Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Brussels Cost of Living Summary
United States is 6.2% cheaper than Brussels.
- Restaurants
- pay 27.4% less in United States
- Groceries
- pay 9.4% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 23.4% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 14.2% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 14.9% more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 4.3% less in United States
- Clothing
- pay 26.7% less in United States
United States vs. Brussels Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 27.4% less for restaurants
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $29.20 €25.64 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $14.37 €12.61 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.20 €2.81 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $3.03 €2.66 | $2.00 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.4% more for groceries
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.86 €2.51 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.00 €7.03 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.87 €5.15 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.99 €4.38 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.32 €5.55 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.43 €1.25 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.17 €1.03 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.21 €1.06 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.73 €1.52 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.21 €1.06 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.17 €1.02 | $1.38 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 23.4% less for transportation
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $7.25 €6.36 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $64.24 €56.40 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $35,037.93 €30,763.37 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $27.33 €24.00 | $17.61 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 14.2% more for housing
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $56.00 €49.17 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,315.56 €1,155.06 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,101.57 €967.18 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $190.72 €167.46 | $150.19 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 14.9% more for childcare
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,090.35 €957.33 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $22,587.78 €19,832.12 | $23,196.46 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 4.3% less for entertainment and sports
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.89 €6.05 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.78 €4.19 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.43 €11.79 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $40.10 €35.21 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $16.23 €14.25 | $13.64 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.7% less for clothing
Brussels | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $99.27 €87.16 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $46.81 €41.10 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $112.78 €99.02 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $149.88 €131.60 | $112.04 | |
Brussels vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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