas vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sint-Niklaas wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sint-Niklaas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Sint-Niklaas, 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: $937 in Sint-Niklaas versus $1,393 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $738 in Sint-Niklaas versus $1,596 in Brussels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sint-Niklaas 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, Sint-Niklaas 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.