Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turnhout and Leuven

For one person, living costs are similar in Turnhout and in Leuven: $2,127 and $2,216 a month, rent and utilities included.

103

Cost of Living Index in Turnhout
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Turnhout Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Leuven
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Leuven Living Index

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Turnhout

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,127

/mo nomad

Leuven

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,127 in Turnhout versus $2,216 in Leuven.

Turnhout $2,127
Leuven $2,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in Turnhout versus $3,275 in Leuven.

Turnhout $3,076
Leuven $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,024 in Turnhout versus $4,334 in Leuven.

Turnhout $4,024
Leuven $4,334

Living in Turnhout costs roughly 4% less than in Leuven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Turnhout 58% above, Leuven 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.17

$22.35 €19.88

1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 €57.0

$77.9 €69.3

-17.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.58 €13.86

$11.01 €9.79

41.51%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$4.46 €3.97

-4.71%

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

$3.09 €2.75

$2.86 €2.54

8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.90 €2.58

-5.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 €4.62

$5.17 €4.59

0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.16

$4.34 €3.86

7.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.34 €1.19

-19.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.78 €2.47

-41.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.97 €1.75

8.12%

Eggs

$3.98 €3.54

$3.89 €3.46

2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 €8.83

$11.71 €10.42

-15.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.11

$12.30 €10.94

-25.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 €17.22

$19.27 €17.14

0.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.78 €2.47

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.11 €1.87

14.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.22 €1.97

13.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.22 €1.97

28.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.26 €2.01

-6.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$1.66 €1.48

16.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.53 €1.36

-28.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.93 €0.83

15.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 €11.55

$13.31 €11.84

-2.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$7.27 €6.47

-30.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.02 €1.80

-18.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.85 €1.65

28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.30 €2.94

-16.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.54 €44.07

$38.55 €34.29

28.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 €10.05

$10.15 €9.03

11.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.42 €2.15

21.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.3 €46.56

$25.21 €22.43

107.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.05 €1.82

-5.85%

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

$34.8K €30.9K

$35.5K €31.5K

-1.98%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$33.4K €29.7K

0.77%

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

$225 €200

$207 €184

8.85%

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

$21.17 €18.83

$18.01 €16.02

17.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.30 €42.07

$53.6 €47.65

-11.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 €111

$41.03 €36.50

203.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.43 €19.95

$19.39 €17.25

15.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.60 €12.10

$14.24 €12.67

-4.49%

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

$547 €487

$700 €622

-21.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K €18.7K

$16.1K €14.4K

30.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.0

$99.1 €88.1

6.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.94 €41.75

$26.01 €23.13

80.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.9

$88.1 €78.4

22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €132

$145 €129

2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €809

$1,111 €989

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$785 €699

$989 €880

-20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 €1,100

$1,960 €1,744

-36.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$1,560 €1,388

-29.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,519 €4,909

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,677 €3,271

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,592 €2,305

$3,761 €3,345

-31.09%

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 Turnhout: October 11, 2026

Last update for Leuven: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turnhout

$786 36.9%

Leuven

$989 44.6% 25.9% $203

Eating Out

Turnhout

$338 15.9%

Leuven

$323 14.6% 4.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turnhout

$294 13.8%

Leuven

$278 12.6% 5.2% $15

Groceries & Markets

Turnhout

$288 13.5%

Leuven

$321 14.5% 11.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Turnhout

$184 8.7%

Leuven

$161 7.3% 12.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Turnhout

$152 7.1%

Leuven

$70 3.1% 54.2% $82

Getting Around

Turnhout

$87 4.1%

Leuven

$74 3.3% 14.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Turnhout and $1,111 in Leuven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leuven pays 45% 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: $64.0 in Turnhout vs $78.0 in Leuven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $321 per month, with Turnhout cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Turnhout

🇧🇪 Leuven

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

Same time as Turnhout

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

102,275

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Turnhout Leuven 52 km

From you

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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

Turnhout vs Leuven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turnhout wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Leuven. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Turnhout the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Leuven. 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: $910 in Turnhout versus $1,111 in Leuven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Leuven. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Turnhout – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $78.0 in Leuven. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,127 in Turnhout versus $2,216 in Leuven, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Turnhout but tight or insufficient in Leuven. The gap between the two cities makes Turnhout 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, Turnhout and Leuven 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 Turnhout gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Leuven. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.