Cost of Living in Brussels, 🇧🇪 Belgium - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 1 2 3 $1,235 $1,112 $1,800 $730 $135

Utilities 1 3 — $190 $262 $169 —

Internet & Mobile 6 7 14 $17 $70 $86 $67 $0

Groceries 1 16 23 24 25 26 $99 $419 $945 $315 $14

Transportation 2 9 11 $190 $91 $280 $69 $20

Dining Out 18 21 31 $1,683 $520 $680 $229 $80

Leisure Activities 1 13 15 22 $280 $250 $1,761 $95 $32

Health Insurance 8 10 $63 $95 $240 $35 —

Visa & Legal Fees 12 — $28 $50 — —

Total $3,567 $2,775 $6,104 $1,709 $281

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 1 3 $1,112.00 $903 – $1,250 per month

Coworking Space 4 $331.13 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 3 $1,235.00 $876 – $1,571 per month

Coliving Space 3 $982.00 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 31 $4.38 per cup

Beer 21 $6.18 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 21 $19.08 per meal

Fast Food Combo 18 $14.14 per meal

Apples 1 $3.04 per kg

Bread 26 $1.56 per loaf

Milk 16 $1.29 per liter

Rice 23 $2.01 per kg

Chicken Fillets 24 $16.53 per kg

Beef 25 $16.81 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 1 $9.36 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 21 $84.18 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 19 $1.48 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 11 $2.92 per trip

Taxi per km 11 $2.58 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 2 $62.86 per month

Gasoline 29 $2.14 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 11 $15.83 per trip

Scooter Rental 27 $19.54 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 6 $16.84 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 14 $50.51 per month

Gym Membership 13 $30.38 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 22 $25.36 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 7 $5.61 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 15 $16.00 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 1 $102.00 per pair

Summer Dress 28 $33.66 per dress

Running Shoes 1 $106.00 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 30 $24.69 per visit

Laundry 20 $6.73 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 17 10 $26.39 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 1 $10.47 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 0.8909 EUR on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Antwerp, Ghent, Amsterdam, Berlin, Zurich, Hanoi

Livingcost.org crowdsourced Brussels basket (updated Jun 2026)Index
STIB-MIVB network season ticket €56/month (Brussels)Official
HousingAnywhere Brussels furnished 1BR €780–€1,100/month (Oct 2026)Listings
BetaCowork Brussels full-time flex desk €295/month excl. VATOfficial
Belgium Octane-95 €1.99/litre (19 Oct 2026)Index
Mobile Vikings €15/month (40 GB)Official
Proximus Pay&Go+ prepaid (country prep)Official
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
Wikivoyage Brussels STIB contactless €2.40/journey, €8.50 daily capSecondary
UK FCDO Belgium health (EHIC/GHIC, paid GP visits)Official
Brussels-Capital unreserved taxi €2.60 pick-up + €2.30/kmOfficial
UK FCDO Belgium Schengen entry (90/180 days)Official
Basic-Fit Comfort €24.99/4 weeksOfficial
Proximus Internet Go Fiber €44.99/month promo (150 Mbps unlimited)Official
UGC Toison d’Or Brussels plein tarif €14.25Official
Delhaize skim milk €1.15/L (Belgium delivery shop)Official
CM recognized GP consultation fee €23.50 (Jan 2026)Official
McDonald's Belgium Big Mac McMenu €12.60 (delivery menu cross-check)Listings
Thysshop Spa Reine PET 1.5 L €1.32Official
WASBAR laundry €6/machine (detergent incl.)Official
Bagnole Brasserie Brussels menu (espresso €3, Duvel 33 cl €5.50, mains €12–€22)Official
Centre Sportif Mounier guest tennis €22.60/h outdoor weekendsOfficial
ALDI BON-RI basmatirijst €1.79/kgOfficial
ALDI Kipfilet €14.73/kg (400 g pack)Official
ALDI Rundsstoofvlees €14.98/kgOfficial
ALDI Pain blanc frais 600 g €1.39Official
Swapfiets Deluxe 7 €17.40/month incl. VATOfficial
H&M BE Mouwloze strandjurk van katoen €29.99Official
Q8 easy Schaarbeek Euro 95 pump €1.904/LOfficial
Coiffeur Paul Brussels men’s cut €22Official
Café Boudin Brussels espresso €3.90Official

