Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zottegem and Brussels

For one person, living is cheaper in Zottegem: $2,016 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Zottegem
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Zottegem Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Zottegem

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,016

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,016 in Zottegem versus $2,594 in Brussels.

Zottegem $2,016
Brussels $2,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,967 in Zottegem versus $3,876 in Brussels.

Zottegem $2,967
Brussels $3,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,918 in Zottegem versus $5,157 in Brussels.

Zottegem $3,918
Brussels $5,157

Living in Zottegem costs roughly 22% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zottegem 49% above, Brussels 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.94 €21.30

$22.12 €19.67

8.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.5 €63.6

$89.8 €79.9

-20.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 €10.81

$15.07 €13.41

-19.31%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.57

$4.49 €4.00

-10.69%

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

$2.46 €2.19

$3.67 €3.27

-32.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.15 €2.80

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 €4.57

$5.67 €5.04

-9.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.64 €5.01

-22.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.35 €1.20

8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.77 €2.46

-48.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.78 €2.48

-19.06%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.92

$5.22 €4.65

-15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.78 €14.92

$17.44 €15.51

-3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 €10.40

$13.36 €11.88

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 €17.20

$21.90 €19.48

-11.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$3.03 €2.70

-10.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.42 €2.15

-7.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.83 €2.52

-11.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$4.07 €3.62

-30.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.56 €2.28

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.24 €1.99

-12.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.84 €1.64

-16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.26 €1.12

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.99 €11.55

$13.26 €11.80

-2.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.96

$9.61 €8.55

-18.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.60 €2.31

-24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.12 €2.78

-36.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.82 €2.50

8.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.91 €2.59

95.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.23 €1.98

11.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.63 €21.91

$40.47 €36.00

-39.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.06 €1.83

-1.46%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$36.0K €32.0K

-3.02%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$33.2K €29.6K

11.35%

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

$204 €181

$283 €252

-28.13%

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

$21.82 €19.41

$21.97 €19.54

-0.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.09

$51.7 €46.01

-2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.81 €31.86

$33.30 €29.62

7.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.63 €17.46

$27.56 €24.51

-28.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.33 €12.75

$16.33 €14.53

-12.25%

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

$828 €736

$1,569 €1,396

-47.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.7K

$36.7K €32.6K

-48.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.5

$103 €91.9

-0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.75 €42.47

$45.60 €40.56

4.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$109 €97.2

-6.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €127

$146 €130

-1.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 €811

$1,318 €1,172

-30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 €715

$1,167 €1,038

-31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,246

$2,463 €2,191

-43.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 €1,058

$1,975 €1,756

-39.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,154 €3,695

$5,099 €4,535

-18.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,881 €2,562

$3,881 €3,453

-25.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,187 €1,945

$3,357 €2,986

-34.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.71

-6.74%

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

Last update for Zottegem: 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

Zottegem

$804 39.9%

Brussels

$1.2K 45% 45.2% $363

Groceries & Markets

Zottegem

$332 16.5%

Brussels

$392 15.1% 18.2% $61

Eating Out

Zottegem

$332 16.5%

Brussels

$343 13.2% 3.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zottegem

$276 13.7%

Brussels

$357 13.8% 29.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Zottegem

$178 8.8%

Brussels

$182 7% 2.1% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Zottegem

$64 3.2%

Brussels

$66 2.5% 2.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Zottegem

$30 * 1.5%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 187% $57

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 $911 in Zottegem and $1,318 in Brussels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 54% 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: $72.0 in Zottegem vs $90.0 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $392 per month, with Zottegem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Zottegem

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as Zottegem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,434

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

Zottegem Brussels 38 km

From you

Zottegem
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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

Zottegem vs Brussels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zottegem wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zottegem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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: $911 in Zottegem versus $1,318 in Brussels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $828 in Zottegem versus $1,569 in Brussels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zottegem – a meal for two runs $72.0 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,016 in Zottegem versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Zottegem but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Zottegem 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, Zottegem 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 Zottegem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.