Cost of living comparison
Washington is 41.2% more expensive than Brussels.
If you lived in Washington instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 1.6% more for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.59
€17.84
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.97
€10.90
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.72
€2.48
|
$2.48
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
€2.35
|
$2.25
|
|
pay 39.5% more for groceries
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.68
€2.44
|
$3.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.38
€7.63
|
$7.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.89
€5.36
|
$4.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.11
€3.74
|
$3.95
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.43
€4.94
|
$5.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.23
€1.12
|
$2.34
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
€0.81
|
$0.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.31
€1.19
|
$2.28
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
€1.18
|
$2.56
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.79
|
$1.57
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.83
€0.76
|
$1.54
|
|
pay 0.6% more for transportation
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.19
€6.55
|
$3.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.34
€48.57
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,021.96
€28,248.01
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$24.16
€22.00
|
$20.96
|
|
pay 53.6% more for housing
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.82
€52.65
|
$63.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,165.94
€1,061.68
|
$2,560.23
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$976.56
€889.24
|
$2,084.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$182.93
€166.58
|
$131.15
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$989.17
€900.72
|
$2,326.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,148.55
€21,078.63
|
$51,000.00
|
|
pay 67.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.44
€4.96
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.88
€3.54
|
$5.48
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.25
€8.42
|
$12.11
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$34.92
€31.79
|
$104.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.15
€12.89
|
$16.68
|
|
pay 2.1% less for clothing
|
Brussels
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$104.24
€94.92
|
$73.41
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$49.59
€45.15
|
$50.96
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$117.47
€106.96
|
$115.93
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$144.77
€131.82
|
$173.48
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Washington or Brussels. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.