Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 35.8% more expensive than Madrid.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 24.7% more for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.08
€15.25
|
$21.44
€20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
€10.16
|
$12.86
€12.20
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
€2.64
|
$2.89
€2.74
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.80
€1.71
|
$2.56
€2.43
|
|
pay 27.6% more for groceries
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.50
€1.42
|
$2.59
€2.46
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.92
€6.56
|
$7.47
€7.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.41
€4.18
|
$6.00
€5.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.05
€2.89
|
$4.29
€4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.78
€3.59
|
$5.66
€5.37
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.13
€1.07
|
$1.16
€1.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.83
|
$0.96
€0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.01
€0.95
|
$1.19
€1.13
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.99
|
$1.38
€1.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.83
€0.79
|
$0.98
€0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.78
|
$0.94
€0.89
|
|
pay 22.8% more for transportation
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.79
€6.43
|
$6.92
€6.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.87
€40.66
|
$53.59
€50.82
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,759.38
€33,912.83
|
$32,152.89
€30,492.58
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.90
€14.13
|
$25.94
€24.60
|
|
pay 22.3% more for housing
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.85
€30.20
|
$55.46
€52.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,468.90
€1,393.05
|
$1,200.57
€1,138.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,074.71
€1,019.21
|
$1,025.16
€972.23
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$130.03
€123.32
|
$179.33
€170.07
|
|
pay 99.6% more for childcare
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$567.57
€538.26
|
$988.17
€937.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,069.47
€9,549.50
|
$22,667.79
€21,497.27
|
|
pay 33.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.75
€3.56
|
$5.36
€5.08
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
€2.45
|
$4.01
€3.80
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.43
€6.10
|
$9.65
€9.15
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.11
€40.89
|
$38.09
€36.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
€10.16
|
$14.20
€13.47
|
|
pay 20.0% more for clothing
|
Madrid
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$90.50
€85.83
|
$96.46
€91.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.21
€35.29
|
$51.32
€48.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.88
€92.82
|
$115.01
€109.07
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$121.40
€115.13
|
$143.35
€135.95
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Brussels or Madrid. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.