Cost of living comparison
Belgium is 21.6% more expensive than Italy.
If you lived in Belgium instead of Italy, you would:
pay 34.0% more for restaurants
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.15
€15.50
|
$19.07
€18.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.06
€9.66
|
$10.84
€10.40
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.55
€2.45
|
$2.78
€2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.22
€1.17
|
$2.46
€2.36
|
|
pay 0.8% more for groceries
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.04
€1.96
|
$2.28
€2.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.83
€6.56
|
$6.70
€6.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.53
€5.31
|
$4.44
€4.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.41
€3.27
|
$3.43
€3.29
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.05
€4.85
|
$4.78
€4.58
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.97
€0.93
|
$1.11
€1.06
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.85
€0.81
|
$0.89
€0.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.04
€1.00
|
$1.07
€1.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.31
€1.26
|
$1.16
€1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
€0.73
|
$0.83
€0.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.68
|
$0.73
€0.70
|
|
pay 11.7% more for transportation
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.22
€6.93
|
$6.91
€6.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$38.81
€37.25
|
$45.41
€43.59
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,223.13
€27,090.74
|
$27,628.35
€26,519.82
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.13
€18.36
|
$26.01
€24.97
|
|
pay 33.8% more for housing
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$28.87
€27.71
|
$49.35
€47.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$656.19
€629.86
|
$815.11
€782.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$511.91
€491.37
|
$705.09
€676.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.39
€144.36
|
$154.10
€147.92
|
|
pay 27.4% more for childcare
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$508.72
€488.31
|
$557.50
€535.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,465.55
€9,085.76
|
$13,740.85
€13,189.53
|
|
pay 28.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.01
€4.81
|
$4.34
€4.16
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.69
€1.62
|
$3.51
€3.37
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.20
€5.95
|
$9.08
€8.72
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.12
€50.03
|
$36.02
€34.58
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.39
€9.01
|
$12.48
€11.98
|
|
pay 14.9% more for clothing
|
Italy
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$78.41
€75.27
|
$92.82
€89.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$33.87
€32.51
|
$43.31
€41.57
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.07
€82.61
|
$90.40
€86.77
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.43
€110.80
|
$125.11
€120.09
|
|
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