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 2772.96 1235
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 1213.17 1112
- Apples 3.06 3.04
- Beef 21.37 16.81
- Beer 5.78 6.18
40 more changes
- Bread 2.77 1.56
- Chicken Fillets 14.79 16.53
- Cinema Ticket 15.6 16
- Coffee 4.39 4.38
- Coliving Space 1097.63 982
- Coworking Space 248.41 331.13
- Dining Out local 161.76, nomad 1097.63, expat 439.05, family 519.93, tourist 75.1 local 229, nomad 1683, expat 520, family 680, tourist 80
- Doctor Visit (GP) 36.97 26.39
- Fast Food Combo 13.29 14.14
- Gasoline 2.06 2.14
- Groceries local 369.73, nomad 173.31, expat 485.27, family 982.09, tourist 9.24 local 315, nomad 99, expat 419, family 945, tourist 14
- Gym Membership 40.44 30.38
- Haircut 34.66 24.69
- Health Insurance local 34.66, nomad 75.1, expat 51.99, family 127.09, tourist 0 local 35, nomad 62.72, expat 95, family 240, tourist 0
- Housing local 982.09, nomad 2021.95, expat 1328.71, family 2253.03, tourist 127.09 local 730, nomad 1235, expat 1112, family 1800, tourist 135
- Internet & Mobile local 51.99, nomad 109.76, expat 75.1, family 127.09, tourist 5.78 local 67.35, nomad 16.84, expat 70.14, family 86, tourist 0.37
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 55.46 50.51
- Jeans 98.21 102
- Laundry 7.51 6.73
- Leisure Activities local 92.43, nomad 404.39, expat 254.19, family 346.62, tourist 28.89 local 95, nomad 280, expat 250, family 1761, tourist 32
- Meal (Inexpensive) 20.8 19.08
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 92.43 84.18
- Milk 1.68 1.29
- Mobile Plan 28.89 16.84
- Monthly Transport Pass 60.08 62.86
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 10.98 10.47
- Rice 2.54 2.01
- Ride-hailing (5km) 16.18 15.83
- Running Shoes 109.76 106
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 23.11 5.61
- Scooter Rental 14.44 19.54
- Summer Dress 48.53 33.66
- Taxi Start 5.78 2.92
- Taxi per km 2.66 2.58
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 25.42 25.36
- Transportation local 57.77, nomad 92.43, expat 69.32, family 207.97, tourist 13.86 local 69, nomad 190, expat 91, family 280, tourist 20
- Utilities local 207.97, nomad 0, expat 242.63, family 392.84, tourist 0 local 169, nomad 0, expat 190, family 262, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, expat 28.89, family 46.22 local 0, expat 28, family 50
- Water (1.5L bottle) 1.33 1.48
- Wine (Mid-range) 10.98 9.36
Lint fix — primary sources for groceries, dining, leisure, connectivity and fuel: Bread, Milk, Rice, Chicken Fillets, Beef, Beer, Meal (Inexpensive), Fast Food Combo, Coffee, Gasoline, Internet (60 Mbps+), Gym Membership, Tennis Court (Weekend), Cinema Ticket, Summer Dress, Haircut, Laundry, Water (1.5L bottle), Meal (Mid-range, 2 people), Doctor Visit (GP), Scooter Rental, Groceries (local, expat, family), Dining Out (local), Internet & Mobile (local) (cafeboudin.be, bagnole-brasserie.be, aldi.be, q8.be, proximus.be, basic-fit.com, ugc.be, mounier.be, cm.be)

Brussels cost of living