Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 36.5% more expensive than Helsinki.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Helsinki, you would:
pay 10.3% more for restaurants
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.76
€17.79
|
$21.44
€20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.79
€11.18
|
$12.86
€12.20
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.14
€2.98
|
$2.89
€2.74
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.03
€1.93
|
$2.56
€2.43
|
|
pay 19.7% more for groceries
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.89
€2.74
|
$2.59
€2.46
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.13
€3.92
|
$7.47
€7.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.15
€4.88
|
$6.00
€5.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.08
€2.92
|
$4.29
€4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
€5.69
|
$5.66
€5.37
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.11
€1.05
|
$1.16
€1.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.85
€0.81
|
$0.96
€0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.03
€0.97
|
$1.19
€1.13
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.70
€1.62
|
$1.38
€1.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.57
€0.54
|
$0.98
€0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.86
€0.81
|
$0.94
€0.89
|
|
pay 1.7% more for transportation
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.50
€7.12
|
$6.92
€6.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$71.38
€67.69
|
$53.59
€50.82
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,296.42
€32,525.42
|
$32,152.89
€30,492.58
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.79
€16.87
|
$25.94
€24.60
|
|
pay 63.2% more for housing
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$22.48
€21.32
|
$55.46
€52.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,111.66
€1,054.25
|
$1,200.57
€1,138.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$870.64
€825.68
|
$1,025.16
€972.23
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$99.35
€94.22
|
$179.33
€170.07
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$338.03
€320.58
|
$988.17
€937.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,508.28
€9,965.65
|
$22,667.79
€21,497.27
|
|
pay 22.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.57
€8.13
|
$5.36
€5.08
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.76
€4.52
|
$4.01
€3.80
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.36
€10.77
|
$9.65
€9.15
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.76
€45.30
|
$38.09
€36.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.22
€17.28
|
$14.20
€13.47
|
|
pay 28.9% more for clothing
|
Helsinki
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$100.00
€94.83
|
$96.46
€91.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.76
€30.12
|
$51.32
€48.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.57
€84.95
|
$115.01
€109.07
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.24
€105.50
|
$143.35
€135.95
|
|
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