Cost of living comparison

compared to

Palo Alto vs. Brussels Cost of Living Summary

Palo Alto is 43.9% more expensive than Brussels.

Restaurants
pay 3.4% less in Palo Alto
Groceries
pay 31.1% more in Palo Alto
Transportation
pay 12.5% less in Palo Alto
Housing
pay 2.3 times more in Palo Alto
Childcare
pay 45.6% more in Palo Alto
Entertainment and Sports
pay 68.5% more in Palo Alto
Clothing
pay 15.3% less in Palo Alto

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

Palo Alto vs. Brussels Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Palo Alto instead of Brussels, you would:

pay 3.4% less for restaurants

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $22.39
€20.00
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$15.12
€13.50
$13.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.73
€3.33
$3.13
 

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pay 31.1% more for groceries

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Bread
1 loaf
$2.75
€2.45
$5.31
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.91
€7.96
$8.16
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.00
€4.46
$6.38
 

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pay 12.5% less for transportation

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.99
€7.13
$5.86
 
Monthly public transit pass $62.71
€55.99
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,462.03
€31,663.94
$36,998.00
 

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pay 2.3 times more for housing

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$51.88
€46.32
$76.29
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,339.95
€1,196.44
$3,600.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,154.19
€1,030.57
$3,148.75
 

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pay 45.6% more for childcare

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,603.72
€1,431.96
$2,942.94
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $36,825.21
€32,881.12
$42,562.50
 

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pay 68.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.60
€5.00
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.44
€3.97
$5.80
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.44
€12.00
$11.71
 

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pay 15.3% less for clothing

 
Brussels
Palo Alto
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$101.94
€91.02
$67.50
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$46.03
€41.10
$47.67
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$109.64
€97.90
$100.40
 

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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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