Cost of living comparison
compared to
District of Columbia vs. Belgium Cost of Living Summary
District of Columbia is 57.2% more expensive than Belgium overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.8% more in District of Columbia
- Groceries
- pay 55.6% more in District of Columbia
- Transportation
- pay 6.9% less in District of Columbia
- Housing
- pay 86.2% more in District of Columbia
- Childcare
- pay 3.2 times more in District of Columbia
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 55.4% more in District of Columbia
- Clothing
- pay 11.9% less in District of Columbia
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in District of Columbia are more expensive than in Belgium. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in District of Columbia. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in District of Columbia.
District of Columbia vs. Belgium Cost Breakdown
If you lived in District of Columbia instead of Belgium, you would:
pay 2.8% more for restaurants
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.66 €19.02 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.33 €10.83 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.19 €2.80 | $3.20 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.83 €2.49 | $2.79 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of restaurants
pay 55.6% more for groceries
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.55 €2.24 | $4.43 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.10 €7.11 | $8.04 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.75 €4.17 | $4.19 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.74 €3.28 | $4.55 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.20 €4.57 | $7.74 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.25 €1.10 | $2.95 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.99 €0.87 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.10 €0.97 | $2.20 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.34 €1.17 | $3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.97 €0.85 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.87 €0.76 | $1.64 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of groceries
pay 6.9% less for transportation
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.22 €6.34 | $3.53 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $49.16 €43.16 | $77.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,841.25 €28,834.69 | $35,699.74 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $29.18 €25.62 | $16.73 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of transportation
pay 86.2% more for housing
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $52.08 €45.73 | $69.41 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $934.06 €820.11 | $2,568.48 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $834.65 €732.82 | $2,088.16 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $169.50 €148.82 | $146.54 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of housing
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $654.08 €574.28 | $2,650.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $17,251.80 €15,147.12 | $40,166.67 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of childcare
pay 55.4% more for entertainment and sports
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.26 €4.62 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.93 €3.45 | $6.07 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $12.47 €10.95 | $13.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $41.53 €36.46 | $103.76 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.42 €12.66 | $16.75 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.9% less for clothing
Belgium | District of Columbia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $105.97 €93.04 | $76.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $50.26 €44.13 | $48.40 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $105.17 €92.34 | $104.31 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $156.22 €137.16 | $133.22 | |
Belgium vs. District of Columbia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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Compare further: Belgium vs. District of Columbia
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Belgium vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Belgium and United States.
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