Cost of living comparison
compared to
Brussels vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Brussels is 16.1% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.8% more in Brussels
- Groceries
-
pay 0.6% more in Brussels
- Transportation
-
pay 43.4% more in Brussels
- Housing
-
pay 8.8% less in Brussels
- Childcare
-
pay 12.0% less in Brussels
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 8.7% more in Brussels
- Clothing
-
pay 42.2% more in Brussels
The cost of transportation, clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Brussels are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare and housing are lower in Brussels.
Brussels vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Brussels instead of United States, you would:
pay 38.8% more for restaurants
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$29.20
€25.08
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$14.37
€12.34
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$3.20
€2.74
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$3.03
€2.60
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - Cost of restaurants
pay 0.6% more for groceries
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$2.86
€2.46
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$8.00
€6.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$5.87
€5.04
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$4.99
€4.29
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$6.32
€5.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.43
€1.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$1.17
€1.01
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.21
€1.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.73
€1.49
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.21
€1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.17
€1.00
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - Cost of groceries
pay 43.4% more for transportation
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$7.25
€6.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$64.24
€55.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$35,037.93
€30,090.96
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$27.33
€23.47
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - Cost of transportation
pay 8.8% less for housing
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$56.00
€48.10
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,315.56
€1,129.82
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$1,101.57
€946.04
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$190.72
€163.80
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - Cost of housing
pay 12.0% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$1,090.35
€936.40
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$22,587.78
€19,398.64
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - Cost of childcare
pay 8.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.89
€5.92
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.78
€4.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$13.43
€11.53
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$40.10
€34.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$16.23
€13.94
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 42.2% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$99.27
€85.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$46.81
€40.20
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$112.78
€96.86
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$149.88
€128.72
|
|
United States vs. Brussels - 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: December 2025
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