Cost of living comparison
Rome is 26.5% cheaper than Brussels.
If you lived in Rome instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 30.1% less for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.44
€20.33
|
$16.08
€15.25
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.86
€12.20
|
$10.72
€10.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.89
€2.74
|
$2.23
€2.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
€2.43
|
$1.12
€1.07
|
|
pay 14.6% less for groceries
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.59
€2.46
|
$1.78
€1.69
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
€7.09
|
$7.00
€6.64
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
€5.69
|
$6.20
€5.88
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.29
€4.07
|
$3.76
€3.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.66
€5.37
|
$4.89
€4.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.16
€1.10
|
$1.07
€1.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
€0.91
|
$0.92
€0.87
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.13
|
$0.89
€0.84
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
€1.31
|
$1.09
€1.04
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
€0.93
|
$0.73
€0.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.89
|
$0.78
€0.74
|
|
pay 19.3% less for transportation
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.92
€6.56
|
$7.15
€6.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.59
€50.82
|
$37.51
€35.57
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,152.89
€30,492.58
|
$26,794.08
€25,410.49
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.94
€24.60
|
$17.15
€16.26
|
|
pay 20.2% less for housing
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.46
€52.60
|
$29.46
€27.93
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,200.57
€1,138.57
|
$1,180.31
€1,119.36
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,025.16
€972.23
|
$763.10
€723.69
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.33
€170.07
|
$167.26
€158.63
|
|
pay 51.1% less for childcare
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$988.17
€937.14
|
$508.83
€482.56
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,667.79
€21,497.27
|
$10,490.67
€9,948.95
|
|
pay 16.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.36
€5.08
|
$5.36
€5.08
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.01
€3.80
|
$1.53
€1.45
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.65
€9.15
|
$6.43
€6.10
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.09
€36.12
|
$58.31
€55.30
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.20
€13.47
|
$10.72
€10.16
|
|
pay 33.5% less for clothing
|
Brussels
|
Rome
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.46
€91.48
|
$65.43
€62.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
€48.67
|
$30.74
€29.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.01
€109.07
|
$77.17
€73.18
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$143.35
€135.95
|
$102.32
€97.04
|
|
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