Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilvoorde and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilvoorde: $2,162 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Vilvoorde
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Vilvoorde Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Vilvoorde

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,162

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,162 in Vilvoorde versus $2,594 in Brussels.

Vilvoorde $2,162
Brussels $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Vilvoorde versus $3,876 in Brussels.

Vilvoorde $3,121
Brussels $3,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,081 in Vilvoorde versus $5,157 in Brussels.

Vilvoorde $4,081
Brussels $5,157

Living in Vilvoorde costs roughly 17% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vilvoorde 60% above, Brussels 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.03 €19.59

$22.12 €19.67

-0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 €68.1

$89.8 €79.9

-14.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.82

$15.07 €13.41

-26.74%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.83

$4.49 €4.00

-4.01%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$3.67 €3.27

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.59

$3.15 €2.80

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.27 €4.69

$5.67 €5.04

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$5.64 €5.01

-19.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.35 €1.20

-14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.77 €2.46

1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.78 €2.48

-25.54%

Eggs

$3.86 €3.43

$5.22 €4.65

-26.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 €10.08

$17.44 €15.51

-35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.43 €11.06

$13.36 €11.88

-6.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.28 €17.15

$21.90 €19.48

-11.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.03 €2.70

-10.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.42 €2.15

-9.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.83 €2.52

-24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$4.07 €3.62

-43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.56 €2.28

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.24 €1.99

-23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.84 €1.64

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.26 €1.12

-26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.17 €11.71

$13.26 €11.80

-0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 €8.00

$9.61 €8.55

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.60 €2.31

-24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$3.12 €2.78

-41.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.88 €4.34

$2.82 €2.50

73.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 €49.05

$61.6 €54.8

-10.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 €9.01

$2.91 €2.59

248.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.23 €1.98

8.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.73 €22.00

$40.47 €36.00

-38.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.06 €1.83

-0.49%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$36.0K €32.0K

-1.79%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$33.2K €29.6K

-0.38%

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

$219 €195

$283 €252

-22.81%

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

$18.08 €16.09

$21.97 €19.54

-17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 €47.80

$51.7 €46.01

3.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.17 €32.17

$33.30 €29.62

8.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 €17.32

$27.56 €24.51

-29.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.81

$16.33 €14.53

-4.96%

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

$565 €502

$1,569 €1,396

-64.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.3K

$36.7K €32.6K

-56.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.5

$103 €91.9

6.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.13 €23.25

$45.60 €40.56

-42.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$109 €97.2

-1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €134

$146 €130

2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 €844

$1,318 €1,172

-27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 €790

$1,167 €1,038

-23.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,198

$2,463 €2,191

-45.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 €1,095

$1,975 €1,756

-37.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,446 €3,955

$5,099 €4,535

-12.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,069 €2,730

$3,881 €3,453

-20.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,716 €3,305

$3,357 €2,986

10.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

3.71

-13.75%

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

Last update for Vilvoorde: 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

Vilvoorde

$888 41.1%

Brussels

$1.2K 45% 31.5% $279

Groceries & Markets

Vilvoorde

$322 14.9%

Brussels

$392 15.1% 21.9% $70

Eating Out

Vilvoorde

$320 14.8%

Brussels

$343 13.2% 7.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilvoorde

$291 13.4%

Brussels

$357 13.8% 22.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Vilvoorde

$177 8.2%

Brussels

$182 7% 2.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Vilvoorde

$97 4.5%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 10.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Vilvoorde

$67 3.1%

Brussels

$66 2.5% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Vilvoorde and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilvoorde pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $77.0 in Vilvoorde vs $90.0 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $392 per month, with Vilvoorde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Vilvoorde

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

Same time as Vilvoorde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,558

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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Vilvoorde Brussels 10 km

From you

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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

Vilvoorde vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 11% higher in Vilvoorde, 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: $949 in Vilvoorde versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vilvoorde – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,162 in Vilvoorde versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vilvoorde but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Vilvoorde 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, Vilvoorde 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 Vilvoorde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.