Cost of living comparison

compared to

Princeton vs. Brussels Cost of Living Summary

Princeton is 25.0% more expensive than Brussels.

Restaurants
pay 11.4% less in Princeton
Groceries
pay 23.5% more in Princeton
Transportation
pay 3.6% more in Princeton
Housing
pay 60.4% more in Princeton
Childcare
pay 15.1% more in Princeton
Entertainment and Sports
pay 60.6% more in Princeton
Clothing
pay 28.0% less in Princeton

The cost of entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, childcare, and transportation in Princeton are more expensive than in Brussels. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in Princeton.

Princeton vs. Brussels Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Princeton instead of Brussels, you would:

pay 11.4% less for restaurants

 
Brussels
Princeton
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $22.39
€20.00
$20.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$15.12
€13.50
$15.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $3.73
€3.33
$2.50
 

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pay 23.5% more for groceries

 
Brussels
Princeton
Bread
1 loaf
$2.75
€2.45
$3.67
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.91
€7.96
$12.68
 
Milk (1 gallon) $5.00
€4.46
$4.02
 

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pay 3.6% more for transportation

 
Brussels
Princeton
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.99
€7.13
$3.58
 
Monthly public transit pass $62.71
€55.99
$199.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,462.03
€31,663.94
$36,651.00
 

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pay 60.4% more for housing

 
Brussels
Princeton
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$51.88
€46.32
$55.75
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,339.95
€1,196.44
$2,882.50
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,154.19
€1,030.57
$1,925.00
 

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pay 15.1% more for childcare

 
Brussels
Princeton
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,603.72
€1,431.96
$1,956.48
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $36,825.21
€32,881.12
$40,000.00
 

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pay 60.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Brussels
Princeton
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.60
€5.00
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.44
€3.97
$5.20
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$13.44
€12.00
$11.41
 

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pay 28.0% less for clothing

 
Brussels
Princeton
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$101.94
€91.02
$38.50
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$46.03
€41.10
$55.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$109.64
€97.90
$81.67
 

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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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