Cost of living comparison

Belgium

compared to

United States

New York City vs. Brussels Cost of Living Summary

New York City is 58.3% more expensive than Brussels.

Restaurants: pay 6.4% more in New York City
Groceries: pay 46.8% more in New York City
Transportation: pay 1.9% less in New York City
Housing: pay 2.4 times more in New York City
Childcare: pay 86.6% more in New York City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 81.3% more in New York City
Clothing: pay 3.3% less in New York City

The cost of housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in New York City are more expensive than in Brussels. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in New York City. Notably, housing, childcare, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in New York City.

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New York City vs. Brussels Cost Breakdown

If you lived in New York City instead of Brussels, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 6.4% more for restaurants

	Brussels	New York City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$22.39 €20.09	$26.50	+18.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$15.12 €13.56	$14.50	-4.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.73 €3.34	$3.95	+6.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$3.11 €2.79	$2.97	-4.7%
Average			+6.4%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants

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pay 46.8% more for groceries

	Brussels	New York City
Bread 1 loaf	$2.75 €2.47	$4.78	+73.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.91 €7.99	$9.47	+6.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.00 €4.48	$5.13	+2.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.29 €4.75	$6.03	+13.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.97 €5.36	$7.93	+32.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.40 €1.25	$3.11	+123.3%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.09 €0.98	$0.96	-11.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.27 €1.14	$2.83	+123.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.87 €1.68	$3.08	+64.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.14 €1.02	$1.83	+60.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.00 €0.89	$2.04	+104.7%
Average			+46.8%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of groceries

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pay 1.9% less for transportation

	Brussels	New York City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$7.99 €7.17	$4.31	-46.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$62.71 €56.26	$140.00	+123.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,462.03 €31,814.76	$35,458.00
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$21.27 €19.09	$20.44	-3.9%
Average			-1.9%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.4 times more for housing

	Brussels	New York City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$51.88 €46.55	$71.57	+38.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,339.95 €1,202.14	$4,447.32	+231.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,154.19 €1,035.48	$3,217.65	+178.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$215.91 €193.71	$164.80	-23.7%
Average			+137.6%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of housing

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pay 86.6% more for childcare

	Brussels	New York City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,603.72 €1,438.78	$3,379.10	+110.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$36,825.21 €33,037.74	$60,882.67	+65.3%
Average			+86.6%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of childcare

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pay 81.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Brussels	New York City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.60 €5.02	$8.50	+51.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.44 €3.99	$6.50	+46.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.44 €12.05	$19.00	+41.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$32.93 €29.54	$121.41	+268.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$16.68 €14.97	$22.50	+34.9%
Average			+81.3%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 3.3% less for clothing

	Brussels	New York City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$101.94 €91.46	$75.86	-25.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$46.03 €41.30	$54.45	+18.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$109.64 €98.36	$120.38	+9.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$146.15 €131.12	$132.00	-9.7%
Average			-3.3%

Brussels vs. New York City - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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