Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 37.1% more expensive than Madrid.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 22.1% more for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.16
€13.81
|
$19.59
€17.84
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.32
€9.39
|
$11.97
€10.90
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
€2.46
|
$2.72
€2.48
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.81
€1.65
|
$2.58
€2.35
|
|
pay 23.9% more for groceries
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.74
€1.58
|
$2.68
€2.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.67
€6.98
|
$8.38
€7.63
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.36
€3.97
|
$5.89
€5.36
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.02
€2.75
|
$4.11
€3.74
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.87
€3.53
|
$5.43
€4.94
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.14
€1.04
|
$1.23
€1.12
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
€0.81
|
$0.89
€0.81
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.88
|
$1.31
€1.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.13
€1.03
|
$1.30
€1.18
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.66
|
$0.87
€0.79
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.77
€0.70
|
$0.83
€0.76
|
|
pay 13.8% more for transportation
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.78
€6.18
|
$7.19
€6.55
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.15
€49.31
|
$53.34
€48.57
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,133.87
€32,902.81
|
$31,021.96
€28,248.01
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.65
€13.34
|
$24.16
€22.00
|
|
pay 26.0% more for housing
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$33.64
€30.63
|
$57.82
€52.65
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,370.72
€1,248.15
|
$1,165.94
€1,061.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$989.21
€900.75
|
$976.56
€889.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$123.32
€112.29
|
$182.93
€166.58
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$543.23
€494.65
|
$989.17
€900.72
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,978.95
€9,086.64
|
$23,148.55
€21,078.63
|
|
pay 29.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.79
€3.45
|
$5.44
€4.96
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.63
€2.39
|
$3.88
€3.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.12
€5.57
|
$9.25
€8.42
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.46
€44.13
|
$34.92
€31.79
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.83
€9.86
|
$14.15
€12.89
|
|
pay 37.5% more for clothing
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$83.95
€76.44
|
$104.24
€94.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$33.93
€30.90
|
$49.59
€45.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.19
€79.40
|
$117.47
€106.96
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$99.93
€91.00
|
$144.77
€131.82
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Brussels or Madrid. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.