Cost of living comparison
France is 9.6% cheaper than Brussels.
If you lived in France instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 5.0% less for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.49
€15.15
|
$16.13
€14.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.90
€9.09
|
$9.98
€9.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
€2.37
|
$2.76
€2.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.54
€2.33
|
$1.88
€1.73
|
|
pay 12.5% more for groceries
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.31
€2.13
|
$1.66
€1.53
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.55
€6.94
|
$8.33
€7.65
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.69
€4.31
|
$4.25
€3.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.50
€3.21
|
$3.47
€3.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.96
€4.56
|
$5.22
€4.80
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.14
€1.04
|
$1.30
€1.20
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
€0.72
|
$0.98
€0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
€1.07
|
$1.29
€1.18
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
€1.25
|
$1.51
€1.39
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
€0.63
|
$0.87
€0.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
€0.55
|
$1.03
€0.95
|
|
pay 6.6% less for transportation
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.71
€7.08
|
$7.84
€7.20
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.87
€49.49
|
$52.45
€48.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,486.24
€25,247.49
|
$26,223.89
€24,087.96
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.76
€20.90
|
$18.05
€16.58
|
|
pay 29.9% less for housing
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.77
€51.23
|
$30.93
€28.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,043.18
€958.21
|
$760.64
€698.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$873.71
€802.55
|
$610.71
€560.97
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$164.26
€150.88
|
$135.03
€124.04
|
|
pay 41.2% less for childcare
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$944.84
€867.88
|
$674.24
€619.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,473.75
€22,480.36
|
$11,309.03
€10,387.91
|
|
pay 3.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.50
€5.05
|
$6.24
€5.73
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.72
€3.41
|
$2.93
€2.69
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.80
€8.08
|
$11.11
€10.20
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.17
€31.38
|
$37.98
€34.89
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.19
€12.12
|
$11.22
€10.31
|
|
pay 0.2% more for clothing
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$89.22
€81.96
|
$85.18
€78.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.58
€29.93
|
$38.90
€35.73
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.94
€89.97
|
$90.98
€83.57
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$132.04
€121.29
|
$122.71
€112.72
|
|
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