Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Belgium

Name: Belgium
Address: BE

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgium: $2,201 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the United Kingdom outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Belgium

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $2,201 in Belgium.

United Kingdom $2,462
Belgium $2,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $3,255 in Belgium.

United Kingdom $3,600
Belgium $3,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $4,309 in Belgium.

United Kingdom $4,738
Belgium $4,309

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $1,774–$2,584 in Belgium. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 12% more expensive than in Belgium on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: the United Kingdom 81% above, Belgium 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.05

$22.69 €20.33

-5.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.1

$89.9 €80.6

-4.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$13.32 €11.94

-20.35%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$4.03 €3.61

21.84%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$3.40 €3.04

-21.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$2.97 €2.66

-37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$5.67 €5.08

16.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$5.17 €4.63

32.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.32 €1.18

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$2.52 €2.26

-31.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$2.30 €2.06

-5.65%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$4.16 €3.72

-3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$15.45 €13.85

-39.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$12.14 €10.88

-24.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$20.36 €18.24

-27.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$2.74 €2.45

8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$2.36 €2.11

-31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.74 €2.46

4.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$3.32 €2.98

6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.22 €1.99

-17.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.82 €1.63

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.54 €1.38

-18.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.09 €0.98

52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.67

$12.97 €11.62

82.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$9.06 €8.12

15.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.90 €1.71

56.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$2.37 €2.12

48.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$3.43 €3.07

16.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$62.1 €55.7

72.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$5.64 €5.06

-8.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.62 €2.34

-10.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.05

$44.53 €39.90

-39.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.97 €1.76

1.02%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$34.7K €31.1K

13.59%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$36.3K €32.5K

11.54%

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

$327 £244

$229 €205

42.76%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$22.44 €20.11

-18.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.57

$53.9 €48.30

-19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.64

$35.15 €31.50

20.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.61

$20.81 €18.64

-12.45%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$14.90 €13.35

-7.05%

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

$1,868 £1,396

$1,055 €945

77.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$29.1K €26.0K

-22.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$105 €94.1

-11.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.30

$48.39 €43.36

-5.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$106 €94.7

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$147 €132

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,003

$981 €879

36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £802

$869 €779

23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,667

$1,529 €1,370

45.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$1,279 €1,147

36.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,185

$4,522 €4,053

23.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,186

$3,161 €2,833

34.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,502

$2,999 €2,687

11.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.64

46.15%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Belgium: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Belgium

$869 39.5% 19% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Belgium

$306 13.9% 21.5% $83

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Belgium

$334 15.2% 2% $6.4

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Belgium

$350 15.9% 13.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Belgium

$183 8.3% 18.4% $28

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Belgium

$95 4.3% 32.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Belgium

$65 3% 7.3% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $930 in Belgium. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $1,393 in Brussels.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $2,913 in Belgium. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 87% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 12% higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇧🇪 Belgium

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

16:06 4:06 PM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

11,584,008

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Belgium 320 km

From you

United Kingdom
Belgium

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

United Kingdom vs Belgium: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,201 per month in Belgium and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Belgium comes out about 11% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $930 in Belgium. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Belgium wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.