Cost of living comparison
France is 16.1% cheaper than Brussels.
If you lived in France instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 13.3% less for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.59
€17.66
|
$15.92
€14.35
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.97
€10.79
|
$10.79
€9.73
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.72
€2.45
|
$2.77
€2.49
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
€2.32
|
$1.90
€1.72
|
|
pay 0.7% more for groceries
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.68
€2.42
|
$1.79
€1.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.38
€7.55
|
$9.16
€8.25
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.89
€5.31
|
$4.45
€4.01
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.11
€3.70
|
$3.91
€3.52
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.43
€4.89
|
$6.37
€5.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.23
€1.11
|
$1.27
€1.15
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
€0.81
|
$0.94
€0.84
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.31
€1.18
|
$1.32
€1.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
€1.17
|
$1.51
€1.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.78
|
$0.92
€0.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.83
€0.75
|
$0.94
€0.85
|
|
pay 5.5% less for transportation
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.19
€6.48
|
$7.43
€6.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.34
€48.06
|
$51.68
€46.57
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,021.96
€27,954.82
|
$31,564.23
€28,443.48
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$24.16
€21.78
|
$18.46
€16.63
|
|
pay 35.1% less for housing
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.82
€52.11
|
$30.98
€27.91
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,165.94
€1,050.66
|
$779.01
€701.99
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$976.56
€880.01
|
$611.60
€551.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$182.93
€164.85
|
$139.72
€125.91
|
|
pay 43.0% less for childcare
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$989.17
€891.37
|
$707.64
€637.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,148.55
€20,859.85
|
$9,850.44
€8,876.53
|
|
pay 0.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.44
€4.90
|
$6.18
€5.57
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.88
€3.50
|
$3.05
€2.75
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.25
€8.34
|
$11.75
€10.59
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.92
€31.46
|
$34.96
€31.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.15
€12.75
|
$11.84
€10.67
|
|
pay 17.3% less for clothing
|
Brussels
|
France
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$104.24
€93.94
|
$92.28
€83.16
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.59
€44.68
|
$37.39
€33.69
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$117.47
€105.85
|
$93.47
€84.23
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$144.77
€130.46
|
$126.59
€114.08
|
|
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