Cost of living comparison
Boston is 77.6% more expensive than Belgium overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.1% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 91.7% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 7.7% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 2.5 times more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1 times more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 73.8% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 1.2% more in Boston
The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in Boston are more expensive than in Belgium. Notably, childcare, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Boston.
If you lived in Boston instead of Belgium, you would:
pay 12.1% more for restaurants
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.07
€18.60
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.84
€10.57
|
$12.55
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.78
€2.71
|
$3.14
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
€2.40
|
$2.56
|
|
pay 91.7% more for groceries
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.28
€2.22
|
$4.39
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.70
€6.53
|
$9.48
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.44
€4.33
|
$4.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.43
€3.34
|
$4.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.78
€4.66
|
$6.22
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.11
€1.08
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
€0.87
|
$1.02
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.07
€1.05
|
$3.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
€1.13
|
$3.19
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.83
€0.81
|
$2.08
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.73
€0.71
|
$1.72
|
|
pay 7.7% more for transportation
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.91
€6.74
|
$3.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.41
€44.29
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,628.35
€26,942.67
|
$32,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$26.01
€25.37
|
$16.62
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for housing
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.35
€48.13
|
$70.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$815.11
€794.88
|
$3,280.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$705.09
€687.59
|
$2,453.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$154.10
€150.28
|
$148.96
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for childcare
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$557.50
€543.66
|
$2,428.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,740.85
€13,399.83
|
$25,000.00
|
|
pay 73.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.34
€4.23
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.51
€3.42
|
$5.79
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.08
€8.86
|
$13.83
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.02
€35.13
|
$86.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.48
€12.17
|
$16.00
|
|
pay 1.2% more for clothing
|
Belgium
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$92.82
€90.52
|
$64.32
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.31
€42.23
|
$43.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.40
€88.15
|
$98.17
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.11
€122.00
|
$157.18
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Boston or Belgium. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.